1537

Jane Seymour, the third wife of England’s King Henry VIII, died 12 days after giving birth to Prince Edward, later King Edward VI.

1861

The first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C.

1929

A massive sell-off at the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange led to chaos as stockbrokers couldn’t keep up with trade requests. Though the market recovered some loses by the end of the day, “Black Thursday” marked the beginning of the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

1945

The United Nations formally came into existence as the Charter of the United Nations, ratified by 29 nations, took effect. The date is now observed as United Nations Day.

2012

Hurricane Sandy roared across Jamaica and headed toward Cuba on its way to the eastern United States.

Birthdays

Rock musician Bill Wyman is 88. Actor F. Murray Abraham is 85. Actor Kevin Kline is 77. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., is 70. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, is 68. Actor B.D. Wong is 64. Singer Monica Arnold is 44. Fashion designer Zac Posen is 44. Singer-rapper Drake is 38. Actor Ashton Sanders is 29.