 Today's highlight in history:On Oct. 19, 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Va., as the American Revolution neared its end.
On this date:
In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.
In 1812, French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte began their retreat from Moscow.
In 1864, Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, Va.; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.
In 1936, H.R. Ekins of the New York World-Telegram beat out Dorothy Kilgallen of the New York Journal and Leo Kieran of The New York Times in a round-the-world race on commercial flights that lasted 18 1/2 days.
In 1950, during the Korean War, United Nations forces entered the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.
In 1967, the U.S. space probe Mariner V flew past Venus.
In 1977, the body of West German industrialist Hanns Martin Schleyer, who had been kidnapped by left-wing extremists, was found in Mulhouse, France.
In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City.
In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value.
Ten years ago: Special U.S. envoy Dennis Ross arrived in Israel for another round of meetings in an effort to push the Mideast peace process forward. The Cleveland Indians defeated the Florida Marlins, 6-1, in Game 2 of the World Series, evening the series at one game apiece.
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 Five years ago: Jeffrey Hopper, 37, was seriously wounded outside a steakhouse in Ashland, Va., in the latest Washington-area sniper shooting. In York, Pa., former mayor Charlie Robertson was acquitted and two other men were convicted in the shotgun slaying of Lillie Belle Allen, a young black woman, during race riots that tore the city apart in 1969. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Anaheim Angels 4-3 in Game 1 of the World Series.
One year ago: Gunmen ambushed a car carrying Afghan civilians working for a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, killing eight of them execution-style. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 12,000 for the first time, ending at 12,011.73. The St. Louis Cardinals won the NL pennant, beating the New York Mets 3-1 in Game 7 of their championship series. Actress Phyllis Kirk died in Los Angeles at age 79.
Today's birthdays: Former ambassador to Russia Robert S. Strauss is 89. Author John le Carre is 76. Artist Peter Max is 70. Actor Michael Gambon is 67. Actor John Lithgow is 62. Former National Organization for Women President Patricia Ireland is 62. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 62. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 55. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 50. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 47. TV host Ty Pennington ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 43. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 42. Actor Jon Favreau is 41. Amy Carter is 40. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 38. Comedian Chris Kattan is 37. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 35. Actor Omar Gooding is 31. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 31. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 30. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 27.
Thought for today: "A good beginning makes a good ending."
-- English proverb.
[Associated
Press]
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