TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS FRIDAY, OCT. 27, the 300th day of 2017. There are 65 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY:
On this date in 1947, “You Bet Your Life,” a comedy quiz show starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio. It later became a television show on NBC.
In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.
In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.
In 1922, the first annual celebration of Navy Day took place.
In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: “nylon.”
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. Walt Disney’s first television program, titled “Disneyland” after the yet-to-be completed theme park, premiered on ABC.
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 1992, Petty Officer Allen Schindler, a gay U.S. Navy sailor, was beaten to death near Sasebo Naval Base in southwestern Japan by shipmate Terry Helvey, who pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actress Nanette Fabray is 97. Actor-comedian John Cleese is 78. Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 77. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 75. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 71. Country singer-musician Jack Daniels and rock musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) are 68. Author Fran Lebowitz is 67. Rock musician K.K. Downing and TV personality Jayne Kennedy are 66. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 65. Actors Peter Firth and Robert Picardo are 64. World Golf Hall-of-Famer Patty Sheehan is 61. Singer Simon Le Bon is 59. Country musician Jerry Dale McFadden (The Mavericks) is 53. Internet news editor Matt Drudge is 51. Rock musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) is 50. Actor Sean Holland is 49. Actor Channon Roe is 48. Actress Sheeri Rappaport is 40. Actor David Walton and violinist Vanessa-Mae are 39. Actress-singer Kelly Osbourne is 33. Actress Christine Evangelista is 31.