By Michelle Dumas
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Felix Baumgartner (German: [ˈfeːlɪks ˈbaʊ̯mˌɡaʁtnɐ]; born 20 April 1969) is an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper. He is widely known for jumping to Earth from a helium balloon from the stratosphere on 14 October 2012 and landing in New Mexico, United States, as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. Doing so, he set world records for skydiving an estimated 39 km (24 mi), reaching an estimated top speed of 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), or Mach 1.25. He became the first person to break the sound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power on his descent. He broke skydiving records for exit altitude, vertical freefall distance without a drogue parachute, and vertical speed without a drogue. Though he still holds the two latter records, the first was broken two years later, when on 24 October 2014, Alan Eustace jumped from 135,890 feet (41.42 km; 25.74 mi) with a drogue.
Baumgartner is also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career. He spent time in the Austrian military where he practiced parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Died
- George Clinton (became first U.S. vice president to die in office) –
- Bram Stoker (author) –
- Benny Hill (comedian) –
- Christopher Robin Milne (son of A.A. Milne, basis for the Winnie the Pooh character Christopher Robin) –
- Dorothy Height (civil rights activist; she stood on the platform with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his historic I Have a Dream” speech”) –
Born
- Daniel Chester French (sculptor) –
- Stanley Marcus (retailer) –
- Lionel Hampton (jazz musician) –
- Ryan O’Neal (actor) –
- Jessica Lange (actress) –
- Don Mattingly (baseball player) –
- Felix Baumgartner (daredevil) –
- Shemar Moore (actor) –
- Joey Lawrence (actor) –
- Funny Cide (thoroughbred race horse, won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003) –
Events
- Hot Springs Reservation (now National Park) was established in Arkansas–
- French scientists Pierre and Marie Curie isolated radium chloride from pitchblende–
- Boston’s Fenway Park hosted its first professional baseball game. The Boston Red Sox played the New York Highlanders (now the Yankees).–
- Electron microscope demonstrated to public–
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau was sworn in as 15th Prime Minister of Canada–
- 54-pound 8-ounce freshwater drum caught in Nickajack Lake, Tennessee–
- During a fishing trip, an upset swamp rabbit approached President Carter’s boat, Plains, GA–
- Tony Gemignani spun 17.6 ounces of dough for 2 minutes to form pizza base 33.2 inches wide, in Minneapolis, Minnesota–
- New York Yankee’s Aaron Hicks threw 105.5 mph ball from left field, setting baseball record–
Weather
- A San Antonio hailstorm severely injured ten soldiers and killed two horses–
- Six inches of snow in northern New Hampshire–
- Deadly F3 tornado touched down in Utica, Illinois–
- Ice out, Lake Winnipesaukee, NH–
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