This day in history

[October 22, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2011. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 22, 1811, composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was born in the Hungarian town of Raiding (RY'-ding) in present-day Austria.

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 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.

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. French conductor and music teacher Nadia Boulanger died in Paris.

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: A second Washington, D.C., postal worker, Joseph P. Curseen, died of inhalation anthrax. Sinn Fein (shin fayn) leader Gerry Adams urged the Irish Republican Army to begin disarming to save Northern Ireland's peace process. The New York Yankees routed Seattle 12-3 in Game 5 to win the American League pennant for the 38th time.

Five years ago: Senior U.S. diplomat Alberto Fernandez apologized for saying in an al-Jazeera TV interview that U.S. policy in Iraq had displayed "arrogance" and "stupidity." The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 to tie up the World Series 1-1. Actor Arthur Hill died in Los Angeles at age 84.

One year ago: WikiLeaks released 391,831 purported Iraq war logs that suggested more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians had died in the conflict. A gang attacked a teenager's birthday party in Ciudad Juarez (see-yoo-DAHD' WAH'-rehz), Mexico, killing 14 people. The Texas Rangers clinched their first pennant with a 6-1 victory over the defending World Series champion New York Yankees in Game 6 of the AL championship series.

Today's birthdays: Actress Joan Fontaine is 94. Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing is 92. Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 75. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 73. Actor Derek Jacobi is 73. Actor Tony Roberts is 72. Actress Annette Funicello is 69. Movie director Jan (yahn) de Bont is 68. Actress Catherine Deneuve is 68. Rock musician Leslie West (Mountain) is 66. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is 64. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 59. Movie director Bill Condon is 56. Actor Luis Guzman is 54. Actor-writer-producer Todd Graff is 52. Rock musician Cris Kirkwood is 51. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 49. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 48. Christian singer TobyMac is 47. Singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding is 46. Actress Valeria Golino is 45. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 44. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 43. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 43. Movie director Spike Jonze is 42. Rapper Tracey Lee is 41. Actress Saffron Burrows is 39. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 36. Actor Michael Fishman is 30. Talk show host Michael Essany is 29. Rock musician Rickard (correct) Goransson (Carolina Liar) is 28. Rock musician Zac Hanson (Hanson) is 26. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 21. Actress Sofia Vassilieva (vas-ihl-lee-A'-vuh) is 19.

Thought for today: "Truth is a great flirt." -- Franz Liszt, Hungarian-born composer (1811-1886)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.