Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Oct. 22, the 296th day of 2016. There are 70 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 22, 1926, Ernest Hemingway's first novel, "The Sun Also Rises," was published by Scribner's of New York.

On this date:

In 1746, Princeton University was first chartered as the College of New Jersey.

In 1797, French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin (gahr-nayr-AN') made the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.

In 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.

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 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.

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. Jane Dornacker, 39, a traffic reporter for New York radio station WNBC-AM, was killed when the helicopter she was riding in plunged into the Hudson River during a live report (pilot William Pate was badly injured, but survived).

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.

In 2014, a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at a war memorial in Ottawa, then stormed the Canadian Parliament before he was shot and killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.

Ten years ago: Senior U.S. diplomat Alberto Fernandez apologized for saying in an al-Jazeera TV interview that U.S. policy in Iraq had displayed "arrogance" and "stupidity." The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 to tie up the World Series 1-1. Actor Arthur Hill died in Los Angeles at age 84.

Five years ago: The Obama administration pulled U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford from Syria amid what were termed "credible threats against his personal safety." The heir to the Saudi throne, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud, died in New York. (He was succeeded as crown prince by his half-brother, Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, who died in June 2012; Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz was then named the new heir to the throne.) Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal easily coasted to a second term in a landslide election. In the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals romped past the Texas Rangers 16-7 for a 2-1 edge. Veteran CBS News correspondent Robert C. Pierpoint died in Santa Barbara, California, at age 86.

One year ago: Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton battled Republican questions in a marathon hearing that revealed little new about the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Acting on word of an "imminent mass execution" by Islamic State militants, dozens of U.S. special operations troops and Iraqi forces raided a northern Iraqi compound, freeing approximately 70 Iraqi prisoners but losing one American service member. A sword-wielding masked man stabbed four people at a school with a large immigrant community in Trollhatan, Sweden, killing a teacher and a student before being shot dead by police. President Barack Obama vetoed a sweeping $612 billion defense policy bill. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., formally declared his candidacy for speaker of the U.S. House. Jazz vocalist Mark Murphy, 83, died in Englewood, New Jersey.

Today's Birthdays: Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 80. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 78. Actor Derek Jacobi is 78. Actor Tony Roberts is 77. Movie director Jan (yahn) de Bont is 73. Actress Catherine Deneuve is 73. Rock musician Leslie West (Mountain) is 71. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is 69. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 64. Rock musician Greg Hawkes is 64. Movie director Bill Condon is 61. Actor Luis Guzman is 59. Actor-writer-producer Todd Graff is 57. Rock musician Cris Kirkwood is 56. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 54. Olympic gold medal figure skater Brian Boitano is 53. Christian singer TobyMac is 52. Singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding is 51. Actress Valeria Golino is 50. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 49. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 48. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 48. Movie director Spike Jonze is 47. Rapper Tracey Lee is 46. Actress Saffron Burrows is 44. Actress Carmen Ejogo is 43. MLB player Ichiro Suzuki is 43. Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson is 41. Christian rock singer-musician Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) is 40. Actor Michael Fishman is 35. Talk show host Michael Essany is 34. Rock musician Rickard (correct) Goransson (Carolina Liar) is 33. Rock musician Zac Hanson (Hanson) is 31. Actor Jonathan Lipnicki is 26. Actress Sofia Vassilieva (vas-ihl-lee-A'-vuh) is 24.

Thought for Today: "Life is easier to take than you'd think; all that is necessary is to accept the impossible, do without the indispensable and bear the intolerable." - Kathleen Norris, American author (1880-1960).