This day in history

[October 20, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Oct. 20, the 294th day of 2008. There are 72 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 20, 1944, during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return."

On this date:

In 1740, Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia upon the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.

In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1903, a joint commission ruled in favor of the United States in a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska and Canada.

In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration within the American motion picture industry.

In 1964, the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, died in New York at age 90.

In 1967, seven men were convicted in Meridian, Miss., of violating the civil rights of three slain civil rights workers.

In 1968, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

In 1973, in the so-called "Saturday Night Massacre," special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus resigned.

In 1977, three members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Miss.

In 1981, a bungled armored truck robbery in Nanuet, N.Y., left a guard and two police officers dead. (Four suspects, members of radical groups, were later convicted and sentenced to 75 years to life in prison; a fifth suspect, Kathy Boudin, was paroled in 2003.)

Ten years ago: Jordan's King Hussein joined Mideast peace talks in Maryland at the invitation of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. President Clinton named John Podesta his chief of staff, replacing Erskine Bowles. The New York Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the World Series, beating the San Diego Padres 5-4.

Five years ago: President Bush pushed North Korea's nuclear threat to the forefront of a 21-nation Asia-Pacific summit in Thailand. Israeli warplanes and helicopters pounded Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip, killing 10 people. A judge in Eagle, Colo., ordered Kobe Bryant to stand trial for sexual assault. (However, the criminal case was later dropped.) Character actor Jack Elam died in Ashland, Ore., at age 84.

One year ago: Republican Bobby Jindal, the U.S.-born son of Indian immigrants, won election as governor of Louisiana; he became the first nonwhite to hold the job since Reconstruction. Former Green Bay Packers receiver Max McGee died in Deephaven, Minn., at age 75. Peg Bracken, author of the "I Hate to Cook Book," died in Portland, Ore., at age 89.

Today's birthdays: Actor William Christopher is 76. Country singer Wanda Jackson is 71. Singer Tom Petty is 58. Actress Melanie Mayron is 56. Baseball All-Star Keith Hernandez is 55. Actor Viggo Mortensen is 50. Rock musician Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & The Blowfish) is 44. Rock musician David Ryan is 44. Rock musician Doug Eldridge (Oleander) is 41. Rapper Snoop Dogg is 37. Singer Dannii Minogue is 37. Country musician Jeff Loberg is 32. Actor John Krasinski is 29. Actress Jennifer Nicole Freeman ("My Wife and Kids") is 23.

Thought for today: "Next to ingratitude, the most painful thing to bear is gratitude." -- Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887)

[Associated Press]

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