Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Oct. 17, the 291st day of 2016. There are 75 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 17, 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

On this date:

In 1610, French King Louis XIII, age nine, was crowned at Reims, five months after the assassination of his father, Henry IV.

In 1807, Britain declared it would continue to reclaim British-born sailors from American ships and ports regardless of whether they held U.S. citizenship.

In 1919, Radio Corp. of America was chartered.

In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion. (Sentenced to 11 years in prison, Capone was released in 1939.)

In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

In 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearny was damaged by a German torpedo off the coast of Iceland; 11 people died.

In 1945, Col. Juan Peron, the future president of Argentina, was released from prison after protests by trade unionists.

In 1956, the all-star movie "Around the World in 80 Days," produced by Michael Todd, had its world premiere in New York.

In 1966, 12 New York City firefighters were killed while battling a blaze in lower Manhattan. The TV game show "The Hollywood Squares" premiered on NBC.

In 1979, Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1989, an earthquake measuring a surface-wave magnitude of 7.1 struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing $6 billion worth of damage.

In 1991, entertainer Tennessee Ernie Ford died in Reston, Virginia, at age 72.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions. America's official population passed the 300 million mark, fueled by a growing number of immigrants and their children. Megan Meier, the 13-year-old victim of a cyberbullying hoax, died a day after hanging herself at home in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri. CBS News correspondent Christopher Glenn died in Norwalk, Connecticut, at age 68.

Five years ago: Rolling through small Southern towns in a campaign-style bus, President Barack Obama pressed lawmakers back in Washington to start taking up pieces of his rejected jobs bill and mocked the Republicans who had shot it down. Financier Carl Lindner Jr., who used his experience running the family dairy store to build a business empire whose reach included baseball, banks and bananas, died at age 92.

One year ago: Thousands of migrants seeking a better life in Western Europe surged into Slovenia using a new route after Hungary sealed its border with Croatia. The final US Airways flight landed in Philadelphia, completing the last leg of its roundtrip journey. (The US Airways brand disappeared as the result of a merger with American Airlines.) The Kansas City Royals rolled to a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jay for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series. The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 in their NL Championship Series opener.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Marsha Hunt is 99. Actress Julie Adams is 90. Newspaper columnist Jimmy Breslin is 86. Country singer Earl Thomas Conley is 75. Singer Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts) is 74. Singer Gary Puckett is 74. Actor Michael McKean is 69. Actress Margot Kidder is 68. Actor George Wendt is 68. Actor-singer Bill Hudson is 67. Astronaut Mae Jemison is 60. Country singer Alan Jackson is 58. Movie critic Richard Roeper is 57. Movie director Rob Marshall is 56. Actor Grant Shaud is 56. Animator Mike Judge is 54. Rock singer-musician Fred LeBlanc (Cowboy Mouth) is 53. Actor-comedian Norm Macdonald is 53. Singer Rene' Dif is 49. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 48. Actor Wood Harris is 47. Singer Wyclef Jean is 47. World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 47. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick ('N Sync) is 45. Rapper Eminem is 44. Actress Sharon Leal is 44. Actor Matthew Macfadyen is 42. Rock musician Sergio Andrade is 39. Actress Felicity Jones is 33. Actor Chris Lowell is 32. Actor Dee Jay Daniels is 28.

Thought for Today: "The thinking of a genius does not proceed logically. It leaps with great ellipses. It pulls knowledge from God knows where." -- Dorothy Thompson, American journalist (1894-1961).