October 18 is a great anniversary:
1753: Joseph Bloomfield, Revolutionary War General, early Governor of New Jersey, and namesake of my original hometown, was born.
1859: John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia).
1867: The Alaska Purchase is finalized.
1898: America took possession of Puerto Rico.
1918: Czechoslovakia declared independence.
1919: Pierre Trudeau, longtime Prime Minister of Canada and father of the current Prime Minister, was born.
1922: The British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC) begins radio broadcasting.
1924: Two of the most famous games in college football history are played. Notre Dame beats Army at the Polo Grounds thanks to their backfield, "The Four Horsemen." And the University of Illinois dedicates its Memorial Stadium with 6 touchdowns by Red Grange in a win over Michigan.
1926: Rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry was born.
1928: The great sportscaster Keith Jackson was born.
1933: Forrest Gregg, the Green Bay Packer offensive tackle that Vince Lombardi called "the finest player I ever coached," was born.
1939: Chicago Bears legend, as player and as coach, Mike Ditka was born. (Unfortunately, also born on this day was Lee Harvey Oswald.)
1940: Cynthia Weil, who wrote a bunch of hit rock and roll songs with her husband, Barry Mann, was born.
1941: The film The Maltese Falcon premiered.
1953: Willie Thrower, aptly-named, became the 1st black quarterback in the NFL, for the Bears. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers, anyway.
1954: Mort Walker and Dik Browne debuted the comic strip Hi & Lois. Separately, Walker created Beetle Bailey (Lois Flagston was Beetle's sister), and Browne created Hagar the Horrible.
1955: The Community War Memorial Arena opened in Rochester, New York. It is now known as the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. And the Winnipeg Arena opened. It was demolished in 2006.
1956: Tennis legend Martina Navrátilová was born.
1958: Boxing champion Thomas Hearns was born. So was New York Attorney General Letitia James.
1959: Radio sports-talk host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo was born.
1961: The film version of West Side Story premiered.
1968: Bob Beamon wins the long jump at the Olympics, with a record of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
1977: Reggie Jackson hits 3 home runs in Game 6 of the World Series, and the Yankees win the Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1984: Gold Medal-winning American skier Lindsey Vonn is born.
1990: Basketball star Brittney Griner is born.
1999: The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park, and win the Pennant.
2007: The football team at Rutgers University beat the University of South Florida, then ranked Number 2.
But one particular milestone stands out, and you have almost certainly enjoyed its effects:
October 18, 1954, 70 years ago: Texas Instruments announces it has begun production of the 1st transistor radio, the Regency TR-1. Baseball fans everywhere rejoice, for now they can listen to ballgames almost anywhere, from the office to the beach.
Well, they'll have to wait until April 1955 to listen to them, and until Summer 1955 to listen to them on the beach. Maybe they can listen on the beach in April 1955, if they live in California and can get Pacific Coast League broadcasts.
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