Today in History

Today is Sunday, Oct. 13, the 286th day of 2013. There are 79 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 13, 1962, Edward Albee's searing four-character drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opened on Broadway with Arthur Hill as George, Uta Hagen as Martha, George Grizzard as Nick and Melinda Dillon (whose 23rd birthday it was) as Honey.

On this date:

In A.D. 54, Roman Emperor Claudius I died, poisoned apparently at the behest of his wife, Agrippina.

In 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Knights Templar on charges of heresy.

In 1775, the United States Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.

In 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

In 1843, the Jewish organization B'nai B'rith (buh-NAY' brith) was founded in New York City.

In 1845, Texas voters ratified a state constitution.

In 1932, President Herbert Hoover and Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.

In 1944, American troops entered Aachen, Germany, during World War II.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon held the third televised debate of their presidential campaign (Nixon was in Los Angeles, Kennedy in New York).

In 1972, a Uruguayan chartered flight carrying 45 people crashed in the Andes; 16 survivors who resorted to feeding off the remains of some of the dead in order to stay alive were rescued more than two months later.

In 1981, voters in Egypt participated in a referendum to elect Vice President Hosni Mubarak the new president, one week after the assassination of Anwar Sadat.

In 2010, rescuers in Chile using a missile-like escape capsule pulled 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.

Ten years ago: The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution expanding the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed into law a controversial redistricting bill designed to put more Republicans in the Texas congressional delegation. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, formally kicked off his presidential bid.

Five years ago: On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained a shocking 936 points after eight days of losses. American Paul Krugman won the Nobel prize in economics for his work on international trade patterns. Las Vegas gaming executive Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who inspired the film "Casino," died in Miami Beach at age 79.

One year ago: Iran's foreign ministry said it was ready to show flexibility at nuclear talks to ease Western concerns over Tehran's nuclear program. The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 6-4 in the first game of the American League Championship Series.

Today's Birthdays: Playwright Frank D. Gilroy is 88. Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 76. Actress Melinda Dillon is 74. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 72. Actress Pamela Tiffin is 71. Musician Robert Lamm (Chicago) is 69. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 67. Actor Demond Wilson is 67. Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 66. Actor John Lone is 61. Model Beverly Johnson is 61. Producer-writer Chris Carter is 57. Actor Reggie Theus is 56. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is 55. Singer Marie Osmond is 54. Rock singer Joey Belladonna is 53. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer is 53. NBA coach Doc Rivers is 52. Actress T'Keyah Crystal Keymah is 51. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is 51. Actress Kelly Preston is 51. Country singer John Wiggins is 51. Actor Christopher Judge is 49. Actress Kate Walsh is 46. Rhythm-and-blues musician Jeff Allen (Mint Condition) is 45. Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin is 45. Classical singer Carlos Marin (Il Divo) is 45. Olympic silver-medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 44. Country singer Rhett Akins is 44. Classical crossover singer Paul Potts (TV: "Britain's Got Talent") is 43. TV personality Billy Bush is 42. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 42. Rock musician Jan Van Sichem Jr. (K's Choice) is 41. Rhythm-and-blues singers Brandon and Brian Casey (Jagged Edge) are 38. Actress Kiele Sanchez is 37. NBA All-Star Paul Pierce is 36. Singer Ashanti is 33. Christian rock singer Jon Micah Sumrall (Kutless) is 33. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe is 31.

Thought for Today: "There are some things one can only achieve by a deliberate leap in the opposite direction. One has to go abroad in order to find the home one has lost." -- Franz Kafka, Austrian author (1883-1924).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.