Today in History

Today is Monday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2013. There are 64 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

On this date:

In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a legislative act establishing Harvard College.

In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought during the Revolutionary War, resulting in a limited British victory.

In 1858, Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first New York store at Sixth Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan.

In 1919, Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.

In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War II.

In 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected pope; he took the name John XXIII.

In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.

In 1991, what became known as "The Perfect Storm" began forming hundreds of miles east of Nova Scotia; lost at sea during the storm were the six crew members of the Andrea Gail, a sword-fishing boat from Gloucester, Mass.

In 2001, the families of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack gathered in New York for a memorial service filled with prayer and song.

In 2002, American diplomat Laurence Foley was assassinated in front of his house in Amman, Jordan, in the first such attack on a U.S. diplomat in decades.

Ten years ago: Firefighters beat back flames on Los Angeles' doorstep, saving hundreds of homes in the city's San Fernando Valley from California's deadliest wildfires in more than a decade. The Senate confirmed Utah Governor Mike Leavitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. A Soyuz space capsule carrying an American, a Russian and a Spaniard from the International Space Station landed in Kazakhstan. The seven astronauts who died in the Columbia shuttle disaster were honored with the unveiling of their names carved into the national Space Mirror Memorial.

Five years ago: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to four months in jail for his part in a sex-and-text scandal. (Kilpatrick ended up serving 99 days.)

One year ago: Airlines canceled more than 7,000 flights in advance of Hurricane Sandy, transit systems in New York, Philadelphia and Washington were shut down, and forecasters warned the New York area could see an 11-foot wall of water. President Barrack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney altered their campaign travel plans because of the approaching storm; Obama visited FEMA headquarters in Washington before returning to the White House to monitor Sandy's progress. The San Francisco Giants won their second World Series title in three years, beating the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in extra innings to complete a four-game sweep.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 86. Actress Joan Plowright is 84. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 77. Actress Jane Alexander is 74. Singer Curtis Lee is 72. Actor Dennis Franz is 69. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 68. Actress Telma Hopkins is 65. Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruce Jenner is 64. Actress Annie Potts is 61. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 58. The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is 57. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 56. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 55. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 55. Actor Mark Derwin is 53. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 51. Actress Lauren Holly is 50. Talk show host-comedian-actress Sheryl Underwood is 50. Actress Jami Gertz is 48. Actor Chris Bauer is 47. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 47. Actress Julia Roberts is 46. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 45. Actor Jeremy Davies is 44. Singer Ben Harper is 44. Country singer Brad Paisley is 41. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 39. Singer Justin Guarini ("American Idol") is 35. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 34. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T's) is 34. Actress Troian Bellisario is 28. Singer/rapper Frank Ocean is 26. Actor Nolan Gould (TV: "Modern Family") is 15.

Thought for Today: "I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery." -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-born French philosopher (1712-1778).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.