October 4th

1887 -- US: Louisiana sugar workers strike, 37 peaceful strikers murdered. Louisiana Militia, aided by bands of "prominent citizens," shot unarmed black sugar workers striking to gain a dollar-per-day wage, & lynched two strike leaders.

1946 -- US: Strikes throughout 20 states end when President Truman orders the Navy to seize oil refineries (half the US refining capacity). Rather than give the workers better wages and benefits, he orders the military to run the refineries instead.

1961 -- US: Mass arrest of three SNCC members & 110 African American high school students who had been praying on McComb City Hall steps in protest of Lee's slaying & suspension of two Freedom Riders.

1974 -- Ex-CIA agent Philip Agee publishes the names of 37 CIA spies, in an effort to undermine what he called the CIA's policies of murder, kidnapping, torture, assassination & other "terrorist crimes against humanity."

1982 -- US: Ben Sasway becomes first public draft non-registrant imprisoned for failure to register. Madison, Wisconsin.

1992 - UN-Sponsored Treaty ends 16 years of civil war in Mozambique

1997 -- US: Demonstrations in Washington, D.C., & across the country (including Seattle) protest the scheduled launch of the space probe Cassini with a plutonium payload.

2000 -- Bolivia: Students protest outside the university in La Paz. Tensions mounted after the government reiterated threats to deploy troops if coca growers, peasants & teachers did not take down roadblocks erected 17 days ago in a nationwide strike. Police respond with tear gas.