Pony Express ceases operations – Chicago Tribune

Today is Sunday, October 26, the 299th day of the year 2025. There are 66 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On October 26, 1861, the legendary Pony Express officially ceased operations, giving way to the transcontinental telegraph. (The Pony Express’ final run ended the following month.)

Also on this date:

In 1774, the First Continental Congress adjourned to Philadelphia.

In 1825, the Erie Canal was opened in upstate New York, connecting Lake Erie and the Hudson River.

In 1881, four lawmen, including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, exchanged gunfire with five outlaws, killing three of them, during the “OK Corral Shootout” in Tombstone, Arizona.

In 1979, South Korean President Park Chung-hee was shot dead by the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Jae-kyu.

In 1984, “Baby Fae,” a newborn with a severe heart defect, received a baboon’s heart during an experimental transplant in Loma Linda, California. (She lived for 21 days with the animal heart.)

In 2000, the New York Yankees became the first team in over a quarter century to win three consecutive World Series championships, defeating the New York Mets in Game 5 of their “Subway Series.”

In 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop on potential terrorists.

In 2002, a hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ended with the deaths of 129 of the more than 800 captives, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who stormed the theater; 41 rebels also died.