TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS FRIDAY, NOV. 1, the 305th day of 2019. There are 60 days left in the year.
ON THIS DATE IN 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an “axis” running between Rome and Berlin.
In 1604, William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” was first presented at Whitehall Palace in London.
In 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.
In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.
In 1945, Ebony, a magazine geared toward black readers, was first published.
In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named “Ivy Mike,” at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America unveiled its new voluntary film rating system: G for general, M for mature (later changed to GP, then PG), R for restricted and X (later changed to NC-17) for adults only.
In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West.
In 1991, Clarence Thomas took his place as the newest justice on the Supreme Court.
In 1995, Bosnia peace talks opened in Dayton, Ohio, with the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia present.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: World Golf Hall-of-Famer Gary Player is 84. Actress Barbara Bosson is 80. Actor Robert Foxworth is 78. Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 77. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 75. Actresses Jeannie Berlin and Belita Moreno, and music producer David Foster are 70. Rhythmand-blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell (Kool and the Gang) is 68. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 62. Apple CEO Tim Cook is 59. Actress Helene Udy is 58. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) and rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) are 57. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) and country singer “Big Kenny” Alphin (Big and Rich) are 56. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 55. Actress Toni Collette, rock musician Andrew Gonzales and actress-talk show host Jenny McCarthy are 47. Actor Penn Badgley is 33. Actor Max Burkholder and actor-musician Alex Wolff are 22.