This day in history

[October 21, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Thursday, Oct. 21, the 294th day of 2010. There are 71 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 21, 1805, a British fleet commanded by Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated a French-Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar; Nelson, however, was killed.

On this date:

In 1797, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," was christened in Boston's harbor.

In 1879, Thomas Edison perfected a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J.

In 1917, members of the 1st Division of the U.S. Army training in Luneville (luhn-nay-VEEL'), France, became the first Americans to see action on the front lines of World War I.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. troops captured the German city of Aachen (AH'-kuhn).

In 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened to the public in New York.

In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon clashed in their fourth and final presidential debate in New York.

In 1967, the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat was sunk by Egyptian missile boats near Port Said; 47 Israeli crew members were lost.

In 1970, American agronomist Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in developing high-yield grains that enhanced the world's food supply.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1985, former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White -- who'd served five years in prison for killing Mayor George Moscone (mahs-KOH'-nee) and Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights advocate -- was found dead in a garage, a suicide.

Ten years ago: Fifteen Arab leaders convened in Cairo, Egypt, for their first summit in four years; the Libyan delegation walked out in anger over signs the summit would stop short of calling for breaking ties with Israel.

Five years ago: Hurricane Wilma tore into Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, after killing 13 people in Haiti and Jamaica. The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously struck down a state law that punished underage sex more severely if it involved homosexual acts.

One year ago: A Northwest Airlines jetliner overshot the Minneapolis airport by more than 100 miles; the pilots later said they were distracted by talking about their schedules. Authorities found the body of missing Florida 7-year-old Somer Thompson in a Georgia landfill (a suspect in her death has been charged with murder and sexual assault). Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jack Nelson of the Los Angeles Times died in Bethesda, Md. at 80. The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series to win their second straight NL pennant.

Today's birthdays: Actress Joyce Randolph is 86. Author Ursula K. Le Guin is 81. Rock singer Manfred Mann is 70. Musician Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MG's) is 69. Singer Elvin Bishop is 68. TV's Judge Judy Sheindlin is 68. Actor Everett McGill is 65. Musician Lee Loughnane (LOK'-nayn) (Chicago) is 64. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 61. Musician Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go's) is 57. Movie director Catherine Hardwicke is 55. Actress-author Carrie Fisher is 54. Singer Julian Cope is 53. Rock musician Steve Lukather (Toto) is 53. Actor Ken Watanabe (wah-tah-NAH'-bee) is 51. Actress Melora Walters is 50. Rock musician Che (chay) Colovita Lemon is 40. Rock singer-musician Nick Oliveri (Mondo Generator) is 39. Christian rock musician Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) is 37. Actor Jeremy Miller is 34. Actor Will Estes is 32. Actor Michael McMillian is 32. Actress Kim Kardashian (kar-DASH'-ee-uhn) is 30. Actor Matt Dallas is 28.

Thought for today: "There are different kinds of wrong. The people sinned against are not always the best." -- Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett, English author (1892-1969)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.