October 7 Birthday
On October 7, 2001, the United States and Britain began bombing Afghanistan, launching Operation Enduring Freedom. The attacks targeted Taliban military installations and al-Qaeda training camps. The Taliban had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden. Within two months, the Taliban government fell. The war would last twenty years — the longest war in American history. The US spent $2.3 trillion and lost 2,448 service members. The Afghan government collapsed in August 2021, and the Taliban returned to power. The war achieved the opposite of its intent — al-Qaeda reconstituted, and Afghanistan returned to its pre-2001 state. Desmond Tutu, born this day in 1931, was the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and a leader of the anti-apartheid movement. He coined the term "Rainbow Nation" to describe post-apartheid South Africa. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which heard testimony from victims and perpetrators of apartheid-era crimes. He was critical of the ANC government in later years. People born on October 7 fall under the zodiac sign of Libra. The birthstone is Opal and the birth flower is Marigold. Historical events on October 7 include 1919: KLM founded in the Netherlands (oldest airline still operating under original name), 1949: German Democratic Republic (East Germany) established, 2001: United States begins bombing Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom). Famous people born on October 7 include Desmond Tutu (1931), John Mellencamp (1951), Yo-Yo Ma (1955).