Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Oct. 28, the 302nd day of 2016. There are 64 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

On this date:

In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a legislative act establishing Harvard College.

In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought during the Revolutionary War, resulting in a limited British victory.

In 1914, Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip, whose assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, sparked World War I, was sentenced in Sarajevo to 20 years' imprisonment. (He died in 1918.)

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.

In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War II.

In 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected Pope; he took the name John XXIII. The Samuel Beckett play "Krapp's Last Tape" premiered in London.

In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba; in return, the U.S. secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey.

In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which, among other things, absolved Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Arizona, to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions (he was released in April 1978).

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.

In 1991, what became known as "The Perfect Storm" began forming hundreds of miles east of Nova Scotia; lost at sea during the storm were the six crew members of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

In 1996, Richard Jewell, cleared of committing the Olympic park bombing, held a news conference in Atlanta in which he thanked his mother for standing by him and lashed out at reporters and investigators who'd depicted him as the bomber, who turned out to be Eric Rudolph. Comedian Morey Amsterdam died in Los Angeles at age 87.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush spoke by video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he sought to reaffirm support for the Iraqi leader. Former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick was found dead in a Jamaican church courtyard, the victim of a fatal beating. (A 21-year-old nephew and another man were later convicted of killing Berbick.) Basketball Hall-of-Fame coach Red Auerbach died in Washington, D.C., at age 89.

Five years ago: Monks and soldiers piled sandbags outside Bangkok's most treasured temples and palaces as Thailand's worst floods in decades sent ankle-high water rushing briefly into some of the capital's main tourist districts. NBA Commissioner David Stern canceled all NBA games through November after labor negotiations broke down for the second time in a week. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7.

One year ago: Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty before a federal judge in Chicago to evading banking laws in a hush-money scheme. (A court filing later revealed allegations of sexual abuse against Hastert by at least four former students from his days as a high school wrestling coach; Hastert ended up being sentenced to 15 months in prison.) Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio fought for control of the Republican's establishment wing in the third GOP debate, this one in Boulder, Colorado, as insurgent outsiders Donald Trump and Ben Carson defended the seriousness of their White House bids. An unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring in Maryland and floated over Pennsylvania for hours with two fighter jets on its tail, triggering blackouts across the countryside as it dragged its tether across power lines. The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets 7-1 to take a 2-0 World Series lead.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 89. Actress Joan Plowright is 87. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 80. Actress Jane Alexander is 77. Actor Dennis Franz is 72. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 71. Actress Telma Hopkins is 68. Olympic track and field gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner is 67. Actress Annie Potts is 64. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 61. The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is 60. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 59. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 58. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 58. Actor Mark Derwin is 56. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 54. Actress Lauren Holly is 53. Talk show host-comedian-actress Sheryl Underwood is 53. Actress Jami Gertz is 51. Actor Chris Bauer is 50. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 50. Actress Julia Roberts is 49. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 48. Actor Jeremy Davies is 47. Singer Ben Harper is 47. Country singer Brad Paisley is 44. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 42. Singer Justin Guarini (TV: "American Idol") is 38. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 37. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T's) is 37. Actor Charlie Semine is 36. Actor Finn Wittrock is 32. Actress Troian Bellisario is 31. Singer/rapper Frank Ocean is 29. Actor Nolan Gould is 18.

Thought for Today: "Next to excellence is the appreciation of it." -- William Makepeace Thackeray, British author (1811-1863).