Today in History

Today is Sunday, October 11, the 284th day of 2015. There are 81 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On October 11, 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in Washington, D.C.

On this date:

In 1779, Polish nobleman Casimir Pulaski, fighting for American independence, died two days after being wounded during the Revolutionary War Battle of Savannah, Georgia.

In 1905, the Juilliard School was founded as the Institute of Musical Art in New York.

In 1910, Theodore Roosevelt became the first former U.S. president to fly in an airplane during a visit to St. Louis.

In 1932, the first American political telecast took place as the Democratic National Committee sponsored a program from a CBS television studio in New York.

In 1944, the classic films "To Have and Have Not," starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and "Laura," starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, opened in New York.

In 1958, the lunar probe Pioneer 1 was launched; it failed to go as far out as planned, fell back to Earth, and burned up in the atmosphere.

In 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard. The government of Panama was overthrown in a military coup.

In 1975, Bill Clinton and Hillary Diane Rodham were married in Fayetteville, Arkansas. "NBC Saturday Night" (later "Saturday Night Live") made its debut with guest host George Carlin.

In 1984, Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space as she and fellow Mission Specialist David C. Leestma spent 3 1/2 hours outside the shuttle.

In 1985, Arab-American activist Alex Odeh was killed by a bomb blast in Santa Ana, California. (There have yet to be any arrests in the case.)

In 1991, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her; Thomas re-appeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a "high-tech lynching."

In 2002, former President Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ten years ago: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it had finished pumping out the New Orleans metropolitan area, which was flooded by Hurricane Katrina six weeks earlier and then was swamped again by Hurricane Rita. A Russian spacecraft carrying U.S. millionaire Gregory Olsen and a two-man crew landed in Kazakhstan after a seven-day space sojourn.

Five years ago: Rescuers in Chile finished reinforcing a hole drilled to bring 33 trapped miners to safety and sent a rescue capsule nearly all the way to where the men were trapped, proving the escape route worked. Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides won the Nobel Prize in economics for their work in explaining why unemployment can remain high despite large numbers of job openings.

One year ago: The International Monetary Fund's policy-setting committee promised "bold and ambitious" action to boost a global recovery that was showing signs of weakness. Customs and health officials began taking the temperatures of passengers arriving at New York's Kennedy International Airport from three West African countries in a stepped-up screening effort meant to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus. The Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Earle Hyman is 89. Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry is 88. Actor Ron Leibman is 78. Actor Amitabh Bachchan is 73. Country singer Gene Watson is 72. Singer Daryl Hall (Hall and Oates) is 69. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is 65. Rhythm-and-blues musician Andrew Woolfolk is 65. Actress-director Catlin Adams is 65. Country singer Paulette Carlson is 64. Actor David Morse is 62. Actor Stephen Spinella is 59. Actress-writer-comedian Dawn French is 58. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Steve Young is 54. Actress Joan Cusack is 53. Rock musician Scott Johnson (Gin Blossoms) is 53. Comedy writer and TV host Michael J. Nelson is 51. Actor Sean Patrick Flanery is 50. Actor Lennie James is 50. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Chris Spielman is 50. Actor Luke Perry is 49. Country singer-songwriter Todd Snider is 49. Actor-comedian Artie Lange is 48. Actress Jane Krakowski is 47. Rapper U-God (Wu-Tang Clan) is 45. Actress Constance Zimmer is 45. Rapper MC Lyte is 44. Figure skater Kyoko Ina is 43. Actor/writer Nat Faxon is 40. Singer NeeNa Lee is 40. Actress Emily Deschanel is 39. Actor Matt Bomer is 38. Actor Trevor Donovan is 37. Actress Michelle Trachtenberg is 30. Golfer Michelle Wie is 26.

Thought for Today: "Modesty is the highest form of arrogance." -- German saying.

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