Today in History

Today is Monday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2017. There are 62 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 30, 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.

On this date:

In 1735 (New Style calendar), the second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts.

In 1864, Helena, Montana, was founded.

In 1921, the silent film classic "The Sheik," starring Rudolph Valentino, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS.

In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.

In 1953, Gen. George C. Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Albert Schweitzer received the Peace Prize for 1952.

In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.

In 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," to regain his world heavyweight title.

In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead" a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.

In 1985, schoolteacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe witnessed the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, the same craft that carried her and six other crew members to their deaths in Jan. 1986.

In 1997, a jury in Cambridge, Massachusetts, convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen. (The judge, Hiller B. Zobel, later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Woodward free.)

In 2002, Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell), a rapper with the hip-hop group Run-DMC, was killed in a shooting in New York; was 37.

Ten years ago: Barack Obama and John Edwards sharply challenged Hillary Rodham Clinton on her candor, consistency and judgment in a televised Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia; Clinton largely shrugged off the remarks and defended her positions. Singer-actor Robert Goulet died at a Los Angeles hospital at age 73.

Five years ago: A weakening Superstorm Sandy inched inland across Pennsylvania, leaving behind it a dazed, inundated New York City, a waterlogged Atlantic Coast and a moonscape of disarray and debris; the New York Stock Exchange was closed for a second day from weather, the first time that had happened since the Great Blizzard of 1888. The Walt Disney Co. announced that it would buy Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion, paving the way for a new "Star Wars" trilogy.

One year ago: The third powerful earthquake to hit Italy in two months spared human life but struck at the nation's cultural identity, destroying a Benedictine cathedral, a medieval tower and other beloved landmarks. The Chicago Cubs held off Cleveland 3-2 in Game 5 of the World Series, cutting the Indians' lead to 3-2.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Claude Lelouch is 80. Rock singer Grace Slick is 78. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 78. Rhythm-and-blues singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 76. Actress Joanna Shimkus is 74. Actor Henry Winkler is 72. Broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell is 71. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 71. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 70. Actor Leon Rippy is 68. Actor Harry Hamlin is 66. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 64. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 63. Actor Kevin Pollak is 60. Rock singer-musician Jerry De Borg (Jesus Jones) is 57. Actor Michael Beach is 54. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 52. Actor Jack Plotnick is 49. Comedian Ben Bailey is 47. Actor Billy Brown is 47. Actress Nia Long is 47. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 41. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 39. Actor Matthew Morrison is 39. Business executive and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump is 36. Actress Fiona Dourif is 36. Actor Shaun Sipos is 36. Actress Janel Parrish is 29. Actor Tequan Richmond is 25.

Thought for Today: "We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves." -- Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983).