Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Oct. 9, the 283rd day of 2016. There are 83 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 9, 1936, the first generator at Boulder (later Hoover) Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles.

On this date:

In 1446, the Korean alphabet, created under the aegis of King Sejong, was first published.

In 1514, Mary Tudor, the 18-year-old sister of Henry VIII, became Queen consort of France upon her marriage to 52-year-old King Louis XII, who died less than three months later.

In 1776, a group of Spanish missionaries settled in present-day San Francisco.

In 1888, the public was first admitted to the Washington Monument.

In 1914, the Belgian city of Antwerp fell to German forces during World War I.

In 1946, the Eugene O'Neill drama "The Iceman Cometh" opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York.

In 1958, Pope Pius XII died at age 82, ending a 19-year papacy. (He was succeeded by Pope John XXIII.)

In 1966, the Baltimore Orioles won their first World Series as they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games with a 1-0 victory at Memorial Stadium.

In 1975, Soviet scientist Andrei Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1985, the hijackers of the Achille Lauro cruise liner surrendered two days after seizing the vessel in the Mediterranean. (Passenger Leon Klinghoffer was killed by the hijackers during the standoff.)

In 1995, a sabotaged section of track caused an Amtrak train, the Sunset Limited, to derail in Arizona; one person was killed and about 80 were injured (the case remains unsolved).

In 2009, President Barack Obama was named the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

Ten years ago: North Korea faced a barrage of condemnation and calls for retaliation after it announced that it had set off a small atomic weapon underground; President George W. Bush said, "The international community will respond." Google Inc. announced it was snapping up YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion in a stock deal. American Edmund S. Phelps won the Nobel prize for economics.

Five years ago: At least 27 people were killed and more than 200 injured during massive clashes in downtown Cairo in the worst sectarian outburst since the February revolution. The NHL returned to Winnipeg after 15 years; Carey Price stopped 30 shots as the Montreal Canadiens put a damper on a massive civic celebration with a 5-1 victory over the Jets. The Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6 in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. Sir Paul McCartney married Nancy Shevell at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London.

One year ago: President Barack Obama visited Roseburg, Oregon, the scene of a community college shooting which had claimed the lives of nine victims as well as the gunman; the president met with victims' relatives, but also faced protests from legal gun owners. A democracy group, the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, won the Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to the first and most successful Arab Spring movement. Former British Treasury chief and foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe, 88, died in Warwickshire, England.

Today's Birthdays: Retired MLB All-Star Joe Pepitone is 76. Former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., is 75. C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb is 75. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nona Hendryx is 72. Singer Jackson Browne is 68. Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams is 66. Actor Gary Frank is 66. Actor Richard Chaves is 65. Actor Robert Wuhl is 65. Actress-TV personality Sharon Osbourne is 64. Actor Tony Shalhoub is 63. Actor Scott Bakula is 62. Musician James Fearnley (The Pogues) is 62. Actor John O'Hurley is 62. Writer-producer-director-actor Linwood Boomer is 61. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Mike Singletary is 58. Actor Michael Pare is 58. Jazz musician Kenny Garrett is 56. Rock singer-musician Kurt Neumann (The BoDeans) is 55. Country singer Gary Bennett is 52. Movie director Guillermo del Toro is 52. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron is 50. Singer P.J. Harvey is 47. Movie director Steve McQueen (Film: "12 Years a Slave") is 47. World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam is 46. Actress Cocoa Brown is 44. Country singer Tommy Shane Steiner is 43. Actor Steve Burns is 43. Rock singer Sean Lennon is 41. Actor Randy Spelling is 38. Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae is 37. Actor Brandon Routh is 37. Actor Zachery Ty Bryan is 35. Actress Spencer Grammer is 33. Comedian Melissa Villasenor (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 29. Actor Tyler James Williams is 24. Country singer Scotty McCreery (TV: "American Idol") is 23.

Thought for Today: "There is nothing harder than the softness of indifference." -- Clare Boothe Luce, American author, politician and diplomat (1903-1987).