Human Race

Died

Maureen O’Hara, one of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, died in her sleep in Boise, Idaho, on Oct. 24. She was 95. Born Maureen FitzSimons near Dublin, Ireland, in 1920, O’Hara came to the United States at the onset of World War II and starred in such classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, How Green Was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, and The Quiet Man. Later, she ran Antilles Airboats in the Virgin Islands after company owner Brig. Gen. Charles Blair, her third husband, died. “There have been crushing disappointments,” she told the Associated Press in 1991. “But when that happens, I say, ‘Find another hill to climb.’”

Died

George Mueller, a determined engineer who helped lead NASA to the moon, died Oct. 12 at 97. Mueller was a major part of fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s vision of putting a man on the moon in the 1960s. Historians cited his leadership of the Apollo and Gemini programs, including revamped testing procedures and public relations, as indispensable to meeting Kennedy’s goal. His contributions continued after he earned the National Medal of Science in 1971, and many credit Mueller as the “father of the space shuttle.”

Died

Sybil Stockdale, a Navy wife and advocate for her husband’s safety when he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, died Oct. 10. She was 90. When Vice Adm. James Bond Stockdale’s plane went down in 1965, his wife organized families to pressure the U.S. government to advocate for POWs. After eight years of television appearances and CIA-coded letters to her husband, he returned safely, having disfigured himself so he couldn’t be used in Vietnamese propaganda. Sybil Stockdale’s actions earned the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award.

Killed

Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler died Oct. 22 helping Kurdish soldiers free 69 prisoners of the Islamic State. The 39-year-old father of four from Oklahoma is the first American to die in combat with ISIS since U.S. operations against the group began in August 2014. Wheeler’s Delta Force troops were to stay back and let the Kurds do the fighting, part of the U.S. “advise and assist” strategy. But Wheeler rushed in when the team came under attack, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. “It wasn’t part of the plan,” Carter said, “but it was something that he did, and I’m immensely proud that he did that.” The highly successful raid came at the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Retiring

Judge Thomas Kohl, one of two Oregon judges to take criticism for refusing to perform same-sex weddings, announced Oct. 14 that he will retire Dec. 31. The Washington County judge is known for founding the county’s Drug Court, which offers reduced sentences and treatment for certain drug offenders. He also garnered attention for referencing God from the bench and speaking at churches extending forgiveness to his daughter’s murderer. He stopped performing all weddings in 2014 after a federal judge redefined marriage for the state.

Picked

Five-time NBA champion head coach Gregg Popovich will lead USA Basketball after the 2016 Olympics, which Mike Krzyzewski says will be his last as coach of the team. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told reporters Oct. 23 that “Pop” was his first and only choice. The San Antonio Spurs legend was an assistant at the 2004 Olympics, but Colangelo passed over him for Krzyzewski. The Duke coach has led the men to two world titles, two gold medals, and a 75-1 record. “It’s still sinking in,” Popovich said, “but I love it.”

Discovered

Adolf Hitler’s death machine has yielded another grisly finding. A hiker in the woods around the former Stutthof concentration camp in Poland discovered a vast array of likely victims’ belongings. Hundreds of square yards of shoes, belts, and strips of clothing, sometimes up to a foot deep, rested undiscovered for decades despite a museum operating at the site. The Nazis killed roughly 85,000 persons at the camp, where Nazis tested making soap from the victims’ fat.

Hospitalized

Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey is recovering in London after nearly dying from Ebola complications. Cafferkey left the hospital in January after her initial recovery from Ebola but re-entered the hospital on Oct. 6 with her health deteriorating. Doctors clarified that Cafferkey’s condition was not a new contagion. She originally contracted the disease in Sierra Leone, and a resilient remnant of Ebola in her brain had revived, causing viral meningitis. Earlier this year, an American survivor discovered the virus had remained for months inside his eye, threatening his sight.

Pleaded

Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Oct. 28 pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in a hush-money case. Prosecutors said Hastert, 73, broke banking laws and lied to the FBI about allegedly agreeing to pay $3.5 million to hide past misconduct. Sources familiar with the case say it involves alleged sexual abuse occurring during Hastert’s time as a high-school coach in Yorkville, Ill. Attorneys on both sides have kept details private, and avoiding trial could keep it that way.

Dropped

Los Angeles police won’t pursue felony sex charges against Saudi prince Majed Abdulaziz Al Saud. County authorities on Oct. 19 cited lack of evidence, but the city hasn’t ruled out misdemeanors. Civil suit court documents describe an alleged cocaine- and alcohol-crazed prince who threatened lives of mansion staff. Police arrested Al Saud on Sept. 23 after finding a bloodied woman crying for help, with staff accusing him of forced sex acts.

By the number

$408,000 | The sale price of a 765-square-foot wooden shack in San Francisco’s fashionable Outer Mission neighborhood. The shack, built as relief housing after a 1906 earthquake, is a historical property that owners cannot significantly change. The seller reportedly had six bidders for the property.

$150 | The fee that the Republican Party plans to charge reporters to cover the 2016 Republican National Convention, the first time either party has charged such a fee.

25 | The percentage of American adults who say they do not read books, according to a Barna Group survey.