This Week in History

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This Week in History, Oct 30 - Nov 5

Oct 30, 1938
Orson Welles scares US and causes a nationwide panic with his broadcast of "War of the Worlds"—a radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth.

Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther posts 95 theses. On this day, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

Nov 01, 1512
Sistine Chapel ceiling opens to public The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo's finest works, is exhibited to the public for the first time.

Nov 02, 1947
Spruce Goose flies. The Hughes Flying Boat—the largest aircraft ever built—is piloted by designer Howard Hughes on its first and only flight. Built with laminated birch and spruce, the massive wooden aircraft had a wingspan longer than a football field and was designed to carry more than 700 men to battle.

Nov 03, 1964
D.C. residents cast first presidential votes in a presidential election for the first time. The passage of the 23rd Amendment in 1961 gave citizens of the nation's capital the right to vote for a commander in chief and vice president. They went on to help Democrat Lyndon Johnson defeat Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, the next presidential election.

Nov 04, 1956
Soviets put brutal end to Hungarian revolution. A spontaneous national uprising that began 12 days before in Hungary is viciously crushed by Soviet tanks and troops on this day in 1956. Thousands were killed and wounded and nearly a quarter-million Hungarians fled the country.

Nov 05, 1994
George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ. At aage 45, he becomes boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to "all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail."