Today in history - Oct. 14


The Associated Press


Today is Saturday, Oct. 14, the 287th day of 2006. 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 X-1 rocket plane over Edwards Air Force Base 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 the First. (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 1964, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1981, the new president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in to succeed the assassinated Anwar Sadat. Mubarak pledged loyalty to Sadat's policies.

In 1986, Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate Elie Wiesel was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ten years ago: Archer Daniels Midland Co. said it would plead guilty to two charges and pay $100 million dollars to settle a federal price-fixing case. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 6,000 for the first time, ending the day at 6,010. Madonna gave birth to a daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.

Five years ago: As U.S. jets opened a second week of raids in Afghanistan, President Bush sternly rejected a Taliban offer to discuss handing over Osama bin Laden to a third country, saying, "They must have not heard. There's no negotiations."

One year ago: The Treasury Department reported that the federal deficit hit $319 billion for the budget year just ended, down from the previous year, but still the third highest. Blond, blue-eyed British actor Daniel Craig was named the new James Bond.

Today's Birthdays: Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is 90. Actor Roger Moore is 79. Movie director Carroll Ballard is 69. Former White House counsel John W. Dean III is 68. Country singer Melba Montgomery is 68. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren is 67. Singer Cliff Richard is 66. Actor Udo Kier is 62. Singer-musician Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues) is 60. Actor Harry Anderson is 54. Actor Greg Evigan is 53. TV personality Arleen Sorkin is 50. Golf Hall-of-Famer Beth Daniel is 50. Singer-musician Thomas Dolby is 48. Singer Karyn White is 41. Actor Jon Seda is 36. Country musician Doug Virden is 36. Country singer Natalie Maines (The Dixie Chicks) is 32. Actress-singer Shaznay Lewis (All Saints) is 31. Singer Usher is 28. Actor Jordan Brower is 25.

Thought for Today: "To be nobody-but-myself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." — E.E. Cummings, American poet, (1894-1962).

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