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There are 78 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
- One hundred years ago, on Oct. 14, 1908, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series as they defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 5, 2-0, at Bennett Park.
On this date:
- In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
- In 1890, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, was born in Denison, Texas.
- In 1908, the E.M. Forster novel "A Room With a View" was first published.
- In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for the presidency, was shot in the chest in Milwaukee. Despite the wound, he went ahead with a scheduled speech.
- In 1933, Nazi Germany announced it was withdrawing from the League of Nations.
- In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide rather than face execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler.
- In 1947, Air Force test pilot Charles E. ("Chuck") Yeager broke the sound barrier as he flew the experimental Bell XS-1 (later X-1) rocket plane over Muroc Dry Lake in California.
- In 1960, the idea of a Peace Corps was first suggested by Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy to an audience of students at the University of Michigan.
- In 1968, the first successful live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft was transmitted from Apollo 7.
- In 1987, a real-life drama began in Midland, Texas, as 18-month-old Jessica McClure slid 22 feet down an abandoned well at a private day care center. (Hundreds of rescuers worked 58 hours to free her.)
Ten years ago:
- Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize in economics.
- "Polka king" Frankie Yankovic died in Tampa, Fla., at age 83.
- Animal rights advocate and author Cleveland Amory died in New York at age 81.
- The San Diego Padres won the National League pennant, defeating the Atlanta Braves 5-0 in Game 6 of their championship series.
Five years ago:
- John Allen Muhammad pleaded innocent to murder as the first trial in the deadly Washington-area sniper rampage got under way in Virginia Beach, Va. (Muhammad was later convicted and sentenced to death for killing Dean Harold Meyers.)
- The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel for building a barrier that cut into the West Bank.
- In Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, a Cubs fan inadvertently deflected a foul ball away from the outstretched glove of Chicago outfielder Moises Alou; the Florida Marlins, down 3-0 at the time, rallied to win the game and went on to win Game 7 and advance to the World Series, where they beat the New York Yankees.
One year ago:
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy.
- Three University of Texas students exploring Airman's Cave were rescued after getting lost inside a day earlier.
- Lorena Ochoa clinched her second straight LPGA Tour player of the year award with a runaway victory in the Samsung World Championship.
Today's Birthdays:
- Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is 92.
- Actor Roger Moore is 81.
- Movie director Carroll Ballard is 71.
- Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 70.
- Country singer Melba Montgomery is 70.
- Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 69.
- Singer Cliff Richard is 68.
- Actor Udo Kier is 64.
- Singer-musician Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) is 62.
- Actor Harry Anderson is 56.
- Actor Greg Evigan is 55.
- TV personality Arleen Sorkin is 52.
- Golf Hall-of-Famer Beth Daniel is 52.
- Singer-musician Thomas Dolby is 50.
- Singer Karyn White is 43.
- Actor Jon Seda is 38.
- Country musician Doug Virden is 38.
- Country singer Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks) is 34.
- Actress-singer Shaznay Lewis (All Saints) is 33.
- Singer Usher is 30.
- Actor Jordan Brower is 27.
Thought for Today:
"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."
George Washington Carver, American botanist (1864-1943).
"Let's all be careful out there!"
