Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 29, the 302nd day of 2019. There are 63 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy slammed ashore in New Jersey and slowly marched inland, devastating coastal communities and causing widespread power outages; the storm and its aftermath were blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S.

On this date:

In 1787, the opera "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had its world premiere in Prague.

In 1901, President William McKinley's assassin, Leon Czolgosz, was electrocuted.

In 1911, Hungarian-born American newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer, 64, died in Charleston, S.C.

In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed.

In 1929, "Black Tuesday" descended upon the New York Stock Exchange. Prices collapsed amid panic selling and thousands of investors were wiped out as America's "Great Depression" began.

In 1956, during the Suez Canal crisis, Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" premiered as NBC's nightly television newscast.

In 1957, former MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer died in Los Angeles at age 75.

In 1960, a chartered plane carrying the California Polytechnic State University football team crashed on takeoff from Toledo, Ohio, killing 22 of the 48 people on board.

In 1967, Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, closed after six months.

In 1987, following the confirmation defeat of Robert H. Bork to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Ronald Reagan announced his choice of Douglas H. Ginsburg, a nomination that fell apart over revelations of Ginsburg's previous marijuana use. Jazz great Woody Herman died in Los Angeles at age 74.

In 1998, Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, roared back into space aboard the shuttle Discovery, retracing the trail he'd blazed for America's astronauts 36 years earlier.

In 2017, all but 10 members of the Houston Texans took a knee during the national anthem, reacting to a remark from team owner Bob McNair to other NFL owners that "we can't have the inmates running the prison."

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama paid a post-midnight visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor the return of 18 soldiers killed in Afghanistan. A Coast Guard C-130 plane and a Marine Cobra helicopter collided off the Southern California coast, killing seven Coast Guard members and two Marines. Deposed President Manuel Zelaya and his opponents agreed to a U.S.-brokered deal to end the power crisis that had paralyzed Honduras following a coup.

Five years ago: Ordering firm restrictions for U.S. troops returning from West Africa, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the military men and women helping fight Ebola had to undergo 21-day quarantines upon their return -- longer than required for many civilian health care workers. The San Francisco Giants succeeded where no team had in 3 1/2 decades, winning Game 7 on the road for their third World Series title in five years as they defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-2.

One year ago: A new-generation Boeing jet operated by the Indonesian budget airline Lion Air crashed in the Java Sea minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board; it was the first of two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max, causing the plane to be grounded around the world as Boeing worked on software changes to a flight-control system. The Pentagon announced that it was sending thousands of troops to the southwest border, as President Donald Trump stepped up his dire warnings about caravans of Central American migrants moving toward the United States. Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors broke teammate Stephen Curry's record for 3-point shots in one game, nailing 14 of them and scoring 52 points overall in a 149-124 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Today's Birthdays: Bluegrass singer-musician Sonny Osborne (The Osborne Brothers) is 82. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is 81. Country singer Lee Clayton is 77. Rock musician Denny Laine is 75. Singer Melba Moore is 74. Musician Peter Green is 73. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 72. Actress Kate Jackson is 71. Country musician Steve Kellough (Wild Horses) is 63. Actor Dan Castellaneta (TV: "The Simpsons") is 62. Comic strip artist Tom Wilson ("Ziggy") is 62. Actress Finola Hughes is 60. Singer Randy Jackson is 58. Rock musician Peter Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 54. Actress Joely Fisher is 52. Rapper Paris is 52. Actor Rufus Sewell is 52. Actor Grayson McCouch is 51. Rock singer SA Martinez (311) is 50. Actress Winona Ryder is 48. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross is 47. Actress Gabrielle Union is 47. Actor Trevor Lissauer is 46. Olympic gold medal bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is 46. Actress Milena Govich is 43. Actor Jon Abrahams is 42. Actor Brendan Fehr is 42. Actor Ben Foster is 39. Rock musician Chris Baio (Vampire Weekend) is 35. Actress Janet Montgomery is 34. Actress India Eisley is 26.

Thought for Today: "Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."-- Joseph Pulitzer, American newspaper publisher (born 1847, died this date in 1911).

Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.