Today in History - Oct. 16

Today is Friday, Oct. 16th, the 289th day of 2009. There are 76 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Oct. 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a group of 21 men in a raid on Harpers Ferry in western Virginia, where they seized a U.S. arsenal in hopes of sparking a slave revolt. (In the siege that followed, 10 of Brown’s men were killed and five escaped. Brown and six followers ended up being captured; all were executed.)

On this date:

In 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was beheaded.

In 1909, the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, defeating the Detroit Tigers 8-0 at Bennett Park in Game 7.

In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic, in the New York borough of Brooklyn. (The clinic ended up being raided by police and Sanger was arrested.)

In 1939, the comedy “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, opened on Broadway.

In 1959, American military leader and statesman George C. Marshall died in Washington, D.C., at age 78.

In 1962, the Cuban missile crisis began as President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba.

In 1968, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked controversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving “black power” salutes during a victory ceremony after they’d won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race.

In 1969, the New York Mets capped their miracle season by winning the World Series, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 in Game 5 played at Shea Stadium.

In 1978, the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla be the new pope; he took the name John Paul II.

In 1991, a deadly shooting rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as George Hennard opened fire at a Luby’s Cafeteria, killing 23 people before taking his own life.

Ten years ago: A 7.1-magnitude earthquake in the Mojave Desert shook three states and derailed an Amtrak train, but caused no serious damage or injuries. Hurricane Irene rumbled up the East Coast. A New York Air National Guard plane rescued Dr. Jerri Nielsen from a South Pole research center after she’d spent five months isolated by the Antarctic winter, which forced her to treat herself for a breast lump. Writer and radio raconteur Jean Shepherd died on Sanibel Island, Fla., at age 78.

Five years ago: The Soyuz spacecraft was forced to manually dock with the international space station after it closed in on the station at a dangerously high speed. Pierre Salinger, a journalist who’d served as press secretary in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, died in Le Thon, France, at age 79.

One year ago: A volatile Wall Street pulled off another stunning U-turn, transforming a 380-point loss for the Dow Jones industrial average into a 401-point gain.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Angela Lansbury is 84. Author Gunter Grass is 82. Former presidential adviser Charles W. Colson is 78. Actor-producer Tony Anthony is 72. Actor Barry Corbin is 69. Sportscaster Tim McCarver is 68. Rock musician C.F. Turner (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is 66. Actress Suzanne Somers is 63. Rock singer-musician Bob Weir (The Dead) is 62. Producer-director David Zucker is 62. Record company executive Jim Ed Norman is 61. Actor Daniel Gerroll is 58. Actor Morgan Stevens is 58. Comedian-actor Andy Kindler is 53. Actor-director Tim Robbins is 51. Actor-musician Gary Kemp is 50. Singer-musician Bob Mould is 49. Actor Randy Vasquez is 48. Rock musician Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 47. Actor Todd Stashwick is 41. Jazz musician Roy Hargrove is 40. Actress Terri J. Vaughn is 40. Singer Wendy Wilson (Wilson Phillips) is 40. Rapper B-Rock (B-Rock and the Bizz) is 38. Rock singer Chad Gray (Mudvayne) is 38. Actress Kellie Martin is 34. Singer John Mayer is 32. Actor Jeremy Jackson is 29. Actress Brea Grant (”Heroes”) is 28.

Thought for Today: “What is time? The shadow on the dial, the striking of the clock, the running of the sand, day and night, summer and winter, months, years, centuries — these are but arbitrary and outward signs, the measure of Time, not Time itself. Time is the Life of the soul.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (1807-1882).