Today in History

Today is Friday, Oct. 22, the 295th day of 2021. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 22, 2014, 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.

On this date:

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

In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

In 1906, French post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne died in Aix-en-Provence at age 67.

In 1926, Ernest Hemingway's first novel, "The Sun Also Rises," was published by Scribner's of New York.

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 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.

In 1968, Apollo 7 returned safely from Earth orbit, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

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

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

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

In 2015, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton battled Republican questions in a marathon hearing that revealed little new information about the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

Ten years ago: The Obama administration pulled U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford from Syria amid what were termed "credible threats against his personal safety." The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud, died in New York. (He was succeeded as crown prince by his half-brother, Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, who died in June 2012; Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz was then named the new heir to the throne.) Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal easily coasted to a second term in a landslide election.

Five years ago: Republican Donald Trump vowed to sue every woman who accused him of sexual assault or other inappropriate behavior, calling them "liars" whose allegations he blamed Democrats for orchestrating. The Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.

One year ago: In the closing debate of the presidential campaign, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden clashed over how to tame the raging coronavirus; Trump declared that the virus would "go away," while Biden countered that the nation was heading toward a "dark winter." U.S. regulators approved the first drug to treat COVID-19; remdesivir (rehm-DEH'-sih-veer), an antiviral medicine given to hospitalized patients through an IV, had been authorized for use on an emergency basis since spring. Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans advanced Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate; Democratic senators boycotted the vote in protest of the GOP's rush to install Trump's nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Macy's said Santa Claus wouldn't be greeting kids at its flagship New York store due to the coronavirus, interrupting a holiday tradition started nearly 160 years ago.

Today's Birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 85. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 83. Actor Derek Jacobi is 83. Actor Tony Roberts is 82. Movie director Jan de Bont is 78. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 78. Rock singer/musician Eddie Brigati is 76. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is 74. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 69. Rock musician Greg Hawkes is 69. Movie director Bill Condon is 66. Actor Luis Guzman is 65. Actor-writer-producer Todd Graff is 62. Rock musician Cris Kirkwood is 61. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 59. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 58. Christian singer TobyMac is 57. Singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding (Wesley Stace) is 56. Actor Valeria Golino is 55. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 54. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 53. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 53. Movie director Spike Jonze is 52. Rapper Tracey Lee is 51. Actor Saffron Burrows is 49. Actor Carmen Ejogo is 48. Former MLB player Ichiro Suzuki is 48. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 46. Christian rock singer-musician Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) is 45. Actor Michael Fishman is 40. Talk show host Michael Essany is 39. New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano is 39. Rock musician Rickard Goransson (Carolina Liar) is 38. Rock musician Zac Hanson (Hanson) is 36. Actor Corey Hawkins is 33. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 31. Actor Sofia Vassilieva is 29. Actor Elias Harger is 14.