On this day….
539 — Army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon — that was B.C.
1492 — Columbus, mixed up about where he was, shows up in the Bahamas
1609 — Children’s rhyme Three Blind Mice published in London
1692 — Massachusetts Bay discontinues witch trials
1792 — Columbus Day is first celebrated
1892 — Pledge of Allegiance first recited in public schools
1915 — Theodore Roosevelt criticizes US citizens who identify themselves with dual nationalities
1973 — Nixon nominates Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew as Vice President
1987 — Oscar Arias (President, Costa Rica) wins Nobel Peace Prize
1992 — Microwave Observing Project begins (seeking alien life)
1999 — Born: the proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world
2000 — USS Cole bombed
2002 — Nearly 200 tourists murdered by Islamist terrorist bombs in Bali
2006 — Law passed in France makes denying the Armenian Genocide a crime
2007 — Former US VP Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize
Oh, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran might have special plans for today.