This day in history

[October 06, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Thursday, Oct. 6, the 279th day of 2011. There are 86 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by extremists while reviewing a military parade.

On this date:

In 1536, English theologian and scholar William Tyndale, who was the first to translate the Bible into Early Modern English, was executed for heresy.

In 1683, 13 families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in Philadelphia to begin Germantown, one of America's oldest settlements.

In 1884, the Naval War College was established in Newport, R.I.

In 1927, the era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of "The Jazz Singer," starring Al Jolson.

In 1939, as remaining military resistance in Poland crumbled, Adolf Hitler delivered a speech to the Reichstag blaming the Poles for the Nazi-Soviet invasion of their country.

In 1949, U.S.-born Iva Toguri D'Aquino, convicted of treason for being Japanese wartime broadcaster "Tokyo Rose," was sentenced in San Francisco to 10 years in prison (she ended up serving more than six).

In 1958, the nuclear submarine USS Seawolf surfaced after spending 60 days submerged.

In 1973, war erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Yom Kippur holiday.

In 1979, Pope John Paul II, on a week-long U.S. tour, became the first pontiff to visit the White House, where he was received by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1989, actress Bette Davis died in Neuilly-sur-Seine (nu-yee-sur-sehn), France, at age 81.

Ten years ago: Cal Ripken played his last game in the major leagues as his Baltimore Orioles lost to the visiting Boston Red Sox, 5-1.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council adopted a statement warning North Korea of unspecified consequences if it carried out a nuclear test. Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos, a Navy medic, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy, telling his court-martial at Camp Pendleton, Calif., that he stood and watched as seven members of a Marine squadron murdered an innocent Iraqi civilian. (Bacos was sentenced to a year in military prison and was released two months early.)

One year ago: A presidential investigating commission said the Obama administration had blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the American public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and committed other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis. Roy Halladay pitched the second no-hitter in postseason history, leading the Philadelphia Phillies over the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 in Game 1 of the NL division series.

Today's birthdays: Broadcaster and writer Melvyn Bragg is 72. Actress Britt Ekland is 69. Singer Millie Small is 65. The president of Sinn Fein (shin fayn), Gerry Adams, is 63. Singer-musician Thomas McClary is 62. CBS chief executive officer Les Moonves is 62. Rock singer Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) is 60. Rock singer-musician David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) is 57. Former NFL player and coach Tony Dungy is 56. Actress Elisabeth Shue is 48. Singer Matthew Sweet is 47. Actress Jacqueline Obradors is 45. Country singer Tim Rushlow is 45. Rock musician Tommy Stinson is 45. Actress Amy Jo Johnson is 41. Actress Emily Mortimer is 40. Actor Lamman (la-MAHN') Rucker is 40. Actor Ioan Gruffudd (YOH'-ihn GRIH'-fihth) is 38. Actor Jeremy Sisto is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Melinda Doolittle (TV: "American Idol") is 34. Actor Wes Ramsey is 34.

Thought for today: "Sin is too stupid to see beyond itself." -- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, British poet laureate (born 1809, died this date in 1892)

[Associated Press]

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