Today in History

Today is Sunday, Nov. 1, the 305th day of 2015. There are 60 days left in the year. This is All Saints Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 1, 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.

On this date:

In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established.

In 1512, Michelangelo's just-completed paintings on the ceiling of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel were publicly unveiled by the artist's patron, Pope Julius II.

In 1604, William Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello" was presented at Whitehall Palace in London.

In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.

In 1870, the United States Weather Bureau made its first meteorological observations.

In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an "axis" running between Rome and Berlin.

In 1945, Ebony, a magazine geared toward black readers, was first published.

In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named "Ivy Mike," at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

In 1954, Algerian nationalists began their successful 7-year rebellion against French rule.

In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America unveiled its new voluntary film rating system: G for general, M for mature (later changed to GP, then PG), R for restricted and X (later changed to NC-17) for adults only.

In 1979, former first lady Mamie Eisenhower died in Washington, D.C., at age 82.

In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West.

Ten years ago: Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session, questioning the intelligence utilized by the White House in the run-up to the war in Iraq; Republicans derided the move as a political stunt. The Federal Reserve increased a key interest rate by a quarter-point to 4 percent, the highest level in more than four years. Musical conductor Skitch Henderson died in New Milford, Connecticut, at age 87.

Five years ago: Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, 61, was convicted by a jury in Erie, Pennsylvania, of participating in a bizarre plot in which a pizza delivery driver was forced to rob a bank wearing a metal bomb collar that later exploded, killing him. (Diehl-Armstrong was later sentenced to life in prison.) The San Francisco Giants won the World Series with a 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 5.

One year ago: The national average price of gasoline fell to $2.995, according to AAA, marking the first time in four years that gas was cheaper than $3 a gallon. The United Nations' expert panel on climate science, meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, finished a report on global warming that the agency said offered "conclusive evidence" that humans were altering Earth's climate system. Bayern won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose, surviving a stewards' inquiry prompted by multiple horses bumping near the start. Wayne Static, 48, the front man for the metal band Static-X, died in Landers, California.

Today's Birthdays: Golfer Gary Player is 80. Country singer Bill Anderson is 78. Actress Barbara Bosson is 76. Actor Robert Foxworth is 74. Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 73. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 71. Actress Jeannie Berlin is 66. Music producer David Foster is 66. Actress Belita Moreno is 66. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell (Kool and the Gang) is 64. Country singer-songwriter-producer Keith Stegall is 61. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 58. Actress Rachel Ticotin is 57. Rock musician Eddie MacDonald (The Alarm) is 56. Apple CEO Tim Cook is 55. Actress Helene Udy is 54. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 53. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) is 53. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) is 52. Country singer "Big Kenny" Alphin (Big and Rich) is 52. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 51. Rapper Willie D (Geto Boys) is 49. Country musician Dale Wallace (Emerson Drive) is 46. Actress Toni Collette is 43. Actress-talk show host Jenny McCarthy is 43. Rock musician Andrew Gonzales is 43. Actor David Berman is 42. Actress Aishwarya Rai is 42. Rock singer Bo Bice is 40. Actor Matt Jones is 34. Actress Natalia Tena is 31. Actor Penn Badgley is 29. Actor Max Burkholder is 18. Actor-musician Alex Wolff is 18.

Thought for Today: "People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them." -- Eric Hoffer, American author and philosopher (1902-1983).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.