Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Oct. 6, the 279th day of 2018. There are 86 days left in the year.

On Oct. 6, 1979, Pope John Paul II, on a week-long U.S. tour, became the first pontiff to visit the White House, where he was received by President Jimmy Carter.

On this date:

In 1683, thirteen families from Krefeld, Germany, arrived in Philadelphia to begin Germantown, one of America's oldest settlements.

In 1892, British poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson died in Surrey, England, at age 83.

In 1927, the era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson, a feature containing both silent and sound-synchronized sequences.

In 1928, Chiang Kai-shek became president of China.

In 1939, in a speech to the Reichstag, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler spoke of his plans to reorder the ethnic layout of Europe -- a plan which would entail settling the "Jewish problem."

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the Mutual Defense Assistance Act, providing $1.3 billion in military aid to NATO countries.

In 1958, the nuclear submarine USS Seawolf surfaced after spending 60 days submerged.

In 1973, war erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Yom Kippur holiday. (Israel, initially caught off guard, managed to push back the Arab forces before a cease-fire finally took hold in the nearly three-week conflict.)

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford, in his second presidential debate with Democrat Jimmy Carter, asserted that there was "no Soviet domination of eastern Europe." (Ford later conceded such was not the case.)

In 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by extremists while reviewing a military parade.

In 1983, Cardinal Terence Cooke, the spiritual head of the Archdiocese of New York, died at age 62.

In 1989, actress Bette Davis died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, at age 81.

Ten years ago: As Wall Street reeled and global markets plunged, President George W. Bush said the U.S. economy was going to be "just fine" in the long run, but cautioned that the massive rescue plan would take time to work. The Dow industrial average dropped to 9,955, its first close below 10,000 since 2004. Germany's Harald zur Hausen and French researchers Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in medicine.

Five years ago: International disarmament experts began dismantling and destroying Syria's chemical weapons arsenal and the equipment used to produce it. At least 51 people were killed in Egypt when security forces and Islamist protesters clashed during a national holiday. Tiger Woods beat Richard Sterne, 1 up, to give the Americans the 18 points they needed to win the Presidents Cup for the fifth straight time.

One year ago: The board of directors of The Weinstein Co. said movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was on indefinite leave from the company he founded amid an internal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a grassroots effort aimed at pressuring the world's nuclear powers to give up those weapons, won the Nobel Peace Prize. The NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, the first major pro sports franchise in Las Vegas, played their first regular-season game in Dallas five days after the shooting that left 58 people dead in Las Vegas; the team would go on to reach the Stanley Cup finals in its first season.

Today's Birthdays: Broadcaster and writer Melvyn Bragg is 79. Actress Britt Ekland is 76. Singer Millie Small is 72. The president of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, is 70. Singer-musician Thomas McClary is 69. Musician Sid McGinnis is 69. Former CBS chief executive officer Les Moonves is 69. Rock singer Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon) is 67. Rock singer-musician David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) is 64. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy is 63. Actress Elisabeth Shue is 55. Singer Matthew Sweet is 54. Actress Jacqueline Obradors is 52. Country singer Tim Rushlow is 52. Rock musician Tommy Stinson is 52. Actress Amy Jo Johnson is 48. Actress Emily Mortimer is 47. Actor Lamman Rucker is 47. Actor Ioan Gruffudd is 45. Actor Jeremy Sisto is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Melinda Doolittle is 41. Actor Wes Ramsey is 41. Singer-musician Will Butler is 36. Actress Stefanie Martini is 28.

Thought for Today: "Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom." -- Author unknown.