Today in History

Today is Monday, Oct. 6, the 279th day of 2014. There are 86 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 6, 1939, in a speech to the Reichstag, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler spoke of his plans to reorder the ethnic layout of Europe -- a plan which would entail settling the "Jewish problem."

On this date:

In 1683, 13 families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in Philadelphia to begin Germantown, one of America's oldest settlements.

In 1884, the Naval War College was established in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1889, the Moulin Rouge in Paris first opened its doors to the public.

In 1927, the era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson, a movie featuring both silent and sound-synchronized sequences.

In 1928, Chiang Kai-shek became president of China.

In 1949, U.S.-born Iva Toguri D'Aquino, convicted of treason for being Japanese wartime broadcaster "Tokyo Rose," was sentenced in San Francisco to 10 years in prison. (She ended up serving more than six.)

In 1958, the nuclear submarine USS Seawolf surfaced after spending 60 days submerged.

In 1973, war erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Yom Kippur holiday.

In 1976, in his second presidential debate with Democrat Jimmy Carter, President Gerald R. Ford asserted there was "no Soviet domination of eastern Europe." (Ford later conceded that was not the case.)

In 1979, Pope John Paul II, on a weeklong U.S. tour, became the first pontiff to visit the White House, where he was received by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by extremists while reviewing a military parade.

In 1989, actress Bette Davis died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, at age 81.

Ten years ago: The top U.S. arms inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer, reported finding no evidence Saddam Hussein's regime had produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991. The Senate approved an intelligence reorganization bill endorsed by the September 11 Commission. Israelis Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko and American Irwin Rose won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama said al-Qaida had "lost operational capacity" in Afghanistan after a series of military setbacks and vowed to continue the battle to cripple the terror organization. George Papandreou was sworn in as Greece's new Socialist prime minister. Americans Charles K. Kao, Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith won the Nobel Prize in physics.

One year ago: International disarmament experts began dismantling and destroying Syria's chemical weapons arsenal and the equipment used to produce it. At least 51 people were killed in Egypt when security forces and Islamist protesters clashed during a national holiday. Tiger Woods beat Richard Sterne, 1 up, to give the Americans the 18 points they needed to win the Presidents Cup for the fifth straight time.

Today's Birthdays: Broadcaster and writer Melvyn Bragg is 75. Actress Britt Ekland is 72. Singer Millie Small is 68. The president of Sinn Fein (shin fayn), Gerry Adams, is 66. Singer-musician Thomas McClary is 65. Musician Sid McGinnis (TV: "Late Show with David Letterman") is 65. CBS chief executive officer Les Moonves is 65. Rock singer Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) is 63. Rock singer-musician David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) is 60. Former NFL player and coach Tony Dungy is 59. Actress Elisabeth Shue is 51. Singer Matthew Sweet is 50. Actress Jacqueline Obradors is 48. Country singer Tim Rushlow is 48. Rock musician Tommy Stinson is 48. Actress Amy Jo Johnson is 44. Actress Emily Mortimer is 43. Actor Lamman Rucker is 43. Actor Ioan Gruffudd is 41. Actor Jeremy Sisto is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Melinda Doolittle (TV: "American Idol") is 37. Actor Wes Ramsey is 37.

Thought for Today: "The most exciting attractions are between two opposites that never meet." -- Andy Warhol, American painter (1928-1987).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.