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Monday, October 20, 2008

OCTOBER 20TH

Today is Monday, Oct. 20, the 294th day of 2008.
There are 72 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

  • On Oct. 20, 1944, during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return."

On this date:

  • In 1740, Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia upon the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
  • In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.
  • In 1903, a joint commission ruled in favor of the United States in a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska and Canada.
  • In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration within the American motion picture industry.
  • In 1964, the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, died in New York at age 90.
  • In 1967, seven men were convicted in Meridian, Miss., of violating the civil rights of three slain civil rights workers.
  • In 1968, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
  • In 1973, in the so-called "Saturday Night Massacre," special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus resigned.
  • In 1977, three members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Miss.
  • In 1981, a bungled armored truck robbery in Nanuet, N.Y., left a guard and two police officers dead. (Four suspects, members of radical groups, were later convicted and sentenced to 75 years to life in prison; a fifth suspect, Kathy Boudin, was paroled in 2003.)

Ten years ago:
  • Jordan's King Hussein joined Mideast peace talks in Maryland at the invitation of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
  • President Clinton named John Podesta his chief of staff, replacing Erskine Bowles.
  • The New York Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the World Series, beating the San Diego Padres 5-4.

Five years ago:
  • President Bush pushed North Korea's nuclear threat to the forefront of a 21-nation Asia-Pacific summit in Thailand.
  • Israeli warplanes and helicopters pounded Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip, killing 10 people.
  • A judge in Eagle, Colo., ordered Kobe Bryant to stand trial for sexual assault. (However, the criminal case was later dropped.)
  • Character actor Jack Elam died in Ashland, Ore., at age 84.

One year ago:
  • Republican Bobby Jindal, the U.S.-born son of Indian immigrants, won election as governor of Louisiana; he became the first nonwhite to hold the job since Reconstruction.
  • Former Green Bay Packers receiver Max McGee died in Deephaven, Minn., at age 75.
  • Peg Bracken, author of the "I Hate to Cook Book," died in Portland, Ore., at age 89.

Today's Birthdays:
  • Actor William Christopher is 76.
  • Country singer Wanda Jackson is 71.
  • Singer Tom Petty is 58.
  • Actress Melanie Mayron is 56.
  • Baseball All-Star Keith Hernandez is 55.
  • Actor Viggo Mortensen is 50.
  • Rock musician Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & The Blowfish) is 44.
  • Rock musician David Ryan is 44.
  • Rock musician Doug Eldridge (Oleander) is 41.
  • Rapper Snoop Dogg is 37.
  • Singer Dannii Minogue is 37.
  • Country musician Jeff Loberg is 32.
  • Actor John Krasinski is 29.
  • Actress Jennifer Nicole Freeman ("My Wife and Kids") is 23.

Thought for Today:
"Next to ingratitude, the most painful thing to bear is gratitude."
Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887).


"Let's all be careful out there!"