Today in History: October 17, Loma Prieta earthquake strikes California

Today is Saturday, Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2026. There are 75 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing up to $10 billion worth of damage.

Also on this date:

In 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion; he would be sentenced to 11 years in prison, fined $50,000 and ordered to pay back taxes. Capone was released in 1939.

In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

In 1967, Puyi, the last emperor of China, died in Beijing at age 61.

In 1973, Arab members of OPEC, or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties, cut oil exports to the United States and other nations supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War and imposed a full embargo in December.

In 1979, Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1989, Game 3 of the World Series was canceled when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck Northern California just 30 minutes before the game was scheduled to begin at Candlestick Park in San Francisco; it would eventually be played 10 days later.

In 2024, Israel announced its forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of 2023's Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in which militants abducted 251 people and killed some 1,200 others, prompting Israel's retaliatory war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the small coastal strip.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer Gary Puckett is 84. Actor-musician Michael McKean is 79. Former astronaut Mae Jemison is 70. Country singer Alan Jackson is 68. Film director Rob Marshall is 66. Animator-filmmaker Mike Judge is 64. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 58. Musician Wyclef Jean is 57. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 57. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick (’N Sync) is 55. Rapper Eminem is 54. Actor Matthew Macfadyen is 52. Former race car driver Kimi Raikkonen is 47. Actor Felicity Jones is 43. Queen Naija is 31. Actor Erin Kellyman is 28.