Tuesday, October 20th
The 293rd day of 2009.
There are 72 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Oct. 20, 1973, in the so-called Saturday Night Massacre, President Nixon abolished the office of special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox, accepted the resignation of Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and fired Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus. (Go to article.)
On Oct. 20, 1859, John Dewey, the influential American philosopher, was born. Following his death on June 1, 1952, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On October 20, 1888, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Andrew Carnegie and business consolidation. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1803 The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.
1931 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla.
1944 Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return."
1947 The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence in the motion picture industry.
1964 Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, died at age 90 in New York City.
1967 Seven of 18 defendants were convicted in Mississippi of violating the civil rights of three young men who were murdered while trying to help blacks register to vote in 1964.
1968 Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
1977 Three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Miss.
1979 The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated in Boston.
1992 In the first World Series game to be played outside the United States, the host Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.
2000 Egyptian-born Ali Mohamed, a U.S. citizen who'd served in the Army, pleaded guilty in New York to helping plan the deadly U.S. embassy bombings in Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
2004 A U.S. Army staff sergeant, Ivan "Chip" Frederick, pleaded guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. (He was sentenced to eight years in prison.)
Current Birthdays
Snoop Dogg turns 38 years old today.
AP Photo/Robert Kenney Rapper Snoop Dogg turns 38 years old today.
77 William Christopher
Actor ("M.A.S.H.")
72 Wanda Jackson
Rockabilly singer
72 Juan Marichal
Baseball Hall of Famer
63 Elfriede Jelinek
Nobel Prize-winning author
59 Tom Petty
Rock singer, musician
57 Melanie Mayron
Actress
57 William "Rusty" Russ
Actpr
54 Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. senator, D-R.I.
52 Hilda Solis
Secretary of labor
51 Viggo Mortensen
Actor
45 David Ryan
Rock musician
45 Jim Sonefeld
Rock musician (Hootie & The Blowfish)
42 Doug Eldridge
Rock musician (Oleander)
38 Dannii Minogue
Rock singer
33 Jeff Loberg
Country musician
30 John Krasinski
Actor ("The Office")
24 Jennifer Nicole Freeman
Actress ("My Wife and Kids")
Historic Birthdays
John Dewey
10/20/1859 - 6/1/1952
American philosopher
(Go to obit.)
89 Andrea Della Robbia
10/20/1435 - 8/4/1525
Italian sculptor
90 Sir Christopher Wren
10/20/1632 - 2/25/1723
English architect
88 Daniel Sickles
10/20/1825 - 5/3/1914
American politician, soldier, diplomat
37 Arthur Rimbaud
10/20/1854 - 11/10/1891
French poet
79 Charles Edward Ives
10/20/1874 - 5/19/1954
American composer
71 Bela Lugosi
10/20/1882 - 8/16/1956
Hungarian actor
82 Sir James Chadwick
10/20/1891 - 7/24/1974
English physicist
81 Dame Anna Neagle
10/20/1904 - 6/3/1986
English actress and dancer
63 Mickey Mantle
10/20/1931 - 8/13/1995
American professional baseball player
47 Lewis Grizzard
10/20/1946 - 3/20/1994
American columnist
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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