Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2019. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 22, 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a quarantine of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

On this date:

In 1797, French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.

In 1811, composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was born in the Hungarian town of Raiding in present-day Austria.

In 1934, bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.

In 1979, the U.S. government allowed the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment -- a decision that precipitated the Iran hostage crisis.

In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

In 1986, President Reagan signed into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation.

In 1991, the European Community and the European Free Trade Association concluded a landmark accord to create a free trade zone of 19 nations by 1993.

In 1995, the largest gathering of world leaders in history marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

In 1998, the government advised parents to remove the batteries from their kids' "Power Wheels" cars and trucks, made by Fisher-Price, because of faulty wiring that could cause them to erupt into flame.

In 2001, a second Washington, D.C., postal worker, Joseph P. Curseen, died of inhalation anthrax.

In 2002, bus driver Conrad Johnson was shot to death in Aspen Hill, Md., in the final attack carried out by the "Beltway Snipers."

In 2004, in a wrenching videotaped statement, aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Baghdad, begged the British government to help save her by withdrawing its troops from Iraq, saying these "might be my last hours." (Hassan was apparently killed by her captors a month later.)

Ten years ago: Mortars fired by Islamic militants slammed into Somalia's airport as President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed boarded a plane, sparking battles that killed at least 24 people; the president was unhurt. Gunmen kidnapped Gauthier Lefevre, a French staff member working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, in Sudan's western Darfur region. (Lefevre was released in March 2010.) Comedian Soupy Sales died in New York at age 83.

Five years ago: A gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament before he was shot and killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.

One year ago: President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. would start cutting aid to three Central American countries he accused of failing to stop thousands of migrants heading for the U.S. border. A bomb was found in a mailbox at the suburban New York home of liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros; federal agents safely detonated the device after being summoned by a security officer.

Today's Birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 83. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 81. Actor Derek Jacobi is 81. Actor Tony Roberts is 80. Movie director Jan de Bont is 76. Actress Catherine Deneuve is 76. Rock singer/musician Eddie Brigati is 74. Rock musician Leslie West (Mountain) is 74. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is 72. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 67. Rock musician Greg Hawkes is 67. Movie director Bill Condon is 64. Actor Luis Guzman is 63. Actor-writer-producer Todd Graff is 60. Rock musician Cris Kirkwood is 59. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 57. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 56. Christian singer TobyMac is 55. Singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding (Wesley Stace) is 54. Actress Valeria Golino is 53. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 52. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 51. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 51. Movie director Spike Jonze is 50. Rapper Tracey Lee is 49. Actress Saffron Burrows is 47. Actress Carmen Ejogo is 46. Former MLB player Ichiro Suzuki is 46. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 44. Christian rock singer-musician Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) is 43. Actor Michael Fishman is 38. Talk show host Michael Essany is 37. New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano is 37. Rock musician Rickard (correct) Goransson (Carolina Liar) is 36. Rock musician Zac Hanson (Hanson) is 34. Actor Corey Hawkins is 31. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 29. Actress Sofia Vassilieva is 27. Actor Elias Harger is 12.

Thought for Today: "A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." -- Jean de La Fontaine, French poet (1621-1695).

Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.