This day in history

[November 03, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Wednesday, Nov. 3, the 307th day of 2010. There are 58 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Nov. 3, 1900, the first major U.S. automobile show opened at New York's Madison Square Garden under the auspices of the Automobile Club of America.

On this date:

In 1839, the first Opium War between China and Britain broke out.

In 1852, Japan's Emperor Meiji (may-jee) was born in Kyoto.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a landslide election victory over Republican challenger Alfred M. "Alf" Landon.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite, into orbit; on board was a dog named Laika (LY'-kah) who was sacrificed in the experiment.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson soundly defeated Republican Barry Goldwater to win a White House term in his own right.

In 1960, the Meredith Willson musical "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" opened on Broadway with Tammy Grimes in the title role.

In 1970, Salvador Allende (ah-YEN'-day) was inaugurated as president of Chile.

In 1979, five Communist Workers Party members were killed in a clash with heavily armed Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis during an anti-Klan protest in Greensboro, N.C.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair began to come to light as Ash-Shiraa, a pro-Syrian Lebanese magazine, first broke the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran.

In 1990, Broadway musical actress Mary Martin died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. at age 76.

Ten years ago: Four days before Election Day, Texas Gov. George W. Bush found himself being peppered with questions about the revelation that he'd been arrested for driving under the influence in 1976. Bush supporters accused Democrats of "dirty tricks," prompting a denial of involvement from Vice President Al Gore's campaign. (Tom Connolly, a Portland, Maine lawyer and Democratic activist, said he was the source of the disclosure.)

Five years ago: Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, pleaded not guilty to a five-count felony indictment in the CIA leak case. (Libby was later convicted, but had his 30-month prison sentence commuted by President George W. Bush.) Merck and Co. won its first court battle over its Vioxx painkiller when a New Jersey state jury found the drugmaker had properly warned consumers about the risks of the medication.

One year ago: In the 2009 elections, Republicans in New Jersey and Virginia unseated Democratic governors while Maine residents narrowly voted down a same-sex marriage law. German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to the U.S. Congress to "tear down the walls of today" and reach a deal to combat global warming. Actor-comedian Carl Ballantine ("McHale's Navy") died in Los Angeles at age 92.

Today's birthdays: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller is 92. Actress Lois Smith is 80. Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis is 77. Actor-dancer Ken Berry is 77. Movie composer John Barry is 77. Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally is 71. Actor Shadoe Stevens is 64. Singer Lulu is 62. Comedian-actress Roseanne Barr is 58. Actress Kate Capshaw is 57. Comedian Dennis Miller is 57. Actress Kathy Kinney is 57. Singer Adam Ant is 56. Actor Dolph Lundgren is 53. Rock musician C.J. Pierce (Drowning Pool) is 38. Olympic gold medal figure skater Evgeni Plushenko is 28. Actress Julie Berman (TV: "General Hospital") is 27.

Thought for today: "Among these things but one thing seems certain -- that nothing certain exists, and that nothing is more pitiable or more presumptuous than man." -- Pliny the Elder, Roman scholar

[Associated Press]

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