This day in history

[October 14, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Oct. 14, the 288th day of 2008. There are 78 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

One hundred years ago, on Oct. 14, 1908, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series as they defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 5, 2-0, at Bennett Park.

On this date:

In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.

In 1890, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, was born in Denison, Texas.

In 1908, the E.M. Forster novel "A Room With a View" was first published.

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for the presidency, was shot in the chest in Milwaukee. Despite the wound, he went ahead with a scheduled speech.

In 1933, Nazi Germany announced it was withdrawing from the League of Nations.

In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide rather than face execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler.

In 1947, Air Force test pilot Charles E. ("Chuck") Yeager broke the sound barrier as he flew the experimental Bell XS-1 (later X-1) rocket plane over Muroc Dry Lake in California.

In 1960, the idea of a Peace Corps was first suggested by Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy to an audience of students at the University of Michigan.

In 1968, the first successful live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft was transmitted from Apollo 7.

In 1987, a real-life drama began in Midland, Texas, as 18-month-old Jessica McClure slid 22 feet down an abandoned well at a private day care center. (Hundreds of rescuers worked 58 hours to free her.)

Ten years ago: Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize in economics. "Polka king" Frankie Yankovic died in Tampa, Fla., at age 83. Animal rights advocate and author Cleveland Amory died in New York at age 81. The San Diego Padres won the National League pennant, defeating the Atlanta Braves 5-0 in Game 6 of their championship series.

Five years ago: John Allen Muhammad pleaded innocent to murder as the first trial in the deadly Washington-area sniper rampage got under way in Virginia Beach, Va. (Muhammad was later convicted and sentenced to death for killing Dean Harold Meyers.) The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel for building a barrier that cut into the West Bank. In Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, a Cubs fan inadvertently deflected a foul ball away from the outstretched glove of Chicago outfielder Moises Alou; the Florida Marlins, down 3-0 at the time, rallied to win the game and went on to win Game 7 and advance to the World Series, where they beat the New York Yankees.

One year ago: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy. Three University of Texas students exploring Airman's Cave were rescued after getting lost inside a day earlier. Lorena Ochoa clinched her second straight LPGA Tour player of the year award with a runaway victory in the Samsung World Championship.

Today's birthdays: Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is 92. Actor Roger Moore is 81. Movie director Carroll Ballard is 71. Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 70. Country singer Melba Montgomery is 70. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 69. Singer Cliff Richard is 68. Actor Udo Kier is 64. Singer-musician Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) is 62. Actor Harry Anderson is 56. Actor Greg Evigan is 55. TV personality Arleen Sorkin is 52. Golf Hall-of-Famer Beth Daniel is 52. Singer-musician Thomas Dolby is 50. Singer Karyn White is 43. Actor Jon Seda is 38. Country musician Doug Virden is 38. Country singer Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks) is 34. Actress-singer Shaznay Lewis (All Saints) is 33. Singer Usher is 30. Actor Jordan Brower is 27.

Thought for today: "Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." -- George Washington Carver, American botanist (1864-1943)

[Associated Press]

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