Today in History

Today is Thursday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2014. There are 62 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," to regain his world heavyweight title.

On this date:

In 1735, the second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts.

In 1864, Helena, Montana, was founded.

In 1921, the silent film classic "The Sheik," starring Rudolph Valentino, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS.

In 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.

In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.

In 1953, Gen. George C. Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Albert Schweitzer received the Peace Prize for 1952.

In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.

In 1972, 45 people were killed when an Illinois Central Gulf commuter train was struck from behind by another train in Chicago's South Side.

In 1984, police in Poland found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death was blamed on security officers.

In 1989, Mitsubishi Estate Co. announced it was buying 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York. (However, amid a real estate slump, Mitsubishi ended up walking away from its investment in 1995.)

In 1997, a jury in Cambridge, Massachusetts, convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen. (The judge, Hiller B. Zobel, later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Woodward free.)

Ten years ago: The decapitated body of a 24-year-old Japanese backpacker (Shosei Koda) was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad; the militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi later claimed responsibility. Grateful fans embraced the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, hailing the team as heroes during a jubilant parade. Actress-dancer Peggy Ryan died in Las Vegas at age 80.

Five years ago: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was confronted repeatedly by Pakistanis as she ended a tense three-day tour of the country, chastised by one woman who said a U.S. program using aerial drones to target terrorists amounted to "executions without trial." Michelle Triola Marvin, who'd fought a landmark "palimony" case in the 1970s against former lover Lee Marvin, died in Malibu, California, at age 76.

One year ago: President Barack Obama claimed "full responsibility" for fixing his administration's troubled health insurance website, while on Capitol Hill, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized to frustrated people trying to sign up, declaring that she was accountable for the failures but also defending the historic health care overhaul. The government said the deficit for the 2013 budget year totaled $680.3 billion, down from $1.09 trillion in 2012. The Boston Red Sox romped to their third World Series championship in 10 seasons, thumping the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 at Fenway.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Gautier is 77. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 77. Rock singer Grace Slick is 75. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 73. Actress Joanna Shimkus is 71. Actor Henry Winkler is 69. Broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell is 68. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 68. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 67. Actor Leon Rippy is 65. Actor Harry Hamlin is 63. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 61. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 60. Actor Kevin Pollak is 57. Actor Michael Beach is 51. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 47. Actor Jack Plotnick is 46. Comedian Ben Bailey is 44. Actress Nia Long is 44. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 38. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 36. Actor Matthew Morrison is 36. Actor Shaun Sipos is 33. Ivanka Trump is 33. Actress Janel Parrish is 26. Actor Tequan Richmond is 22.

Thought for Today: "All men are almost led to believe not of proof, but by attraction." Blaise Pascal, French philosopher (1623-1662).