15 October It Happened Today

70BC  Birth of Roman poet Virgil.

1608   Birth of Italian  inventor of the barometer Evangelista Torricelli.

1844   Birth of German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.

1928  The Graf Zeppelin airship lands in New Jersey after making the first transatlantic crossing.

1945  French leader of the Vichy government during WWII, Pierre Laval, is executed for collaborating with Nazi Germany.

1964  Death of American composer Cole Porter.

1993  ANC leader Nelson Mandela and South African president F W de Klerk are awarded the Nobel Peace prize.