Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2021. There are 73 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 19, 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.

On this date:

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

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

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 1960, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a sit-down protest at a lunch counter in Atlanta. (Sent to prison for a parole violation over a traffic offense, King was released after three days following an appeal by Robert F. Kennedy.)

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

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 2002, in York, Pa., former mayor Charlie Robertson was acquitted and two other men were convicted in the shotgun slaying of Lillie Belle Allen, a young Black woman, during race riots that tore the city apart in 1969.

In 2003, Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square.

In 2010, the Pentagon directed the military to accept openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation's history.

In 2015, Canadians voted for a sharp change in their government as the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau, the son of a former prime minister, won a landslide victory to end Conservative Stephen Harper's near decade in office.

Ten years ago: Authorities in the Zanesville, Ohio, area wound down their hunt for wild animals unleashed by a private farm owner who'd taken his own life; sheriff's deputies shot and killed a total of 48 animals. In Greece, hundreds of youths smashed and looted stores in central Athens and clashed with riot police during a massive anti-government rally against painful new austerity measures.

Five years ago: In the third and final 2016 presidential debate, Republican Donald Trump stunned the forum in Las Vegas by refusing to say he would accept the results of the election if he were to lose; Democrat Hillary Clinton declared Trump's resistance "horrifying."

One year ago: Floridians began early voting in much of the state with no serious problems reported as the Trump campaign tried to cut into an early advantage Democrats had posted in mail-in votes in the key swing state. President Donald Trump told campaign staffers that people were tired of hearing from Dr. Anthony Fauci "and all these idiots" about the coronavirus; he called Fauci "a disaster." Health officials in northwestern Kansas said 10 residents of a nursing home had died of the coronavirus and that all 62 residents of the nursing home and an unspecified number of employees had tested positive. British guitarist and bandleader Spencer Davis, whose eponymous rock group had 1960s hits including "Gimme Some Lovin"' and "I'm a Man," died at the age of 81.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Tony Lo Bianco is 85. Artist Peter Max is 84. Author and critic Renata Adler is 84. Actor Michael Gambon is 81. Actor John Lithgow is 76. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 76. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 76. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 73. Actor Annie Golden is 70. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 69. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 64. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 63. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 61. Retired boxer Evander Holyfield is 59. Host Ty Pennington (TV: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 57. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 56. Actor Jon Favreau is 55. Amy Carter is 54. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 52. Comedian Chris Kattan is 51. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 49. Actor Omar Gooding is 45. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 45. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 44. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 41. Actor Gillian Jacobs is 39. Actor Rebecca Ferguson is 38. Rock singer Zac Barnett (American Authors) is 35. Singer-actor Ciara Renee (TV: "Legends of Tomorrow") is 31. Actor Hunter King is 28.