Today in History

Today is Thursday, Oct. 3, the 276th day of 2019. There are 89 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day.

On this date:

In 1226, St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died; he was canonized in 1228.

In 1789, President George Washington declared Nov. 26, 1789, a day of Thanksgiving to express gratitude for the creation of the United States of America.

In 1941, Adolf Hitler declared in a speech in Berlin that Russia had been "broken" and would "never rise again." ''The Maltese Falcon" -- the version starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston -- premiered in New York.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Office of Economic Stabilization.

In 1955, "Captain Kangaroo" and "The Mickey Mouse Club" premiered on C-B-S and A-B-C, respectively.

In 1961, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," also starring Mary Tyler Moore, made its debut on CBS.

In 1967, folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, the Dust Bowl Troubadour best known for "This Land Is Your Land," died in New York of complications from Huntington's disease; he was 55.

In 1995, the jury in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles found the former football star not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman (however, Simpson was later found liable for damages in a civil trial).

In 2001, the Senate approved an agreement normalizing trade between the United States and Vietnam.

In 2003, a tiger attacked magician Roy Horn of duo "Siegfried & Roy" during a performance in Las Vegas, leaving the superstar illusionist in critical condition on his 59th birthday.

In 2008, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. (Simpson was later sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison; he was granted parole in July 2017 and released from prison in October of that year.)

In 2017, President Donald Trump, visiting Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, congratulated the U.S. island territory for escaping the higher death toll of what he called "a real catastrophe like Katrina;" at a church used to distribute supplies, Trump handed out flashlights and tossed rolls of paper towels into the friendly crowd.

Ten years ago: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at President Barack Obama's accusation that his country had sought to hide its construction of a new nuclear site, arguing that Tehran reported the facility to the U.N. even earlier than required. Eight U.S. soldiers were killed, 22 wounded, when their outpost in Afghanistan's Nuristan province was attacked by hundreds of militants.

Five years ago: An Internet video was released showing an Islamic State group militant beheading British hostage Alan Henning, the fourth such killing carried out by the extremist group being targeted by U.S.-led airstrikes.

One year ago: The Federal Emergency Management Agency conducted its first-ever national wireless emergency alert test, causing electronic devices across the country to sound, with a message that carried the subject, "Presidential Alert." (Some people got as many as four alerts on their phones, while others didn't get any.) Researches at Columbia University presented evidence that astronomers for the first time may have found a moon outside our solar system, orbiting a planet as big as Jupiter about 8,000 light-years away. Peru's Supreme Court overturned a medical pardon for former President Alberto Fujimori and ordered the 80-year-old to be returned to jail to serve out a long sentence for human rights abuses.

Today's Birthdays: Composer Steve Reich is 83. Rock and roll star Chubby Checker is 78. Actor Alan Rachins is 77. Former Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is 76. Magician Roy Horn is 75. Singer Lindsey Buckingham is 70. Jazz musician Ronnie Laws is 69. Blues singer Keb' Mo' is 68. Former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan is 68. Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield is 68. Baseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is 65. Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton is 65. Actor Hart Bochner is 63. Actor Peter Frechette is 63. World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples is 60. Actor-comedian Greg Proops is 60. Actor Jack Wagner is 60. Actor/musician Marcus Giamatti is 58. Rock musician Tommy Lee is 57. Actor Clive Owen is 55. Actress Janel Moloney is 50. Singer Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) is 50. Pop singer Kevin Richardson is 48. Rock singer G. Love is 47. Actress Keiko Agena is 46. Actress Neve Campbell is 46. Actress Lena Headey is 46. Singer India.Arie is 44. Rapper Talib Kweli is 44. Actress Alanna Ubach is 44. Actor Seann William Scott is 43. Actress Shannyn Sossamon is 41. Rock musician Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 40. Actor Seth Gabel is 38. Rock musician Mark King (Hinder) is 37. Actor Erik Von Detten is 37. Singer-musician Cherrill Green (Edens Edge) is 36. Actress Tessa Thompson is 36. Country singer Drake White is 36. Actress Meagan Holder is 35. Actor Christopher Marquette is 35. Actress-singer Ashlee Simpson is 35. Rapper A$AP Rocky is 31. Actress Alicia Vikander is 31. Actor Noah Schnapp (TV: "Stranger Things") is 15.

Thought for Today: "Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it." -- Woody Guthrie, American folk singer-songwriter (1912-1967).