Today in History ...

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683 – During the Siege of Mecca, the Kaaba catches fire and is burned down. 802 – Empress Irene is deposed and banished to Lesbos. Conspirators place Nikephoros, the minister of finance, on the Byzantine throne. 1517 – Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. 1864 – Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state. 1922 – Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy 1941 – After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed. 1961 – In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin's body is removed from Vladimir Lenin's Tomb. 1968 – Vietnam War October surprise: Citing progress with the Paris peace talks, US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces to the nation that he has ordered a complete cessation of "all air, naval, and artillery bombardment of North Vietnam" effective November 1. 1984 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two Sikh security guards. Riots break out in New Delhi and other cities and nearly 10,000 Sikhs are killed. 1999 – Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted. 2000 – Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes on takeoff in Taipei killing 83 people. 2011 – The global population of humans reaches seven billion. This day is now recognized by the United Nations as Seven Billion Day. 2014 – Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashes in the Mojave Desert during a test flight,