Today is Monday, Oct. 13, the 287th day of 2008. There are 79 days left in the year. This is the

Today is Monday, Oct. 13, the 287th day of 2008. There are 79 days left in the year. This is the Columbus Day holiday in the United States, as well as Thanksgiving Day in Canada. On this day in 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, is laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

In A.D. 54, Roman emperor Claudius I dies, poisoned apparently at the behest of his wife, Agrippina. In 1775, the United States Navy has its origins as the Continental Congress orders the construction of a naval fleet. In 1858, the sixth debate between senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas takes place in Quincy, Ill. In 1943, Italy declares war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner. In 1960, Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy participate in the third televised debate of their presidential campaign. (Nixon was in Los Angeles; Kennedy was in New York.) In 1962, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” by Edward Albee opens on Broadway. In 1974, longtime television host Ed Sullivan dies in New York City at age 72.

October 13, 1983: Mahoning County commissioners approve a $700,000 project to improve the pressure, taste and quality of water used by Craig Beach residents.

Councilman Pete Starks vows to close down the McGuffey Entertainment Center of Community Activity, charging that the “Mecca Club,” located in a two family house at 2247 McGuffey Road, is nothing more than a bottle club that will hold noisy all-night parties.

October 13, 1968: Mahoning County Engineer Sam Gould says an $8 million sewage treatment plan could help spark development in the county, coupled with construction of the General Motors plant in Lordstown and the building of new roads in the area.

The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra opens its 42nd season at Stambaugh Auditorium, sharing the stage with Metropolitan Opera bass baritone Giorgio Tozzi and 150 voices from the Youngstown Philharmonic Chorus and the Westminster College Choir.

October 13, 1958: James E. Matsi, 17, miraculously escapes death when a Pennsylvania Railroad freight train strikes his car at the Ellsworth Station crossing and drags it 400 feet.

Nationally famous sports celebrities are among 750 people attending the first annual Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame banquet at the Idora Park Ballroom. Among them are Carmen Basilio, former middleweight champion; Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Major League stars Dick Groat, Ronny Kline and Jerry Lynch.

October 13, 1933: Charles M. Bush, an 82-year-old Lordstown Township bachelor is beaten to death with a hammer and his body set afire. Police said the man had been swindled out of $25 earlier by a band of gypsies, who were confronted by Sheriff R.S. Hardman, who made them return the money.

Leaders of the Western Division of the Mahoning Council of Boy Scouts will hold a two-day session at the Stambaugh Reservation. Finley Smith will arrange transportation for scoutmasters who need it.

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