October 5, 2020
Day 279 of 366

October 5th is the 279th day of the year. It is Teachers’ Day in both Pakistan and Russia.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Get Funky Day, National Rhode Island Day, National Do Something Nice Day, National Apple Betty Day, National Consignment Day, and National Child Health Day. The last two are typically observed on the first Monday in October.

Historical items of note:

• In 1550, the city of Concepción was founded in present-day Chile.
• In 1857, the city of Anaheim, California was founded.
• In 1882, physicist, engineer, and academic Robert H. Goddard was born. He is the inventor who was credited with creating and building the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket.
• In 1911, the Kowloon–Canton Railway commenced service in Hong Kong.
• In 1914, an aircraft successfully destroyed another aircraft with gunfire, the first event of its kind. This occurred during World War I.
• In 1919, actor Donald Pleasance was born.
• In 1922, American soldier and cartoonist Bil Keane was born.
• In 1945, a six-month strike by Hollywood set decorators turned into a bloody riot at the gates of the Warner Brothers studio.
• In 1947, United States President Truman made the first televised Oval Office address.
• In 1951, actress Karen Allen was born.
• In 1952, author, director, producer, and screenwriter Clive Barker was born.
• Also in 1952, keyboard player, composer, and producer Harold Faltermeyer was born.
• In 1958, astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author Neil deGrasse Tyson was born.
• In 1962, the first James Bond film, Dr. No, premiered in London.
• In 1966, a reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station near Detroit suffered a partial meltdown.
• In 1967, English-Australian actor Guy Pearce was born.
• In 1970, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded.
• In 1975, actress Kate Winslet was born.
• In 1984, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space.
• In 2000, mass demonstrations in Serbia forced the resignation of Slobodan Milošević. He was arrested six months later on suspicion of corruption, abuse of power, and embezzlement. He died in his prison cell from a heart attack five years later.

October 5th is World Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teachers Day.

Established in 1994, the observance it commemorates the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which addressed the status and situations of teachers around the world.

World Teachers’ Day aims to focus on “appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world” and to provide an opportunity to consider issues related to teachers and teaching.

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

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