Today in History

Today is Saturday, Oct. 25, the 298th day of 2014. There are 67 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 25, 1954, a meeting of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Cabinet was broadcast live on radio and television; during the session, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, just returned from Europe, reported on agreements signed in Paris on the future of West Germany. (To date, it's the only presidential Cabinet meeting to be carried on radio and TV.)

On this date:

In 1760, Britain's King George III succeeded his late grandfather, George II.

In 1854, the "Charge of the Light Brigade" took place during the Crimean War as an English brigade of more than 600 men charged the Russian army, suffering heavy losses.

In 1929, former Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was convicted in Washington, D.C., of accepting a $100,000 bribe from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Fall was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000; he ended up serving nine months.)

In 1939, the play "The Time of Your Life," by William Saroyan, opened in New York.

In 1945, Taiwan became independent of Japanese colonial rule.

In 1957, mob boss Albert Anastasia of "Murder Inc." notoriety was shot to death by masked gunmen in a barber shop inside the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York.

In 1962, U.N. Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson II demanded that Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin confirm or deny the existence of Soviet-built missile bases in Cuba, saying he was prepared to wait "until hell freezes over" for an answer. Stevenson then presented photographic evidence of the bases to the Security Council.

In 1964, The Rolling Stones made the first of six appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly voted to admit mainland China and expel Taiwan.

In 1989, novelist and critic Mary McCarthy died in New York at age 77.

In 1994, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, claimed that a black carjacker had driven off with her two young sons (Smith later confessed to drowning the children in John D. Long Lake, and was convicted of murder). Three defendants were convicted in South Africa of murdering American exchange student Amy Biehl.

In 1999, golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed when their Learjet flew uncontrolled for four hours before crashing in South Dakota; Stewart was 42.

Ten years ago: The U.S. Supreme Court announced that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist had thyroid cancer (Rehnquist died in Sept. 2005). At least 85 Muslim detainees suffocated or were crushed to death in southern Thailand after the police rounded up 1,300 people and packed them into trucks following a riot.

Five years ago: A pair of suicide car bombings devastated the heart of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, killing 155 people, including 24 children. Philanthropist Jeffry Picower, accused of making more than $7 billion from the investment schemes of his longtime friend Bernard Madoff, drowned after suffering a heart attack in the swimming pool of his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion; he was 67. The New York Yankees won their first pennant in six years, beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 in Game 6 of the AL championship series.

One year ago: Indignant at reports of U.S. electronic espionage overseas, the leaders of France and Germany said they would insist the Obama administration agree by year's end to limits that could put an end to alleged American eavesdropping on foreign leaders, businesses and innocent civilians. Death claimed British actor Nigel Davenport, 85, Hollywood stunt double Hal Needham, 82, and actress-comedian Marcia Wallace, 70.

Today's Birthdays: Former American League president Dr. Bobby Brown is 90. Singer-actress Barbara Cook is 87. Actress Marion Ross is 86. Country singer Jeanne Black is 77. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight is 74. Pop singer Helen Reddy is 73. Author Anne Tyler is 73. Rock singer Jon Anderson (Yes) is 70. Political strategist James Carville is 70. Singer Taffy Danoff (Starland Vocal Band) is 70. Rock musician Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest) is 67. Actor Brian Kerwin is 65. Actor Mark L. Taylor is 64. Movie director Julian Schnabel is 63. Rock musician Matthias Jabs is 58. Actress Nancy Cartwright (TV: "The Simpsons") is 57. Country singer Mark Miller (Sawyer Brown) is 56. Rock musician Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers; Chickenfoot) is 53. Actress Tracy Nelson is 51. Actor Michael Boatman is 50. Actor Kevin Michael Richardson is 50. Singer Speech is 46. Actor Adam Goldberg is 44. Actor-singer Adam Pascal is 44. Rock musician Ed Robertson (Barenaked Ladies) is 44. Actress Persia White is 44. Country singer Chely Wright is 44. Violinist Midori is 43. Actor Craig Robinson is 43. Actor Michael Weston is 41. Actor Zachary Knighton is 36. Actress Mariana Klaveno is 35. Actor Mehcad Brooks is 34. Actor Ben Gould is 34. Actor Josh Henderson is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Young Rome is 33. Pop singer Katy Perry is 30. Rock singer Austin Winkler is 30. Singer Ciara is 29. Actress Conchita Campbell ("The 4400") is 19.

Thought for Today: "In the time of your life, live -- so that in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any life your life touches." -- From "The Time of Your Life" by William Saroyan (1908-1981).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.