Today is Wednesday, Oct. 19, the 293rd day of 2016. There are 73 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On Oct. 19, 1216, John, King of England, died, more than a year after affixing his royal seal to Magna Carta (“The Great Charter”).
On this date:
In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, adopted a declaration of rights and liberties which the British Parliament ignored.
In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end.
In 1789, John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.
In 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s soldiers attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, Virginia; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.
In 1914, the U.S. Post Office began delivering mail with government-owned cars, as opposed to using contracted vehicles. The First Battle of Ypres began during World War I.
In 1936, H.R. Ekins of the New York World-Telegram beat out Dorothy Kilgallen of the New York Journal and Leo Kieran of The New York Times in a round-the-world race on commercial flights that lasted 18 1/2 days.
In 1944, the U.S. Navy began accepting black women into WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). The play “I Remember Mama” by John Van Druten opened at the Music Box Theater on Broadway.
In 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany.
In 1960, the United States began a limited embargo against Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.
In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City.
In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value, to close at 1,738.74.
In 1994, 22 people were killed as a terrorist bomb shattered a bus in the heart of Tel Aviv’s shopping district. Entertainer Martha Raye died in Los Angeles at age 78.
Ten years ago: Gunmen ambushed a car carrying Afghan civilians working for a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, killing eight of them execution-style. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 12,000 for the first time, ending at 12,011.73. The St. Louis Cardinals won the NL pennant, beating the New York Mets 3-1 in Game 7 of their championship series. Actress Phyllis Kirk died in Los Angeles at age 79.
Five years ago: Authorities in the Zanesville, Ohio, area started wrapping up their hunt for wild animals unleashed by a private farm owner who’d taken his own life; sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a total of 48 animals. In Greece, hundreds of youths smashed and looted stores in central Athens and clashed with riot police during a massive anti-government rally against painful new austerity measures. The St. Louis Cardinals won Game 1 of the World Series, defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2.
One year ago: Canadians voted for a sharp change in their government as the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau, the son of a former prime minister, won a landslide victory to end Conservative Stephen Harper’s near decade in office. Ahmed Mohamed, the Texas teenager arrested after a homemade clock he’d brought to school was mistaken for a bomb, capped a whirlwind month with a visit to the White House, where he met with President Barack Obama for “Astronomy Night.” The Toronto Blue Jays roughed up Johnny Cueto for an 11-8 victory over the Royals that cut Kansas City’s AL Championship series lead to 2-1.
Today’s birthdays: Author John le Carre is 85. Artist Peter Max is 79. Author and critic Renata Adler is 79. Actor Michael Gambon is 76. Actor John Lithgow is 71. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 71. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 71. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 68. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 64. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 59. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 58. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 56. Boxer Evander Holyfield is 54. Host Ty Pennington (TV: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”) is 52. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 51. Actor Jon Favreau is 50. Amy Carter is 49. “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker is 47. Comedian Chris Kattan is 46. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 44. Actor Omar Gooding is 40. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 40. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 39. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 36. Actress Gillian Jacobs is 34. Rock singer Zac Barnett (American Authors) is 30. Singer/actress Ciara Renee (TV: “Legends of Tomorrow”) is 26. Actress Hunter King is 23.
Thought for today: “To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something.” — Walker Percy, American author (1916-1990).
Associated Press
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