This day in history

[October 22, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Friday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2010. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced a quarantine of all offensive military equipment shipped to Cuba, following the discovery of Soviet-built missile bases on the island.

On this date:

In 1746, Princeton University was first chartered as the College of New Jersey.

In 1797, French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin (gahr-nayr-AN') made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.

In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1883, the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York held its grand opening with a performance of Gounod's "Faust."

In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the "American system of rugged individualism" in a speech at New York's Madison Square Garden.

In 1934, bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was shot to death by federal agents at a farm in East Liverpool, Ohio.

In 1968, Apollo 7 returned safely from Earth orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1979, the U.S. government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment -- a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis.

In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation.

Ten years ago: Arab leaders meeting in Egypt wrapped up a two-day summit on Israeli-Palestinian violence with a declaration that stopped short of an outright call for cutting ties with Israel.

Five years ago: Hurricane Wilma punished Mexico's Caribbean coastline for a second day. Meanwhile, a record 22nd tropical storm of the season formed about 125 miles off the Dominican Republic; because the annual list of storm names had already been exhausted, forecasters called the new system Tropical Storm Alpha. A Nigerian Boeing 737 passenger jet crashed after leaving Lagos, killing all 117 on board. The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros, 5-3, in Game 1 of the World Series.

One year ago: Mortars fired by Islamic militants slammed into Somalia's airport as President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed boarded a plane, sparking battles that killed at least 24 people; the president was unhurt. Gunmen kidnapped Gauthier Lefevre, a French staff member working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, in Sudan's western Darfur region. (Lefevre was released in March 2010.) Comedian Soupy Sales died in New York at age 83.

Today's birthdays: Actress Joan Fontaine is 93. Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing is 91. Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 74. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 72. Actor Derek Jacobi is 72. Actor Tony Roberts is 71. Actress Annette Funicello is 68. Movie director Jan (yahn) de Bont is 67. Actress Catherine Deneuve is 67. Rock musician Leslie West (Mountain) is 65. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is 63. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 58. Movie director Bill Condon is 55. Actor Luis Guzman is 53. Actor-writer-producer Todd Graff is 51. Rock musician Cris Kirkwood is 50. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 47. Christian singer TobyMac is 46. Singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding is 45. Actress Valeria Golino is 44. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 43. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 42. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 42. Movie director Spike Jonze is 41. Rapper Tracey Lee is 40. Actress Saffron Burrows is 38. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 35. Actor Michael Fishman is 29. Talk show host Michael Essany is 28. Rock musician Rickard (correct) Goransson (Carolina Liar) is 27. Rock musician Zac Hanson (Hanson) is 25. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 20. Actress Sofia Vassilieva is 18.

Thought for today: "You can fool too many of the people too much of the time." -- James Thurber, American humorist (1894-1961)

[Associated Press]

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