Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 15, the 288th day of 2014. There are 77 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 15, 1914, the Clayton Antitrust Act, which expanded on the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

On this date:

In 1860, 11-year-old Grace Bedell of Westfield, New York, wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he could improve his appearance by growing a beard.

In 1917, Dutch dancer Mata Hari, convicted of spying for the Germans, was executed by a French firing squad outside Paris.

In 1928, the German dirigible Graf Zeppelin landed in Lakehurst, New Jersey, completing its first commercial flight across the Atlantic.

In 1939, New York City Municipal Airport was dedicated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, for whom the facility was later renamed.

In 1946, Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering fatally poisoned himself hours before he was to have been executed.

In 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall on the Carolina coast as a Category 4 storm; Hazel was blamed for some 1,000 deaths in the Caribbean, 95 in the U.S. and 81 in Canada.

In 1964, Britain's Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, returned to power in general elections. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees 7-5 in Game 7 at Busch Stadium. Songwriter Cole Porter, 73, died in Santa Monica, California.

In 1969, peace demonstrators staged activities across the country as part of a "moratorium" against the Vietnam War.

In 1976, in the first debate of its kind between vice-presidential nominees, Democrat Walter F. Mondale and Republican Bob Dole faced off in Houston.

In 1989, South African officials released eight prominent political prisoners, including Walter Sisulu.

In 1991, despite sexual harassment allegations by Anita Hill, the Senate narrowly confirmed the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court, 52-48.

In 1999, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Irish tenor Josef Locke, whose life inspired the 1992 film "Hear My Song," died in County Kildare, Ireland, at age 82.

Ten years ago: The Food and Drug Administration ordered that all antidepressants carry strong warnings that they "increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior" in children who take them. Several thousand people opposed to same-sex marriage gathered on the National Mall in Washington to call for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Five years ago: A report of a 6-year-old Colorado boy trapped inside a runaway helium balloon engrossed the nation before the boy, Falcon Heene, was found safe at home in what turned out to be a hoax. (Falcon's parents served up to a month in jail.)

One year ago: Abu Anas al-Libi, an alleged al-Qaida member who was snatched off the streets in Libya, pleaded not guilty in New York to bombing-related charges. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to William D. Swenson, a former Army captain whose heroic actions in a deadly Afghan battle were captured on video. The Boston Red Sox took a 2-1 lead in the AL championship series as they defeated the Detroit Tigers 1-0. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 for a 3-1 lead in the NL Championship series. Hans Riegel, 90, who turned little gold bears into a global candy juggernaut -- Haribo's gummi bears -- over a career than spanned seven decades, died in Bonn, Germany.

Today's Birthdays: Former auto executive Lee Iacocca is 90. Jazz musician Freddy Cole is 83. Singer Barry McGuire is 79. Actress Linda Lavin is 77. Rock musician Don Stevenson (Moby Grape) is 72. Actress-director Penny Marshall is 71. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer is 69. Singer-musician Richard Carpenter is 68. Actor Victor Banerjee is 68. Tennis player Roscoe Tanner is 63. Singer Tito Jackson is 61. Actor-comedian Larry Miller is 61. Actor Jere Burns is 60. Actress Tanya Roberts is 59. Movie director Mira Nair is 57. Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, is 55. Chef Emeril Lagasse is 55. Rock musician Mark Reznicek is 52. Singer Eric Benet is 48. Actress Vanessa Marcil is 46. Singer-actress-TV host Paige Davis is 45. Country singer Kimberly Schlapman (Little Big Town) is 45. Actor Dominic West is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ginuwine is 44. Actor Chris Olivero is 35. Christian singer-actress Jaci Velasquez is 35. Actor Brandon Jay McLaren is 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer Keyshia Cole is 33. Tennis player Elena Dementieva is 33. Actor Vincent Martella is 22. Actress Bailee Madison is 15.

Thought for Today: "If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with." -- Author unknown.

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