THURSDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Thursday, Oct. 27, the 301st day of 2016. There are 65 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On Oct. 27, 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.

On this date:

In 1941, the Chicago Daily Tribune dismissed the possibility of war with Japan, editorializing, “She cannot attack us. That is a military impossibility. Even our base at Hawaii is beyond the effective striking power of her fleet.”

In 1954, U.S. Air Force Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was promoted to brigadier general, the first black officer to achieve that rank in the USAF.

In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U--2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while flying over Cuba, killing the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr.

In 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.

In 1995, a sniper killed one soldier and wounded 18 others at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush said the United States did not torture prisoners, trying to calm a controversy created when Vice President Dick Cheney embraced the suggestion that a “dunk in water” might be useful to get terrorist suspects to talk, a comment the White House said did not refer to “water boarding.”

Five years ago: European leaders clinched a deal they hoped would mark a turning point in their two-year debt crisis, agreeing to have banks take bigger losses on Greece’s debts and to boost the region’s weapons against market turmoil.

One year ago: President Barack Obama defended officers who had come under intense scrutiny amid a breakdown in relations between law enforcement and minority communities, and said police couldn’t be expected to contain problems that society refuses to solve.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Nanette Fabray is 96. Actorcomedian John Cleese is 77. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 70. Actor Peter Firth is 63. WorldGolfHall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 60. Internet news editor Matt Drudge is 50. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 38. Actresssinger Kelly Osbourne is 32.

Thought for Today: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” — Theodore Roosevelt, American president (1858-1919).