Today in History

Today is Friday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2018. There are 73 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 19, 1789, John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

On this date:

In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end.

In 1864, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early's soldiers attacked Union forces at Cedar Creek, Virginia; the Union troops were able to rally and defeat the Confederates.

In 1944, the U.S. Navy began accepting black women into WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).

In 1950, during the Korean Conflict, United Nations forces entered the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

In 1953, the Ray Bradbury novel "Fahrenheit 451," set in a dystopian future where books are banned and burned by the government, was first published by Ballantine Books.

In 1967, the U.S. space probe Mariner 5 flew past Venus.

In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City.

In 1982, automaker John Z. DeLorean was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, accused of conspiring to sell $24 million of cocaine to salvage his business. (DeLorean was acquitted at trial on grounds of entrapment.)

In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value (its biggest daily percentage loss), to close at 1,738.74 in what came to be known as "Black Monday."

In 1994, 22 people were killed as a terrorist bomb shattered a bus in the heart of Tel Aviv's shopping district.

In 2001, U.S. special forces began operations on the ground in Afghanistan, opening a significant new phase of the assault against the Taliban and al-Qaida.

In 2005, a defiant Saddam Hussein pleaded innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture as his trial opened under heavy security in the former headquarters of his Baath Party in Baghdad.

Ten years ago: Retired Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican who was President George W. Bush's first secretary of state, broke with the party and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president, calling him a "transformational figure" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." The Tampa Bay Rays held off the defending champion Boston Red Sox 3-1 to win the American League championship series in Game 7. Mr. Blackwell, the acerbic designer famous for his annual worst-dressed list of celebrities, died in Los Angeles at age 86.

Five years ago: Nine Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria and two Turkish pilots held hostage in Lebanon returned home as part of an ambitious three-way deal cutting across the Syrian civil war. Shane Victorino's seventh-inning grand slam propelled Boston to a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, clinching the AL championship series in six games. British actor and musician Noel Harrison, who sang the Academy Award-winning ballad "The Windmills of Your Mind," died in Devon, England, at age 79.

One year ago: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House about a month after Hurricane Maria, described the situation in the island territory as "catastrophic"; Trump rated the White House response to the disaster as a "10." Counter-demonstrators greatly outnumbered supporters of white nationalist Richard Spencer, drowning him out as he spoke at the University of Florida. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 11- 1 to reach the World Series for the first time in almost three decades.

Today's Birthdays: Author John le Carre (luh kah-RAY') is 87. Artist Peter Max is 81. Author and critic Renata Adler is 81. Actor Michael Gambon is 78. Actor John Lithgow is 73. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 73. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 73. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 70. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 66. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 61. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 60. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 58. Retired boxer Evander Holyfield is 56. Host Ty Pennington (TV: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 54. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 53. Actor Jon Favreau is 52. Amy Carter is 51. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 49. Comedian Chris Kattan is 48. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 46. Actor Omar Gooding is 42. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 42. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 41. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 38. Actress Gillian Jacobs is 36. Actress Rebecca Ferguson is 35. Rock singer Zac Barnett (American Authors) is 32. Singer-actress Ciara Renee (TV: "Legends of Tomorrow") is 28. Actress Hunter King is 25.

Thought for Today: "If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." -- Hamilton Fish III, American congressman (1888-1991).