Today in history
Includes: On Nov. 1, 1512, Michelangelo finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
In 1604 William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” was first presented at Whitehall Palace in London.
In 1765 the Stamp Act went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.
In 1870 the U.S. Weather Bureau made its first meteorological observations.
In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an “axis” running between Rome and Berlin.
In 1950 two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, D.C., to assassinate President Harry Truman. The attempt failed, and one of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.
In 1954 Algerian nationalists began their successful rebellion against French rule.
In 1967 the prison drama “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman, was released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.
In 1991 Clarence Thomas took his place as the newest justice on the Supreme Court.
In 1998 the military arm of the radical Islamic group Hamas made an unprecedented threat against Yasser Arafat, demanding the Palestinian leader halt a crackdown against it or face violent vengeance.
In 2002 a federal judge approved most provisions of an antitrust settlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department. In 2006 Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., apologized to “any service member, family member or American” offended by his “botched joke” about how young people might get “stuck in Iraq” if they did not study hard and do their homework. Also in 2006 author William Styron died in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; he was 81.
In 2007 retired Air Force Brigadier Gen. Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Columbus, Ohio; he was 92. Also in 2007 Less than a week after workers ratified a new contract, Chrysler announced 12,000 job cuts.
In 2012 singer-songwriter Blake Shelton won entertainer, male vocalist and song of the year honors, the latter shared with wife Miranda, at the 46th Country Music Association Awards.