Looking Back: 28th of October

Eli Whitney filed his patent application for the cotton gin in 1793, revolutionizing the South and the economic viability of cotton. Recently graduated from Yale, Eli would follow the encouragement of his employer to develop the machine which would expedite the deseeding of cotton and increase the need for slaves to pick it.

Italy invaded Greece during WWII in 1940 but were quickly repelled by the Greek Army. Anticipating an attack on the Soviet Union, Hitler ordered the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece to secure the Balkin flank. Although the Axis forces gained control of the country, resistance forces were based off a number of islands and continued to fight until it’s liberation in . The Italians were also hesitant to carry out Hitler’s “Final Solution,” leading to a safe haven for Greece’s 70,000 Jews.

After a performance at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Las Angeles, Elvis was informed that he would no longer be allowed to wiggle his hips onstage. The next evenings performance was video recorded by the police to study his moves and ensure decency.

On a literary note, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway were awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 and 1954, respectively.

Harvard College was founded, becoming the first institute of continuing education in the U.S. in 1636. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886, changing its name from Liberty Enlightening the World, and despite President Wilson vetoing the National Prohibition Act, Congressman Andrew Volstead, would push it through, establishing the guidelines for prohibition.