Steamboat Washington Arrives in New Orleans
October 7, 1816

On October 7, 1816 the Washington, built by Henry M. Shreve, was the first double-decker. steamboat to arrive in New Orleans and became the model for the classic style of Mississippi river boats -- flat-bottomed, two stories, steam-powered paddle wheel mounted on the stern, two smoke-stacks. First used to carry cargo it was soon open for passenger transportation. The Washington moved at lightning speed compared to other boats on the rivers -- 16 mph upstream and downstream at as much as 25 mph.

Shreve launched the boat earlier that year on the Monongahela River just above Pittsburgh. Shreve's cleverly designed Washington had all the features that would soon come to characterize the classic Mississippi riverboat: a two-story deck, a stern-mounted paddle wheel powered by a high-pressure steam engine, a shallow, flat-bottomed hull, and a pilothouse framed by two tall chimneys. Perfectly designed for the often-shallow western rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri, the Washington proved itself on its inaugural voyage the following spring. Steaming upriver against the current with full cargo, the Washington reached Louisville in only 25 days, demonstrating that the powerful new generation of steamboats could master the often-treacherous currents of the mighty western rivers. Soon the Washington began to offer regular passenger and cargo service between New Orleans and Louisville.

With the brilliant success of the Washington, other similarly designed steamboats followed. At the peak of the era of the paddle wheelers in 1850, 740 steamboats regularly moved up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, carrying three million passengers annually. Had it not been for the ready availability of this rapid transportation technology, settlement of the western United States would undoubtedly have been far slower. Many emigrants setting out for the far western part of the U.S. often cut the first stage of their long journeys short by booking passage on a steamboat to the overland trailheads at Independence, Saint Joseph, and Council Bluffs. Gold seekers heading for Montana after 1867 could even take steamboats all the way up the Missouri to Fort Benton, just below the Great Falls, cutting months off the time required for an overland journey.  By the late 19th century, though, the golden age of the western steamboat was over, a victim of cheap rail transport and diesel-powered towboats and barges. But in its era, the steamboat was as important as any explorer or trailblazer in opening the American West to widespread settlement. (Wiki)

2012
As of September 2013 Drew Brees held the record for consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass which stood at 54. He set the record on October 7, 2012 when he surpassed the streak of 47 consecutive games by Johnny Unitas which had stood since December 11, 1960.  Unitas had held the record for nearly 52 years when he surpassed Cecil Isbell's streak of 23 which had been established as the record in 1942. Brees record streak of 54 games ended on November 29, 2012 against the Atlanta Falcons.  Brees also holds the record for consecutive uninterrupted games with a touchdown pass including playoffs with 49, surpassing Brett Favre's record of 39. Tom Brady holds the record for most consecutive regular season uninterrupted games with at least one touchdown pass with 50, setting the record on 2 December 2012, surpassing Brees' 43. Both players had surpassed Favre's record of 36, set in 2004.

On October 7, 2012, Marques Colston broke Joe Horn's record for most touchdown catches by a Saints receiver, catching three touchdowns to make 52 for his career. (Wiki)

1992
Jazz drummer Edward Joseph Blackwell, born in New Orleans on October 10, 1929, played in a bebop quintet during the 1950s with pianist Ellis Marsalis and clarinetist Alvin Batiste. They toured briefly with Ray Charles. Blackwell achieved national attention as the drummer with Ornette Coleman's quartet around 1960, when he took over for Billy Higgins in the quartet's legendary stand at the Five Spot in New York City. He is known as one of the great innovators of the free jazz of the 1960s, fusing New Orleans second line style and African rhythms with bebop. In the 1970s and 1980s Blackwell toured and recorded extensively with fellow Ornette Quartet veterans Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Dewey Redman in the quartet Old and New Dream. He died on  October 7, 1992.

1944
The WWII Liberty Ship SS Ales Hrdlicka was launched on October 7, 1944 by Delta Shipbuilding Company.

1930
Born in Jefferson Parish on October 7, 1930, jazz trumpeter George Girard was known for his great technical ability, playing in a style that combined traditional New Orleans Dixieland jazz with the big-band-style trumpet, and a member of the Basin Street Six. In highschool he studied music under Johnny Wiggs and became a professional musician immediately after graduating in 1946. He played and toured with the bands of Johnny Archer and Phil Zito before cofounding the band The Basin Street Six, made up mostly of friends he had grown up with, including clarinetist Pete Fountain. The band got a regular gig at L'Enfant's Restaurant in New Orleans, as well as regular televisionbroadcasts over WWL. The band started receiving favorable national attention, but Girard was dissatisfied with it and broke up the band in 1954 to found his own band, George Girard & the New Orleans Five which included trombonist Bob Havens, drummer Paul Edwards, and bassist Bob Coquille. Girard landed a residency at the Famous Door in the French Quarter, recorded for several labels, and got a weekly broadcast on CBS. Girard had ambitions to make a national name for himself (and according to many fellow musicians the musical ability to do so), but became ill and had to give up playing in 1956. Girard died in New Orleans on January 18, 1957. (Wiki)