Today in History

Today is Sunday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2014. There are 73 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 19, 1814, the first documented public performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" took place at the Holliday Street Theater in Baltimore, where it was performed by an actor now known only as "Mr. Hardinge."

On this date:

In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end.

In 1789, John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

In 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early's soldiers attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, Virginia; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.

In 1914, the U.S. Post Office began delivering mail with government-owned cars, as opposed to using contracted vehicles. The First Battle of Ypres began during World War I.

In 1944, the U.S. Navy began accepting black women into WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). The play "I Remember Mama," by John Van Druten, opened at the Music Box Theater on Broadway.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany.

In 1960, the United States began a limited embargo against Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.

In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City.

In 1984, Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish Catholic priest with ties to the Solidarity labor movement, was abducted and murdered by communist secret police.

In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value, to close at 1,738.74.

In 1989, a British court freed the "Guildford Four," who'd been wrongly convicted of an Irish Republican Army bombing.

In 1994, 22 people were killed as a terrorist bomb shattered a bus in the heart of Tel Aviv's shopping district. Entertainer Martha Raye died in Los Angeles at age 78.

Ten years ago: Insurgents in Iraq abducted Margaret Hassan, the local director of CARE International. (Hassan is believed to have been slain by her captors a month later; her body has never been found.) Thirteen people were killed when a Corporate Airlines commuter turboprop crashed in northeast Missouri (two people survived with serious injuries). Former arms control adviser Paul H. Nitze died in Washington, D.C. at age 97.

Five years ago: The Justice Department issued a new policy memo, telling prosecutors that pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allowed medical marijuana. Actor Joseph Wiseman, 91, who played the sinister Dr. No in the first James Bond feature film, died in New York City. Mass killer Howard Unruh, who took 13 lives during a 1949 rampage in Camden, New Jersey, died in a Trenton nursing facility at age 88.

One year ago: Nine Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria and two Turkish pilots held hostage in Lebanon returned home as part of an ambitious three-way deal cutting across the Syrian civil war. Shane Victorino's seventh-inning grand slam propelled Boston to a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, clinching the AL championship series in six games. British actor and musician Noel Harrison, who sang the Academy Award-winning ballad "The Windmills of Your Mind," died in Devon, England, at age 79.

Today's Birthdays: Author John le Carre is 83. Artist Peter Max is 77. Author and critic Renata Adler is 76. Actor Michael Gambon is 74. Actor John Lithgow is 69. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 69. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 69. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 66. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 62. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 57. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 56. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 54. Boxer Evander Holyfield is 52. Host Ty Pennington (TV: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 50. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 49. Actor Jon Favreau is 48. Amy Carter is 47. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 45. Comedian Chris Kattan is 44. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 42. Actor Omar Gooding is 38. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 38. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 37. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 34. Actress Gillian Jacobs is 32. Rock singer Zac Barnett (American Authors) is 28.

Thought for Today: "If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." -- Hamilton Fish III, American congressman (1888-1991).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.