Today is Saturday, Oct. 28, the 301st day of 2006. There are 64 days left in the year. A reminder: Daylight-saving Time ends Sunday at 2 a.m. locally. Clocks move back one hour.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Cleveland.
On this date:
In 1776, the Battle of White Plains was fought during the Revolutionary War, resulting in a limited British victory.
In 1893, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducted the first public performance of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathetique”) in St. Petersburg, Russia, just nine days before his death.
In 1919, Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Wilson’s veto.
In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.
In 1936, President 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.
In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a decree absolving Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
In 1986, the true centennial of the Statue of Liberty was celebrated in New York with ceremonies that were modest compared with the hoopla of “Liberty Weekend” the previous July.
Ten years ago: Richard Jewell, cleared of committing the Olympic park bombing, held a news conference in Atlanta in which he thanked his mother for standing by him and lashed out at reporters and investigators who had depicted him as the bomber. Comedian Morey Amsterdam died in Los Angeles at age 81.
Five years ago: The families of people killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack gathered in New York for a memorial service filled with prayer and song. Gunmen killed 16 people in a church in Behawalpur, Pakistan. United Airlines replaced embattled chairman and chief executive James Goodwin with board member John Creighton. The Arizona Diamondbacks gained a 2-0 lead in the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees 4-0.
One year ago: Vice President Dick Cheney’s top adviser, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, resigned after he was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation. More than a million demonstrators flooded the streets of Tehran and other major cities in Iran to back President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for the destruction of Israel.
Today’s Birthdays: Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn is 80. Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 79. Actress Joan Plowright is 77. Musician-songwriter Charlie Daniels is 70. Actress Jane Alexander is 67. Singer Curtis Lee is 65. Actor Dennis Franz is 62. Pop singer Wayne Fontana is 61. Actress Telma Hopkins is 58. Olympic track and field gold medalist Bruce Jenner is 57. Actress Annie Potts is 54. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is 51. Rock musician Stephen Morris (New Order) is 49. Country singer-musician Ron Hemby (The Buffalo Club) is 48. Rock singer-musician William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) is 48. Actor Mark Derwin is 46. Actress Daphne Zuniga is 44. Actress Lauren Holly is 43. Olympic silver medal figure skater Paul Wylie is 42. Actress Jami Gertz is 41. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 40. Actress Julia Roberts is 39. Country singer-musician Caitlin Cary is 38. Actor Jeremy Davies is 37. Singer Ben Harper is 37. Country singer Brad Paisley is 34. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 32. Singer Justin Guarini (“American Idol”) is 28.
Thought for Today: “Don’t forget to love yourself.” — Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813-1855).