Today’s Highlight in History: On October 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 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.
In 1883, the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York held its grand opening with a performance of Gounod’s “Faust.”
In 1915, Israeli statesman Yitzhak Shamir was born in Ruzinoy, Poland, in present-day Belarus.
In 1928, Republican presidential nominee Herbert Hoover spoke of the “American system of rugged individualism” in a speech at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
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 1953, the Franco-Lao Treaty of Amity and Association effectively made Laos an independent member of the French Union.
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. French conductor and music teacher Nadia Boulanger died in Paris.
In 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.
In 1986, President Ronald 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.
Ten years ago: Hurricane Wilma punished Mexico’s Caribbean coastline for a second day. Meanwhile, a record 22nd tropical storm of the season formed about 125 miles off the Dominican Republic; because the annual list of storm names had already been exhausted, forecasters called the new system Tropical Storm Alpha. A Nigerian Boeing 737 passenger jet crashed after leaving Lagos, killing all 117 on board. The Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros, 5-3, in Game 1 of the World Series.
Five years ago: WikiLeaks released 391,831 purported Iraq war logs that suggested more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians had died in the conflict. A gang attacked a teenager’s birthday party in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, killing 14 people. The Texas Rangers clinched their first pennant with a 6-1 victory over the defending World Series champion New York Yankees in Game 6 of the AL championship series.
One year ago: In Canada, a gunman shot to death a soldier standing guard at a war memorial, then stormed Parliament in the heart of downtown Ottawa before he was shot and killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms. The Kansas City Royals defeated the San Francisco Giants 7-2 to even the World Series at one game apiece. Serena Williams was routed 6-0, 6-2 by Simona Halep in the round-robin round of the WTA Finals in Singapore.
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