Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2017. There are 64 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Oct. 28, 1726, the original edition of “Gulliver’s Travels,” a satirical novel by Jonathan Swift, was first published in London.

On this date:

In 1636, the General Court of Massachusetts passed a legislative act establishing Harvard College.

In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought during the Revolutionary War, resulting in a limited British victory.

In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

In 1914, Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip, whose assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, sparked World War I, was sentenced in Sarajevo to 20 years’ imprisonment. (He died in 1918.)

In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.

In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War II.

In 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected Pope; he took the name John XXIII. The Samuel Beckett play “Krapp’s Last Tape” premiered in London.

In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of missile bases in Cuba; in return, the U.S. secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from U.S. installations in Turkey.

In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions which, among other things, absolved Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In 1976, former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman entered a federal prison camp in Safford, Arizona, to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions (he was released in April 1978).

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.

In 1991, what became known as “The Perfect Storm” began forming hundreds of miles east of Nova Scotia; lost at sea during the storm were the six crew members of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Ten years ago: Stacy Peterson, the 23-year-old fourth wife of police sergeant Drew Peterson, went missing in suburban Chicago. (Her fate has never been determined; Drew Peterson was convicted in Sept. 2012 of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio (SAH’-vee-oh).) Fire ravaged a North Carolina beach house, killing seven college students. Argentina’s first lady, Cristina Fernandez, claimed victory in the country’s presidential election; she became the first woman elected to the post. The Boston Red Sox swept to their second World Series title in four years with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4. Country star Porter Wagoner, 80, died in Nashville.

Five years ago: Airlines canceled more than 7,000 flights in advance of Hurricane Sandy, transit systems in New York, Philadelphia and Washington were shut down, and forecasters warned the New York area could see an 11-foot wall of water. President Barrack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney altered their campaign travel plans because of the approaching superstorm. The San Francisco Giants won their second World Series title in three years, beating the Detroit Tigers 4-3 in 10 innings to complete a four-game sweep.

One year ago: The FBI dropped what amounted to a political bomb on the Clinton campaign when it announced it was investigating whether emails on a device belonging to disgraced ex-congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of Clinton’s closest aides, Huma Abedin, might contain classified information. The Cleveland Indians held off the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for a 2-1 lead as the World Series returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since 1945.

Today’s Birthdays: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 90. Actress Joan Plowright is 88. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 81. Actress Jane Alexander is 78. Actor Dennis Franz is 73. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 72. Actress Telma Hopkins is 69. Olympic track and field gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner is 68. Actress Annie Potts is 65. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is 62. The former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (ah-muh-DEE’-neh-zhahd), is 61. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 60. Country/gospel singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 59. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 59. Actor Mark Derwin is 57. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 55. Actress Lauren Holly is 54. Talk show host-comedian-actress Sheryl Underwood is 54. Actress Jami Gertz is 52. Actor Chris Bauer is 51. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 51. Actress Julia Roberts is 50. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 49. Actor Jeremy Davies is 48. Singer Ben Harper is 48. Country singer Brad Paisley is 45. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 43. Singer Justin Guarini (TV: “American Idol”) is 39. Pop singer Brett Dennen is 38. Rock musician Dave Tirio (Plain White T’s) is 38. Actor Charlie Semine is 37. Actor Matt Smith is 35. Actor Finn Wittrock is 33. Actress Troian Bellisario is 32. Singer/rapper Frank Ocean is 30. Actress Lexi Ainsworth (TV: “General Hospital”) is 25. Actor Nolan Gould is 19.

Thought for Today: “I prefer liberty with danger than peace with slavery.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-born French philosopher (1712-1778).