Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 25, the 298th day of 2011. There are 67 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 25, 1854, the "Charge of the Light Brigade" took place during the Crimean War as an English brigade of more than 600 men charged the Russian army despite hopeless odds and suffered heavy losses.

On this date:

In 1760, Britain's King George III succeeded his late grandfather, George II.

In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown went on trial in Charles Town, Va., for his failed raid at Harpers Ferry. (Brown was convicted and hanged.)

In 1881, artist Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain.

In 1910, "America the Beautiful," with words by Katharine Lee Bates and music by Samuel A. Ward, was first published.

In 1929, former Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was convicted in Washington, D.C., of accepting a $100,000 bribe from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Fall was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000; he ended up serving nine months.)

In 1951, peace talks aimed at ending the Korean War resumed in Panmunjom after 63 days.

In 1962, U.S. ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson presented photographic evidence of Soviet-built missile bases in Cuba to the U.N. Security Council.

In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly voted to admit mainland China and expel Taiwan.

In 1981, on the centenary of the birth of Pablo Picasso, the artist's painting "Guernica" was returned to Spain after spending four decades in the possession of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In 1986, in Game 6 of the World Series, the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Mets, 6-5, on a wild pitch and an error in the tenth inning, forcing a seventh game, which the Mets ended up winning.

Ten years ago: A day after the House signed on, the Senate sent President George W. Bush the USA PATRIOT (Uniting and Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act, a package of measures giving police sweeping new powers to search people's homes and business records secretly and to eavesdrop on telephone and computer conversations. Ford Motor Co. settled one of the industry's biggest auto defect cases, agreeing to pay for repairs on millions of cars and trucks with an ignition-system flaw that could cause the vehicles to stall in traffic.

Five years ago: Acknowledging painful losses in Iraq, President George W. Bush told a news conference he was not satisfied with the progress of the long and unpopular war, but he still insisted the United States was winning and should not think about withdrawing. Serial killer Danny Harold Rolling was executed by injection for butchering five University of Florida students in Gainesville in 1990.

One year ago: Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged receiving millions of dollars in cash from Iran, adding that Washington gave him "bags of money" as well because his office lacked funds. In Indonesia, an earthquake triggered a tsunami off western Sumatra that killed more than 460 people and destroyed homes, mosques and other buildings.

Today's Birthdays: Former American League president Dr. Bobby Brown is 87. Actress Jeanne Cooper is 83. Actress Marion Ross is 83. Country singer Jeanne Black is 74. Basketball Hall of Famer Bobby Knight is 71. Author Anne Tyler is 70. Rock singer Jon Anderson (Yes) is 67. Political strategist James Carville is 67. Singer Taffy Danoff (Starland Vocal Band) is 67. Rock musician Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest) is 64. Actor Brian Kerwin is 62. Actor Mark L. Taylor is 61. Movie director Julian Schnabel is 60. Rock musician Matthias Jabs is 55. Actress Nancy Cartwright ("The Simpsons") is 54. Country singer Mark Miller (Sawyer Brown) is 53. Rock musician Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers; Chickenfoot) is 50. Actress Tracy Nelson is 48. Actor Michael Boatman is 47. Actor Kevin Michael Richardson is 47. Singer Speech is 43. Actor Adam Goldberg is 41. Actor-singer Adam Pascal is 41. Rock musician Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies) is 41. Actress Persia White is 41. Country singer Chely Wright is 41. Violinist Midori is 40. Actor Craig Robinson is 40. Actor Michael Weston is 38. Actor Zachary Knighton is 33. Actor Mehcad Brooks is 31. Actor Ben Gould is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Young Rome is 30. Pop singer Katy Perry is 27. Rock singer Austin Winkler (Hinder) is 27. Singer Ciara is 26. Actress Conchita Campbell ("The 4400") is 16.

Thought for Today: "Is it really so difficult to tell a good action from a bad one? I think one usually knows right away or a moment afterward, in a horrid flash of regret." -- Mary McCarthy, American author and critic (born in 1912, died this day in 1989).

(Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.