This day in history

[October 17, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2011. There are 75 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Oct. 17, 1711, Jupiter Hammon, the first black poet to have his work published in America, was born on Long Island, N.Y., into a lifetime of slavery. (The date of his death is unknown, although he apparently lived at least into his 80s.)

On this date:

In 1610, French King Louis XIII, age nine, was crowned at Reims, five months after the assassination of his father, Henry IV.

In 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, N.Y., in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

In 1807, Britain declared it would continue to reclaim British-born sailors from American ships and ports regardless of whether they held U.S. citizenship.

In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. (Sentenced to 11 years in prison, Capone was released in 1939.)

In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

In 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearny was damaged by a German torpedo off the coast of Iceland; 11 people died.

In 1961, French police attacked Algerians protesting a curfew in Paris. (The resulting death toll varies widely, with some estimates of up to 200.)

In 1973, Arab oil-producing nations announced they would begin cutting back oil exports to Western nations and Japan; the result was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974.

In 1989, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing $6 billion worth of damage.

In 1991, entertainer Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Va., at age 72.

Ten years ago: With the threat of anthrax hovering over Capitol Hill, congressional leaders closed six House and Senate office buildings for decontamination; the U.S. House of Representatives shut down for several days. Israel's tourism minister, Rehavam Zeevi, was shot to death in the first-ever assassination of a serving Cabinet minister by Palestinians. Oscar-winning songwriter Jay Livingston died in Los Angeles at age 86.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions. America's official population passed the 300 million mark, fueled by a growing number of immigrants and their children. Megan Meier, the 13-year-old victim of an Internet hoax, died a day after hanging herself at home in Dardenne Prairie, Mo. CBS News correspondent Christopher Glenn died in Norwalk, Conn., at age 68.

One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI gave Australia its first saint, canonizing Mary MacKillop, a 19th century nun who was briefly excommunicated in part because her religious order had exposed a pedophile priest.

Today's birthdays: Actress Marsha Hunt is 94. Actress Julie Adams is 85. Newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin is 81. Country singer Earl Thomas Conley is 70. Singer Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts) is 69. Singer Gary Puckett is 69. Rock musician Michael Hossack is 65. Actor Michael McKean is 64. Actress Margot Kidder is 63. Actor George Wendt is 63. Actor-singer Bill Hudson is 62. Astronaut Mae Jemison is 55. Country singer Alan Jackson is 53. Movie critic Richard Roeper is 52. Movie director Rob Marshall is 51. Actor Grant Shaud is 51. Animator Mike Judge is 49. Rock singer-musician Fred LeBlanc (Cowboy Mouth) is 48. Actor-comedian Norm Macdonald is 48. Singer Rene' Dif is 44. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 43. Golfer Ernie Els is 42. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick ('N Sync) is 40. Rapper Eminem is 39. Singer Wyclef Jean (zhahn) is 39. Actress Sharon Leal is 39. Actor Matthew Macfadyen is 37. Rock musician Sergio Andrade (an-DRAY'-day) is 34. Actor Chris Lowell is 27. Actor Dee Jay Daniels is 23.

Thought for today: "Those who nobly set out to be their brother's keeper sometimes end up by becoming his jailer. Every emancipation has in it the seeds of a new slavery, and every truth easily becomes a lie." -- I.F. Stone, American journalist (1907-1989)

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.