Today is Monday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2019. There are 64 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.
On this date:
In 1726, the original edition of “Gulliver’s Travels,” a satirical novel by Jonathan Swift, was first published in London.
In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first New York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.
In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.
In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War II.
In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba; in return, the U.S. secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which, among other things, absolved Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Arizona, to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions (he was released in April 1978).
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.
In 2001, the families of people killed in the September 11 terrorist attack gathered in New York for a memorial service filled with prayer and song.
In 2002, American diplomat Laurence Foley was assassinated in front of his house in Amman, Jordan, in the first such attack on a U.S. diplomat in decades. A student flunking out of the University of Arizona nursing school shot three of his professors to death, then killed himself.
In 2003, firefighters beat back flames on Los Angeles’ doorstep, saving hundreds of homes in the city’s San Fernando Valley from California’s deadliest wildfires in more than a decade.
In 2013, Penn State said it would pay $59.7 million to 26 young men over claims of child sexual abuse at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
Ten years ago: Taliban militants stormed a guest house used by U.N. staff in the heart of the Afghan capital, leaving 11 dead, including five U.N. staff and three attackers. A car bomb exploded in a crowded market in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 112. Angela Merkel was sworn in for a second term as German chancellor. The defending champion Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 6-1 in Game 1 of the World Series.
Five years ago: An unmanned commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded moments after liftoff, with debris falling in flames over the launch site in Virginia. A video was posted online by a group called Hollaback! showing actress Shoshana Roberts being verbally accosted by men as she silently walked through Manhattan over a 10-hour period; the video “went viral,” spurring outrage and sparking discussions about the pervasiveness of street harassment that women face. The World Series was evened at three games each as the Kansas City Royals routed the San Francisco Giants 10-0.
One year ago: The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1, with the help of two home runs from Steve Pearce, to wrap up a World Series in five games. A brash far-right congressman, Jair Bolsonaro, cruised to a 10-point victory in Brazil’s presidential election, becoming the latest world leader to rise to power by mixing tough, often violent talk with hard-right positions.
Today’s Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 92. Actress Joan Plowright is 90. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 83. Actress Jane Alexander is 80. Actor Dennis Franz is 75. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 74. Actress Telma Hopkins is 71. Caitlyn Jenner is 70. Actress Annie Potts is 67. Songwriter/producer Desmond Child is 66. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 64. The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is 63. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 62. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 61. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 61. Actor Mark Derwin is 59. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 57. Actress Lauren Holly is 56. Talk show host-comedian-actress Sheryl Underwood is 56. Actress Jami Gertz is 54. Actor Chris Bauer is 53. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 53. Actress Julia Roberts is 52. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 51. Actor Jeremy Davies is 50. Singer Ben Harper is 50. Country singer Brad Paisley is 47. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 45. Actress Gwendoline Christie is 41. Singer Justin Guarini (TV: “American Idol”) is 41. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 40. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T’s) is 40. Actor Charlie Semine is 39. Actor Matt Smith is 37. Actor Finn Wittrock is 35. Actress Troian Bellisario is 34. Singer/rapper Frank Ocean is 32. Actress Lexi Ainsworth (TV: “General Hospital”) is 27. Actor Nolan Gould is 21.
Thought for today: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell (Eric Blair), English author (1903-1950)
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