On October 26th, 1825, the Erie Canal opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River.

In 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot to death by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-kyu.

In 1984, “Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect, was given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, California. (She lived 21 days with the animal heart.)

In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists.

In 2020, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a deeply divided Senate, installing President Donald Trump’s nominee days before the U.S. general election.