Sunday, October 11th
The 284th day of 2009.
There are 81 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Oct. 11, 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard. (Go to article.)
On Oct. 11, 1884, Eleanor Roosevelt, the American first lady, social reformer, diplomat and author, was born. Following her death on Nov. 7, 1962, her obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On October 11, 1873, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about the response of the Grant administration to the economic panic of 1873. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1776 The first naval battle of Lake Champlain was fought during the American Revolution.
1811 The first steam-powered ferryboat, the Juliana, was put into operation between New York City and Hoboken, N.J.
1884 First lady Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City.
1890 The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in Washington, D.C.
1958 The lunar probe Pioneer 1 was launched; it failed to go as far as planned, fell back to Earth and burned up in the atmosphere.
1962 Pope John XXIII convened the first session of the Roman Catholic Church's 21st Ecumenical Council, better known as Vatican II.
1975 The sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" debuted on NBC.
1984 Space shuttle Challenger astronaut Kathy Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space.
1986 President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened two days of talks concerning arms control and human rights in Reykjavik, Iceland.
1991 Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her; Thomas reappeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a "high-tech lynching."
1998 Pope John Paul II canonized the first Jewish-born saint of the modern era: Edith Stein, a Catholic nun killed at Auschwitz.
2002 The Senate joined the House in approving 77-23 the use of America's military might against Iraq.
2002 Former President Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Current Birthdays
Emily Deschanel turns 33 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer Actress Emily Deschanel ("Bones") turns 33 years old today.
84 Elmore Leonard
Author
83 Earle Hyman
Actor
82 William Perry
Former defense secretary
72 Ron Leibman
Actor
66 Gene Watson
Country singer
59 Catlin Adams
Actress, director
59 Patty Murray
U.S. senator, D-Wash.
59 Andrew Woolfolk
R&B musician (Earth, Wind and Fire)
58 Paulette Carlson
Country singer
56 David Morse
Actor
53 Stephen Spinella
Actor ("24")
48 Steve Young
Football Hall of Famer
47 Joan Cusack
Actress
47 Scott Johnson
Rock musician (Gin Blossoms)
45 Michael J. Nelson
TV writer, host ("Mystery Science Theater 3000")
44 Sean Patrick Flanery
Actor
44 Orlando Hernandez
Baseball player
43 Luke Perry
Actor ("Beverly Hills 90210")
43 Todd Snider
Folk singer, songwriter
42 Artie Lange
Actor, comedian ("MADtv")
41 Jane Krakowski
Actress ("30 Rock")
39 U-God
Rapper (Wu-Tang Clan)
38 MC Lyte
Rapper
34 NeeNa Lee
R&B singer
24 Michelle Trachtenberg
Actress ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
Historic Birthdays
Eleanor Roosevelt
10/11/1884 - 11/7/1962
American First Lady (1933-44), diplomat and social reformer
(Go to obit.)
64 James Barry
10/11/1741 - 2/22/1806
Irish painter
62 John Thadeus Delane
10/11/1817 - 11/22/1879
British editor
73 Harlan Fisk Stone
10/11/1872 - 4/22/1946
American jurist; associate justice (1925-41) and chief justice (1941-6) of U.S. Supreme Court
84 Francois Mauriac
10/11/1885 - 9/1/1970
French writer
68 Charles Revson
10/11/1906 - 8/24/1975
American business entrepeneur; founded Revlon cosmetics line
78 Joseph W. Alsop Jr.
10/11/1910 - 8/28/1989
American journalist
79 Jerome Robbins
10/11/1918 - 7/29/1998
American choreographer
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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