This day in history

[October 23, 2012]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Oct. 23, the 297th day of 2012. There are 69 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 23, 1942, during World War II, Britain launched a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein (el ah-lah-MAYN') in Egypt, resulting in an Allied victory.

On this date:

In 1862, King Otto of Greece was deposed in a revolt.

In 1915, tens of thousands of women marched in New York City, demanding the right to vote.

In 1932, comedian Fred Allen began his first regular radio show for CBS, "The Linit Bath Club Revue."

In 1935, mobster Dutch Schultz, 34, was shot and mortally wounded with three other men during a gangland hit at the Palace Chophouse in Newark, N.J. (Schultz died the following day.)

In 1954, West Germany was invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which it did the following year.

In 1956, a student-sparked revolt against Hungary's Communist rule began; as the revolution spread, Soviet forces started entering the country, and the uprising was put down within weeks.

In 1972, the musical "Pippin" opened on Broadway.

In 1980, the resignation of Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin (koh-SEE'-gihn) was announced.

In 1983, 241 U.S. service members, most of them Marines, were killed in a suicide truck-bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon; a near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.

In 1987, the U.S. Senate rejected, 58-42, the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork.

In 1992, Japanese Emperor Akihito began a visit to China, the first by a Japanese monarch.

In 1995, a jury in Houston convicted Yolanda Saldivar of murdering Tejano singing star Selena. (Saldivar is serving a life prison sentence.)

Ten years ago: Gunmen seized a crowded Moscow theater, taking hundreds hostage and threatening to kill their captives unless the Russian army pulled out of Chechnya. President George W. Bush signed the biggest military spending increase since Ronald Reagan's administration -- a $355.5 billion package. Broadway librettist Adolph Green died in New York at age 87. The San Francisco Giants edged the Anaheim Angels, 4-3, to tie the World Series at two games each.

Five years ago: Evacuations due to out-of-control wildfires in Southern California topped 500,000; President George W. Bush declared a federal emergency for seven counties. Shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven thundered into orbit for a complex space station construction mission.

One year ago: Libya's interim rulers declared the country liberated, formally marking the end of Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year tyranny. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Turkey, killing some 600 people. Tim Tebow rallied the Broncos for two touchdowns in the final 2:44 of the fourth quarter to force overtime, and Matt Prater's 52-yard field goal gave Denver an improbable 18-15 victory over the stunned Miami Dolphins. The Texas Rangers evened the World Series at two games apiece, shutting out the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0.

Today's birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer and former U.S. Senator Jim Bunning, R-Ky., is 81. Movie director Philip Kaufman is 76. Soccer great Pele (pay-lay) is 72. Rhythm-and-blues singer Barbara Ann Hawkins (The Dixie Cups) is 69. ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross is 64. Actor Michael Rupert is 61. Movie director Ang Lee is 58. Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is 56. Country singer Dwight Yoakam is 56. Community activist Martin Luther King III is 55. Movie director Sam Raimi is 53. Parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic is 53. Rock musician Robert Trujillo (Metallica) is 48. Christian/jazz singer David Thomas (Take 6) is 46. Rock musician Brian Nevin (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 46. Country singer-musician Junior Bryant is 44. Actor Jon Huertas is 43. Movie director Chris Weitz is 43. CNN medical reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta is 43. Country singer Jimmy Wayne is 40. Actress Vivian Bang (TV: "Sullivan & Son") is 39. Rock musician Eric Bass (Shinedown) is 38. TV personality and host Cat Deeley is 36. Actor Ryan Reynolds is 36. Rock singer Matthew Shultz (Cage the Elephant) is 29. Actress Masiela Lusha (MAH'-see-ella loo-SHA') is 27. Actress Briana Evigan is 26. Actress Jessica Stroup is 26.

Thought for today: "Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." -- Bertrand Russell, English philosopher (1872-1970)

[Associated Press]

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