October 15th, 2008

Today in History

2001:
NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.

1991:
Following a bitter confirmation hearing that involved allegations of sexual misconduct, the United States Senate votes to confirm Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court of the United States.

1990:
Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.

1953:
British nuclear test Totem 1 detonated at Emu Field, South Australia.

1764:
Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire