Tag Archives: 7 October

7 October 1985

Posted on by

Four men from the Palestine Liberation Front hijack the MS Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt.

The hijacking of the MS Achille Lauro was a dramatic and internationally significant event that occurred in 1985. The MS Achille Lauro was an Italian cruise ship owned by the StarLauro Line. The ship was carrying more than 1,000 passengers and crew members on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea when it was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, 1985.

The hijackers were members of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), a Palestinian militant organization led by Abu Abbas. Their primary demand was the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. The hijackers boarded the ship in Egypt, and once on board, they took control of the vessel.

During the ordeal, the hijackers singled out a wheelchair-bound American passenger named Leon Klinghoffer, who was traveling with his wife. They shot and killed him, then threw his body overboard. This murder drew widespread international condemnation and outrage.

The Achille Lauro was eventually allowed to dock in the port of Port Said, Egypt, where the hijackers negotiated with Egyptian authorities for their safe passage out of the country. In exchange for the release of the hostages, the hijackers were given safe passage on an EgyptAir plane to Tunisia. The Egyptian government’s decision to allow the hijackers to leave the country without facing justice for the murder of Leon Klinghoffer was highly criticized.

The United States and other countries pursued the hijackers, and Abu Abbas, the leader of the PLF, was eventually captured and brought to trial in Italy. However, many of the other hijackers managed to evade capture for several years.

The hijacking of the MS Achille Lauro highlighted the continuing tensions in the Middle East and the use of terrorism as a means to draw attention to the Palestinian cause. It also raised questions about the responsibilities of countries in dealing with international terrorists and the pursuit of justice for acts of terrorism.

7 October 1996

Posted on by

Fox News Channel start broadcasting.

The channel was created by Australian-born American media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who hired Roger Ailes as its founding CEO. The channel was launched on October 7, 1996 to 17 million cable subscribers. Prior to founding Fox News, Murdoch had gained significant experience in the 24-hour news business when News Corporation’s BSkyB subsidiary started Europe’s first 24-hour news channel, Sky News, in the United Kingdom in 1989. With the success of his fourth network efforts in the United States, experience gained from Sky News, and turnaround of 20th Century Fox, Murdoch announced on January 31, 1996, that his company would be launching a 24-hour news channel to air on both cable and satellite systems as part of a News Corp. “worldwide platform” for Fox programming, reasoning that “The appetite for news – particularly news that explains to people how it affects them – is expanding enormously.”

Exterior of the Fox News Channel studios in New York City
In February 1996, after former NBC executive and Republican political strategist Roger Ailes left America’s Talking now MSNBC, Murdoch called him to start the Fox News Channel. Ailes worked individuals through five months of 14-hour workdays and several weeks of rehearsal shows before launch, on October 7, 1996.

At launch, only 10 million households were able to watch Fox News, with none in the major media markets of New York City and Los Angeles. According to published reports, many media reviewers had to watch the first day’s programming at Fox News’ studios because it was not readily available. The rolling news coverage during the day consisted of 20-minute single topic shows like Fox on Crime or Fox on Politics surrounded by news headlines. Interviews had various facts at the bottom of the screen about the topic or the guest.

In the 2000 presidential election, Fox News, which was available in 56 million homes nationwide, saw a staggering 440% increase in viewers, the biggest gain among the three cable news television networks.

7 October 1950

Posted on by

Mother Teresa sets up the Missionaries of Charity.

On-7-October-1950-Teresa-gained-permission-from-the-Vatican-to-start-the-new-diocesan-congregation-that-would-later-be-named-as-Missionaries-of-Charity.-successstory

Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa. It consists of over 4,501 religious sisters and is active in 133 countries. Members of the order designate their affiliation using the order’s initials, “M.C.” A member of the Congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the fourth vow, to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”

Today, the order consists of both Contemplative and Active Branches of Brothers and Sisters over several different countries. In 1963, both the Contemplative branch of the Sisters and the Active branch of the Brothers were founded, Brothers being co-founded by then Australian Jesuit (who became Brother Andrew, M.C.) Fr Ian Travers-Ball S.J. In 1979 the Contemplative branch of the Brothers was added and in 1984 a priest branch, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, was founded by Mother Teresa with Fr. Joseph Langford, combining the vocation of the Missionaries of Charity with the Ministerial Priesthood. As with the Sisters, the Fathers live a very simple lifestyle without television, radios or items of convenience. They neither smoke nor drink alcohol and beg for their food. They make a visit to their families every five years but do not take annual holidays. Lay Catholics and non-Catholics constitute the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa, the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, and the Lay Missionaries of Charity.

7 October 1916

Posted on by

Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland University 222–0 in what was the most lopsided college football game ever.

gt_cumberland_222_scoreboard

On October 7, 1916, The 1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game was the most lopsided in the history of college football, with Georgia Tech who won 222–0.It was played between the Georgia Tech Engineers and Cumberland College Bulldogs at Grant Field in Atlanta, Georgia.Cumberland received the opening kickoff and failed to make a first down. The Engineers scored on their first play. Cumberland then fumbled on their next play from the line of scrimmage, and a Georgia Tech player returned the fumble for a touchdown.The Bulldogs fumbled again on their next play, and it took Georgia Tech two rushes to score its third touchdown.Cumberland lost nine yards on its next possession, and Georgia Tech scored a fourth touchdown on another two-play drive.