Today is Wednesday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2011. There are 73 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On Oct. 19, 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 co
mmercial flights that lasted 18 ½ days.
On this date:
In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.
In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Va., as the American revolution neared its end.
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 1967, the U.S. space probe Mariner 5 flew past Venus.
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.
Ten years ago: U.S. special forces began operations on the ground in Afghanistan, opening a significant new phase of the assault against the Taliban and al-Qaida. Some 374 people died when their ferry sank off Indonesia while en route to Australia; most of the victims were believed to be asylum-seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq.
One year ago: The Pentagon directed the military to accept openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation’s history. Hosam Smadi, a Jordanian man caught in an FBI sting trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper, was sentenced to 24 years in prison after telling the court he was ashamed of his actions and renouncing al-Qaida.
Associated Press
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