Today is Saturday, Oct. 27, the 300th day of 2018. There are 65 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 27, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (men-AH’-kem BAY’-gihn) were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
On this date:
In 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the United States Constitution, was published.
In 1795, the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo (also known as “Pinckney’s Treaty”), which provided for free navigation of the Mississippi River.
In 1858, the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was born in New York City.
In 1904, the first rapid transit subway, the IRT, was inaugurated in New York City.
In 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: “nylon.”
In 1947, “You Bet Your Life,” a comedy quiz show starring Groucho Marx, premiered on ABC Radio. (It later became a television show on NBC.)
In 1954, U.S. Air Force Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was promoted to brigadier general, the first black officer to achieve that rank in the USAF. Walt Disney’s first television program, titled “Disneyland” after the yet-to-be completed theme park, premiered on ABC.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down while flying over Cuba, killing the pilot, U.S. Air Force Maj. Rudolf Anderson Jr.
In 1992, Petty Officer Allen Schindler, a gay U.S. Navy sailor, was beaten to death near Sasebo Naval Base in southwestern Japan by shipmate Terry Helvey, who pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch cut through the western Caribbean, pummeling coastal Honduras and Belize; the storm caused several thousand deaths in Central America in the days that followed.
In 2002, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (loo-EEZ’ ee-NAH’-cee-oh LOO’-luh duh SEEL’-vuh) was elected president of Brazil in a runoff, becoming the country’s first elected leftist leader.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4, 3-0.
Ten years ago: Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was convicted in Washington of seven corruption charges for lying about free home renovations and other gifts from a wealthy oil contractor. (A judge later dismissed the case, saying prosecutors had withheld evidence that might have been favorable to Stevens at trial.) Umpires halted play in Game 5 of the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays tied at 2 because of rain. (The game was completed two days later, at which time the Phillies beat the Rays 4-3 to win the Series.)
Five years ago: The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 to tie the World Series at two games apiece; the game finished with a pickoff play, a first in postseason history. Lou Reed, 71, who radically challenged rock’s founding promise of good times and public celebration as leader of the Velvet Underground and a solo artist and was a founder of indie rock, died in Southampton, New York.
One year ago: Spain fired Catalonia’s regional government and dissolved its parliament, after a Catalan declaration of independence that flouted the country’s constitution. Golfer Tiger Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving, resolving charges from an arrest in which he was found passed out in his car with prescription drugs and marijuana in his system. The White House said federal officials had played no role in selecting a tiny Montana company from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown for a $300 million contract to help restore Puerto Rico’s power grid. Facebook executives said they would verify political ad buyers in federal elections, requiring them to reveal correct names and locations.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-comedian John Cleese is 79. Author Maxine Hong Kingston is 78. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 76. Producer-director Ivan Reitman is 72. Country singer-musician Jack Daniels is 69. Rock musician Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 69. Author Fran Lebowitz is 68. Rock musician K.K. Downing is 67. TV personality Jayne Kennedy is 67. Actor-director Roberto Benigni is 66. Actor Peter Firth is 65. Actor Robert Picardo is 65. World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan is 62. Singer Simon Le Bon is 60. Country musician Jerry Dale McFadden (The Mavericks) is 54. Internet news editor Matt Drudge is 52. Rock musician Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America) is 51. Actor Sean Holland is 50. Actor Channon Roe is 49. Actress Sheeri Rappaport is 41. Actor David Walton is 40. Violinist Vanessa-Mae is 40. Actress-singer Kelly Osbourne is 34. Actress Christine Evangelista is 32. Actor Bryan Craig is 27. Actor Troy Gentile is 25.
Thought for Today: “He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest.” — Dylan Thomas (1914-1953).
