Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 24, the 298th day of 2012. There are 68 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 24, 1962, a naval quarantine of Cuba ordered by President John F. Kennedy went into effect during the missile crisis; the blockade was aimed at interdicting the delivery of offensive weapons to the island.

On this date:

In 1537, Jane Seymour, the third wife of England's King Henry VIII, died 12 days after giving birth to Prince Edward, later King Edward VI.

In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years War and effectively destroyed the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., over a line built by the Western Union Telegraph Co.

In 1901, widow Anna Edson Taylor became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

In 1939, Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded their signature theme, "Let's Dance," for Columbia Records in New York. Nylon stockings were first sold publicly in Wilmington, Del.

In 1940, the 40-hour work week went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

In 1945, the United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect.

In 1952, Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower declared in Detroit, "I shall go to Korea" as he promised to end the conflict. (He made the visit over a month later.)

In 1962, "The Manchurian Candidate," a Cold War thriller starring Frank Sinatra, was first released.

In 1972, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who'd broken Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, died in Stamford, Conn., at age 53.

In 1987, 30 years after it was expelled, the Teamsters union was welcomed back into the AFL-CIO. (However, the Teamsters disafilliated themselves from the AFL-CIO in 2005.)

In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series as they defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, in Game 6.

Ten years ago: Authorities apprehended Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenager Lee Boyd Malvo near Myersville, Md., in the Washington-area sniper attacks. (Malvo was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; Muhammad was sentenced to death and executed in 2009.) The San Francisco Giants defeated the Anaheim Angels, 16-4, to take 3-2 lead in the World Series.

Five years ago: Rapidly rising Internet star Facebook Inc. sold a 1.6 percent stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million, spurning a competing offer from online search leader Google Inc. The Boston Red Sox flattened the Colorado Rockies in their World Series opener at Fenway Park, 13-1.

One year ago: President Barack Obama offered mortgage relief to hundreds of thousands of Americans during a visit to Las Vegas. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, visiting Yokota Air Base in Japan, lashed out at North Korea for "reckless and provocative" acts and criticized China for a secretive expansion of its military power. The Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 for a 3-2 World Series edge.

Today's Birthdays: Football Hall-of-Famer Y.A. Tittle is 86. Rock musician Bill Wyman is 76. Actor F. Murray Abraham is 73. Movie director-screenwriter David S. Ward is 67. Actor Kevin Kline is 65. Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume is 64. Country musician Billy Thomas (Terry McBride and the Ride) is 59. Actor Doug Davidson is 58. Actor B.D. Wong is 52. Rock musician Ben Gillies (Silverchair) is 33. Singer-actress Monica Arnold is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Adrienne Bailon (3lw) is 29. R&B singer-rapper-actor Drake is 26. Actress Shenae Grimes is 23.

Thought for Today: "There are three things which the public will always clamor for, sooner or later: namely, Novelty, novelty, novelty." -- Thomas Hood, British poet (1799-1845).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.