DAILY ALMANAC
Today is Thursday, Oct. 22, the 296th day of 2020. There are 70 days left in the year.
On this date in:
1797: French balloonist Andre-jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.
1811: Composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was born in the Hungarian town of Raiding in present-day Austria.
1836: Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.
1883: The original Metropolitan Opera House in New York held its grand opening with a performance of Gounod’s “Faust.”
1906: French post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne died in Aix-enProvence at age 67.
1934: Bank robber Charles “Pretty
Boy” Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.
1962: In a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a quarantine of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.
1979: The U.S. government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment – a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis.
1981: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.
1986: President Reagan signed into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation.
2001: A second Washington, D.C., postal worker, Joseph P. Curseen, died of inhalation anthrax.
2002: Bus driver Conrad Johnson was shot to death in Aspen Hill, Md., in the final attack carried out by the “Beltway Snipers.”
2014: A gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament before he was shot and killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.
Actor Christopher Lloyd is 82. Actor Derek Jacobi is 82. Actor Tony Roberts is 81. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 77. Musician Eddie Brigati of The Rascals and Joey Dee and the Starlighters is 75. Guitarist Leslie West of Mountain is 75. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 68. Keyboardist
Greg Hawkes of The Cars is 68. Actor
Luis Guzman (“Code Black”) is 64. Bassist Cris Kirkwood of Meat Puppets is 60. Actor Bob Odenkirk is 58. Actor
Valeria Golino (“Rain Man,” “Hot Shots!”) is 54. Comedian
Carlos Mencia is 53. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 52. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 52. Director Spike Jonze is 51. Rapper Tracey Lee is 50. Actor Carmen Ejogo (“Selma”) is 47. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”) is 45. Guitarist Jon Foreman of Switchfoot is 44. Actor Michael Fishman (“Roseanne”) is 39. Guitarist Rickard Goransson of Carolina Liar is 37. Drummer Zac Hanson of Hanson is 35. Actor
Jonathan Lipnicki (“Stuart Little,” “Jerry Maguire”) is 30.