Today 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.
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 Watergate-related 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.
In 2001, the families of people killed in the September 11 terrorist attack gathered in New York for a memorial service filled with prayer and song.
In 2002, American diplomat Laurence Foley was assassinated in front of his house in Amman, Jordan, in the first such attack on a U.S. diplomat in decades.
In 2003, firefighters beat back flames on Los Angeles’ doorstep, saving hundreds of homes in the city’s San Fernando Valley from California’s deadliest wildfires in more than a decade.
In 2013, Penn State said it would pay $59.7 million to 26 young men over claims of child sexual abuse at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
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. Angela Merkel was sworn in for a second term as German chancellor. The defending champion Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 6-1 in Game 1 of the World Series.
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. The World Series was evened at three games each as the Kansas City Royals routed the San Francisco Giants 10-0.
One year ago: The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1, with the help of two home runs from Steve Pearce, to wrap up a World Series in five games.