This day in history

[October 13, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Oct. 13, the 286th day of 2009. There are 79 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 13, 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

On this date:

In A.D. 54, Roman Emperor Claudius I died, poisoned apparently at the behest of his wife, Agrippina.

In 1775, the U.S. Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.

In 1843, the Jewish organization B'nai B'rith was founded in New York City.

In 1858, the sixth debate between senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place in Quicy, Ill.

In 1909, political cartoonist Herbert Block (aka "Herblock") was born in Chicago; jazz virtuoso Art Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio.

In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.

In 1944, American troops entered Aachen, Germany, during World War II.

In 1960, Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy participated in the third televised debate of their presidential campaign. (Nixon was in Los Angeles; Kennedy was in New York.)

In 1962, Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opened on Broadway.

In 1974, longtime television host Ed Sullivan died in New York City at age 72.

Ten years ago: The Senate rejected the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, 48 in favor to 51 against, far short of the 67 votes needed for ratification. In Boulder, Colo., the JonBenet Ramsey grand jury was dismissed after 13 months of work with prosecutors saying there wasn't enough evidence to charge anyone in the 6-year-old's strangulation. Canadian Robert A. Mundell of Columbia University won the Nobel Prize for economic sciences.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry held their third and final debate in Tempe, Ariz., trading blows on the Iraq war, taxes, gun control, abortion and jobs.

One year ago: On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained a shocking 936 points after eight days of losses. American Paul Krugman won the Nobel prize in economics for his work on international trade patterns. Las Vegas gaming executive Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who inspired the film "Casino," died in Miami Beach at age 79.

Today's birthdays: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is 84. Playwright Frank D. Gilroy is 84. Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 71. Actress Melinda Dillon is 70. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 68. Actress Pamela Tiffin is 67. Musician Robert Lamm (Chicago) is 65. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 63. Actor Demond Wilson is 63. Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 62. Actor John Lone is 57. Model Beverly Johnson is 57. Producer-writer Chris Carter is 53. Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Reggie Theus is 52. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is 51. Singer Marie Osmond is 50. Rock singer Joey Belladonna is 49. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is 48. Actress T'Keyah Crystal Keymah is 47. Former NFL player Jerry Rice is 47. Actress Kelly Preston is 47. Country singer John Wiggins is 47. Actor Christopher Judge is 45. Actress Kate Walsh is 42. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Hoffman is 42. R&B musician Jeff Allen (Mint Condition) is 41. Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin is 41. Classical singer Carlos Marin (Il Divo) is 41. Olympic silver-medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 40. Country singer Rhett Akins is 40. TV personality Billy Bush is 38. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 38. Rock musician Jan Van Sichem Jr. (K's Choice) is 37. Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins is 36. R&B singers Brandon and Brian Casey (Jagged Edge) are 34. Actress Kiele Sanchez is 33. Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce is 32. Miami Heat center Jermaine O'Neal is 31. Singer Ashanti is 29. Christian rock singer Jon Micah Sumrall (Kutless) is 29. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe is 27.

Thought for today: "Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who has a low opinion of himself." -- Anthony Trollope, English author (1815-1882)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.