On This Day October 15th
OTD October 15th is the two hundred eighty-eighth day of the year, and there are 77 days remaining until the end of the year. Events 1582 – Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption. 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon makes the first human ascent, piloted by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. 1793 – Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted of treason. 1815 – Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. 1878 – The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation. 1888 – The "From Hell" letter allegedly sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators. 1939 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated. 1956 – FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, is first shared with the coding community. 1989 – Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL. 2001 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft pas