This day in history

[October 19, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2009. There are 73 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 19, 1781, British troops under General Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Va., as the American Revolution neared its end.

On this date:

In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.

In 1812, French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte began their retreat from Moscow.

In 1864, Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, Va.; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany.

In 1959, the William Gibson play "The Miracle Worker," starring Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Helen's teacher, Annie Sullivan, opened on Broadway.

In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower imposed an embargo on exports to 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.

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: Legislation to overhaul the nation's campaign finance laws fell to a filibuster by Senate Republicans for the fourth straight year. The Atlanta Braves won the National League pennant by beating the New York Mets, 10-9, in Game 6 of their championship series.

Five years ago: Insurgents in Iraq abducted Margaret Hassan, the local director of CARE International, from her car in Baghdad. (Hassan is believed to have been slain by her captors a month later; her body has never been found.) Thirteen people were killed when a Corporate Airlines commuter turboprop crashed in northeast Missouri. Former arms control adviser Paul H. Nitze died in Washington, D.C. at age 97.

One year ago: Retired Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican who was President George W. Bush's first secretary of state, broke with the party and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president, calling him a "transformational figure" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." The Tampa Bay Rays held off the defending champion Boston Red Sox 3-1 to win the American League championship series in Game 7. Mr. Blackwell, the acerbic designer famous for his annual worst-dressed list of celebrities, died in Los Angeles at age 86.

Today's birthdays: Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Robert S. Strauss is 91. Author John le Carre is 78. Artist Peter Max is 72. Author and critic Renata Adler is 71. Actor Michael Gambon is 69. Actor John Lithgow is 64. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 64. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 64. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 57. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 52. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 51. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 49. Boxer Evander Holyfield is 47. TV host Ty Pennington ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 45. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 44. Actor Jon Favreau is 43. Amy Carter is 42. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 40. Comedian Chris Kattan is 39. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 37. Actor Omar Gooding is 33. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 33. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 32. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 29.

Thought for today: "It takes a clever man to turn cynic and a wise man to be clever enough not to." -- Fannie Hurst, American author (born this date in 1885, died 1968)

[Associated Press]

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