Today in History: Wednesday, October 17, 2012

On Oct. 17, 1973 Arab oil-producing nations announced they would cut back oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.

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

1919 The Radio Corporation of America was created.

1931 Mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

1945 Col. Juan Peron staged a coup, becoming absolute ruler of Argentina.

1957 French author Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

1979 Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on behalf of the destitute in Calcutta.

1987 First lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy.

1989, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern California, killing 67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage.

2007 President George W. Bush, raising Beijing's ire, presented the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal and urged Chinese leaders to welcome the monk to Beijing.