Moments In Time Oct. 21, 2010

The History Channel

* On Oct. 25, 1861, the keel of the Union ironclad Monitor is laid at Greenpoint, N.Y. The ship had an unusually low profile, rising from the water only 18 inches, and had a draft of less than 11 feet so it could operate in the shallow harbors and rivers of the South.

* On Oct. 27, 1904, the New York City subway opens. The line traveled 9.1 miles through 28 stations. The subway opened to the general public that evening, and more than 100,000 people paid a nickel each to take their first ride under Manhattan.

* On Oct. 28, 1922, the first-ever cross-country broadcast of a college football game is heard. Telephone lines carried a play-by-play of the matchup — the Chicago Maroons versus the Princeton Tigers — from Chicago’s Stagg Field to radio receivers up and down the East Coast.

* On Oct. 31, 1957, Toyota executives, hoping to saturate the American market, introduce their inexpensive Toyopet Crown sedans. The car was a flop. It could barely meet California’s standards for roadworthiness, guzzled extraordinary amounts of gas and oil, and tended to shake violently, overheat and stall with little warning.

* On Oct. 29, 1971, guitarist Duane Allman, leader of the Allman Brothers Band, is killed when he loses control of his motorcycle and drives into the side of a flatbed truck in Macon, Ga. One year later, the band’s bassist died in a very similar accident just a few blocks away.

(c) 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.