Today is Sunday, Oct. 17, the 291st day of 2004. There are 75 days left in the year. On this date in 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrender to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a

Today is Sunday, Oct. 17, the 291st day of 2004. There are 75 days left in the year. On this date in 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrender to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
In 1919, the Radio Corporation of America is created. In 1931, mobster Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He is released in 1939. In 1933, Albert Einstein arrives in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany. In 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearney is torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Iceland; 11 people die. In 1945, Col. Juan Peron stages a coup, becoming absolute ruler of Argentina. In 1973, Arab oil-producing nations announce they would begin cutting back on oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result is a total embargo that lasts until March 1974. In 1977, West German commandos storm a hijacked Lufthansa jetliner on the ground in Mogadishu, Somalia, freeing all 86 hostages and killing three of the four hijackers. In 1978, President Carter signs a bill restoring U.S. citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In 1979, Mother Teresa of India is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1989, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale strikes northern California, killing 67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage.
October 17, 1979: Youngstown's possible loss of eligibility for federal grants will not necessarily jeopardize the Commuter Aircraft Corp.'s $86 million airplane plant at Youngstown Municipal Airport, but it will require rearrangements in the financing, say company officials.
The Trumbull County GOP executive committee recommends a young local attorney, Thomas A. Swift, for appointment by Gov. James A. Rhodes to succeed the late Reed S. Battin as Probate Court judge.
The Youngstown Hotel, a downtown fixture since the early 1920s, will close Nov. 1, forcing the 16 people who live there to find other accommodations.
Court records show that top executives of Ford Motor Co. have known for 10 years that the Pinto was unsafe because its gasoline tank leaked and sometimes exploded in crashes.
October 17, 1964: John A. Saunders, president of the General Fireproofing Co., announces that Rockwell Standard Corp. of Pittsburgh has given GF an option to acquire 121,558 GF shares at $35 per share. The block represents about 17 percent of all outstanding stock.
Shot put thrower Dallas Long collects the United States' 500th gold medal in Olympic history as America dominates another day of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube increases its price for steel reinforcing bars used in concrete construction work to $5.25 for 100 pounds.
October 17, 1954: Hurricane Hazel slams into the United States and Canada, claiming at least 116 lives. In the Mahoning and Shenango valleys more than 4 inches of rain bring heavy flooding.
Youngstown Mayor Frank X. Kryzan hints to city firemen following the fourth annual Protestant firemen's breakfast that his administration wants to cut the wages of 1,300 city employees. The city, which has a $5 million annual payroll, is facing a budget crunch.
More than 11,500 alumni, students and fans enjoy a colorful half-time parade of floats, coeds and the Youngstown College Band, but the game was a disappointment, with Eastern Kentucky College beating YoCo's Penguins, 25-7.
WFMJ-TV and WKBN-TV, Youngstown's two ultra high frequency television stations, officially increase their signal power by a factor of 10, extending their coverage to new areas in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
October 17, 1929: Directors of the Youngstown Chamber of Commerce vote to oppose the calendar reform being advanced by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. The proposed plan would divide the year into 13 months of 28 days with all holidays falling on Mondays.
Youngstown's average mortality rate for the three-year period ending Sept. 30, 1929, was 10.5 per thousand per year, tied with Canton for the lowest rate among Ohio cities. Cincinnati had the highest rate at 16.6.
Every blackboard in the schools of Youngstown bear the same message: "Tell your parents to vote." Only two days remain to register for the Nov. 5 elections.
A 32-year-old E. Chalmers Avenue woman is charged with manslaughter in the hit-skip death of 15-year-old bicyclist Joseph Knox.
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