TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Monday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2019. There are 64 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.
On this date:
■ In 1726, the original edition of “Gulliver’s Travels,” a satirical novel by Jonathan Swift, was first published in London.
■ In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first New York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.
■ In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.
■ In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War II.
■ In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba; in return, the U.S. secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey.
■ In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which, among other things, absolved Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
■ In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Arizona, to begin serving his sentence for Watergaterelated convictions (he was released in April 1978).
■ In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.
Ten years ago: Taliban militants stormed a guest house used by U.N. staff in the heart of the Afghan capital, leaving 11 dead, including five U.N. staff and three attackers.
Five years ago: An unmanned commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded moments after liftoff, with debris falling in flames over the launch site in Virginia. A video was posted online by a group called Hollaback! showing actress Shoshana Roberts being verbally accosted by men as she silently walked through Manhattan over a 10-hour period; the video “went viral,” spurring outrage and sparking discussions about the pervasiveness of street harassment that women face.
One year ago: A brash far-right congressman, Jair Bolsonaro, cruised to a 10-point victory in Brazil’s presidential election, becoming the latest world leader to rise to power by mixing tough, often violent talk with hard-right positions.
Today’s Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 92. Actress Joan Plowright is 90. Musiciansongwriter Charlie Daniels is
83. Actress Jane Alexander is
80. Actor Dennis Franz is 75. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is
74. Actress Telma Hopkins is
71. Caitlyn Jenner is 70. Actress Annie Potts is 67. Songwriter/ producer Desmond Child is 66. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 64. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 61. Actor Mark Derwin is 59. Actress Lauren Holly is
56. Talk show host-comedian-actress Sheryl Underwood is 56. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 53. Actress Julia Roberts is 52. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is
51. Singer Ben Harper is 50. Country singer Brad Paisley is
47. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 45. Actress Gwendoline Christie is
41. Pop singer Brett Dennen is
40. Actor Charlie Semine is 39. Actor Matt Smith is 37. Actor Finn Wittrock is 35. Singer/rapper Frank Ocean is 32. Actress Lexi Ainsworth (TV: “General Hospital”) is 27. Actor Nolan Gould is 21.
Thought for Today: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell (Eric Blair), English author (1903-1950).