AP News, October 14th, 2007
Today is Sunday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2007. There are 78 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Oct. 14, 1947, Air Force test pilot Charles E. ("Chuck") Yeager broke the sound barrier as he flew the experimental Bell XS-1 (later X-1) rocket plane over Muroc Dry Lake in California.
On this date:
In 1066, Normans under William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.
In 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, went on trial in England, accused of committing treason against Queen Elizabeth I. (Mary was beheaded in February 1587.)
In 1806, the forces of French Emperor Napoleon I defeated the Prussians in the twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt.
In 1890, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, was born in Denison, Texas.
In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning for the presidency, was shot in the chest in Milwaukee. Despite the wound, he went ahead with a scheduled speech.
In 1944, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide rather than face execution for allegedly conspiring against Adolf Hitler.
In 1960, the idea of a Peace Corps was first suggested by Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy to an audience of students at the University of Michigan.
In 1968, the first successful live telecast from a manned U.S. spacecraft was transmitted from Apollo 7.
In 1977, singer Bing Crosby died outside Madrid, Spain, at age 73.
In 1987, a real-life drama began in Midland, Texas, as 18-month-old Jessica McClure slid 22 feet down an abandoned well at a private day care center. (Hundreds of rescuers worked 58 hours to free her.)
Ten years ago: The Nobel Prize in economics went to Americans Robert C. Merton and Myron S. Scholes for their work on derivatives. Novelist Harold Robbins died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 81. The Florida Marlins won the National League championship, defeating the Atlanta Braves 7-4 in Game 6.
Five years ago: Another shooting linked to the Washington-area sniper attacks: FBI analyst Linda Franklin was killed in a mall parking lot in Falls Church, Va. President Bush called recent attacks in Kuwait, Indonesia and Yemen part of a grim pattern of terror, and said, "We've got a long way to go" to defeat Osama bin Laden's global network. The San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 to win the National League Championship Series in five games.
One year ago: The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea for carrying out a nuclear test. Michael and Sandra Bentler were shot to death along with their three daughters at their southeast Iowa home; Shawn Bentler, the couple's son, was convicted of killing his family. The Detroit Tigers swept the American League championship with a 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. A sideline-clearing brawl interrupted the third quarter of Miami's 35-0 victory over Florida International. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, died in Boston at age 69; singer Freddy Fender died in Corpus Christi, Texas, at age 69.
Today's Birthdays: Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is 91. Actor Roger Moore is 80. Movie director Carroll Ballard is 70. Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 69. Country singer Melba Montgomery is 69. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 68. Singer Cliff Richard is 67. Actor Udo Kier is 63. Singer-musician Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) is 61. Actor Harry Anderson is 55. Actor Greg Evigan is 54. TV personality Arleen Sorkin is 51. Golf Hall-of-Famer Beth Daniel is 51. Singer-musician Thomas Dolby is 49. Singer Karyn White is 42. Actor Jon Seda is 37. Country musician Doug Virden is 37. Country singer Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks) is 33. Actress-singer Shaznay Lewis (All Saints) is 32. Singer Usher is 29. Actor Jordan Brower is 26.
Thought for Today: "It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness." — Leo Tolstoy, Russian author (1828-1910).
