GMT

Today in History: October 4
1777
At Germantown, Pa., British General Sir William Howe repels George Washington's last attempt to retake Philadelphia, compelling Washington to spend the winter at Valley Forge.

1795
General Napoleon Bonaparte leads the rout of counterrevolutionaries in the streets of Paris, beginning his rise to power.

1927
Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting the heads of 4 US presidents on Mount Rushmore.

1940
Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass.

1957
Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite, is launched, beginning the "space race." The satellite, built by Valentin Glushko, weighed 184 pounds and was launched by a converted Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). Sputnik orbited the earth every 96 minutes at a maximum height of 584 miles. In 1958, it reentered the earth's atmosphere and burned up.

1976
In Gregg v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the ban on the death sentence in murder cases. This restores the legality of capital punishment, which had not been practiced since 1967. The first execution following this ruling was Gary Gilmore in 1977.

1993
Russia's constitutional crisis over President Boris Yeltsin's attempts to dissolve the legislature: the army violently arrests civilian protesters occupying government buildings.

2004
SpaceShipOne, which had achieved the first privately funded human space flight on June 21, wins the Ansari X Prize for the first non-government organization to successfully launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space.

2021
Global outage of Facebook and its apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp, for six hours

Today in History: Born on October 4
1822
Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the U.S. (1877-1881).

1862
Edward Stratemeyer, author, creator of the Hardy Boys, Rover Boys, Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins.

1923
Charlton Heston, American film actor.

1981
Ilhan Omar, Somali American politician (Rep-D-Minnesota 2018-) one of first Muslim women elected to US House, born in Mogadishu, Somalia

1989
Dakota Johnson, American actress (50 Shades of Grey), and daughter of Melanie Griffith & Don Johnson, born in Austin, Texas

JOTD

This wealthy couple are employing a housemaid. She decides to ask for a raise.

She goes to the lady and asks: “Ma’am, I’d like a raise.”

The lady responds: “A raise? But why on earth? I see no reason why.”

The housemaid says: “Well, for starters, I cook better than you, ma’am.”

The lady gets annoyed and replies: “Where does that come from?”

“Well, Ma’am, your husband told me he likes the food better when I make it than when you do.”

Seriously annoyed, the lady interjects: “I’m not giving you a raise. That’s just your job.”

The housemaid tries again: “And I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m also better at laundry than you.”

“Nonsense. What makes you think that?”

“Again I’m sorry ma’am, but your husband says, his shirts are better ironed when I’m the one who cleaned them, than when you are.”

Even more annoyed, the lady says: “okay I’ll have a talk with him. But you’re still not getting a raise for doing your job.”

“Well... I’m very sorry ma’am, but maybe you should also consider the fact that I’m better at sex than you.”

The lady responds, red with anger: “EXCUSE ME? My HUSBAND told you that?”

The housemaid answers: “Oh, no. The gardener, ma’am.”