On this day... October 17:

On this day...

October 17:       Dessalines Day in Haiti (1806) 1558 – Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service,was founded by order of King Sigismund II Augustus. 1604 – German astronomer Johannes Keplerobserved an exceptionally bright star, now known as Kepler's Supernova, which had suddenly appeared in the constellationOphiuchus. 1964 – Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies opened the artificial Lake Burley Griffin (pictured) in the middle of the capitalCanberra. 1989 – The 6.9 Mw Loma Prieta earthquake struck California's San Francisco Bay Area, killing 63 people, injuring 3,757, and leaving at least 8,000 homeless. 1994 – Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov was assassinated in the offices of Moskovskij Komsomolets during his investigations into alleged corruption among high ranks of the Russian military.