Today In History

Today is Saturday, Oct. 21, the 294th day of 2017. There are 71 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1917: Members of the 1st Division of the U.S. Army training in Luneville, France, became the first Americans to see action on the front lines of World War I.

ON THIS DATE

› 1797: The U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides,” was christened in Boston’s harbor.

› 1892: Schoolchildren across the U.S. observed Columbus Day (according to the Gregorian date) by reciting, for the first time, the original version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written by Francis Bellamy for The Youth’s Companion.

› 1941: Superheroine Wonder Woman made her debut in All-Star Comics issue No. 8, published by All-American Comics, Inc. of New York.

› 1942: The MGM musical “For Me and My Gal,” starring Judy Garland and featuring the film debut of Gene Kelly, premiered in New York.

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

› 1967: The Israeli destroyer INS Eilat was sunk by Egyptian missile boats near Port Said; 47 Israeli crew members were lost. Tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters began two days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C.

› 1971: President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Both nominees were confirmed.)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Joyce Randolph is 93. Author Ursula K. Le Guin is 88. Rock singer Manfred Mann is

77. Musician Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MG’s) is 76. Musician Lee Loughnane (Chicago) is

71. Actor Dick Christie is

69. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 68. Actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson is 68. Actor Ken Watanabe is

58. Actress Melora Walters is 57. Rock musician Che Colovita Lemon is

47. Rock singer-musician Nick Oliveri (Mondo Generator) is 46. Christian rock musician Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) is

44. Actor Michael McMillian is 39. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West is

37. Actor Matt Dallas is 35. Actress Charlotte Sullivan is 34. Actor Aaron Tveit is

34. Actor Glenn Powell is

29. Country singer Kane Brown is 24.