Today in History

Today is Thursday, Oct. 11, the 284th day of 2018. There are 81 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 11, 1991, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her; Thomas re-appeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a "high-tech lynching."

On this date:

In 1809, just over three years after the famous Lewis and Clark expedition ended, Meriwether Lewis was found dead in a Tennessee inn, an apparent suicide; he was 35.

In 1884, American first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City.

In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first former U.S. president to fly in an airplane during a visit to St. Louis.

In 1958, the lunar probe Pioneer 1 was launched; it failed to go as far out as planned, fell back to Earth, and burned up in the atmosphere.

In 1961, actor-comedian Leonard "Chico" (CHIH'-koh) Marx, 74, died in Hollywood, Calif.

In 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the first session of the Roman Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council, also known as "Vatican 2."

In 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra (shih-RAH'), Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard. The government of Panama was overthrown in a military coup.

In 1983, the last full-fledged handcranked telephone system in the United States went out of service as 440 telephone customers in Bryant Pond, Maine, were switched over to direct-dial service.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened two days of talks concerning arms control and human rights in Reykjavik, Iceland.

In 1992, in the first of three presidential debates, three candidates faced off against each other in St. Louis: President George H.W. Bush, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and businessman Ross Perot.

In 2001, in his first prime-time news conference since taking office, President George W. Bush said "it may take a year or two" to track down Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network in Afghanistan, but he asserted that after a five-day aerial bombardment, "we've got them on the run."

In 2002, former President Jimmy Carter was named the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush and foreign financial officials, meeting at the White House, displayed joint resolve in combatting the unfolding financial crisis. Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider (yorg HY'-dur), 58, was killed in a car accident. Composer and arranger Neal Hefti, who wrote the themes for the movie "The Odd Couple" and the TV show "Batman," died in Toluca Lake, Calif., at age 85.

Five years ago: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to stop chemical warfare. Tyrese Ruffin, the 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, died at a South Dakota hospital two days after being admitted with severe head injuries; Joseph Patterson was convicted of second-degree murder in the child's beating death and was sentenced to life in prison. Carlos Beltran hit an RBI single in the 13th inning to lift the St. Louis Cardinals over the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in the NL championship series opener.

One year ago: The Boy Scouts of America announced that it would admit girls into the Cub Scouts starting in 2018 and establish a new program for older girls based on the Boy Scout curriculum, allowing them to aspire to the Eagle Scout rank. Strong winds fueled wildfires burning through California wine country; the confirmed death toll climbed to 23 as authorities ordered new evacuations. An American woman, Caitlan Coleman, her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle, and their children were freed, five years after they were seized by a terrorist network in the mountains of Afghanistan; officials said the couple and their three children - who'd been born in captivity - were rescued in a dramatic raid orchestrated by the U.S. and Pakistani governments.

Thought for Today: "Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life." — Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (1724-1804).