Today in History

Associated Press

Northern Alliance fighters take a rest about 500 meters from the Taliban positions north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. (AP Photo/ Alexander Merkushev)
Northern Alliance fighters take a rest about 500 meters from the Taliban positions north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. (AP Photo/ Alexander Merkushev)

On Oct. 7, 2001, the United States and Britain launched air strikes against Taliban positions and Osama bin Laden’s training camps in Afghanistan; bin Laden praised God for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a videotaped statement aired on the Arabic satellite station Al-Jazeera.

1765- The Stamp Act Congress convened in New York to draw up colonial grievances against England.
1849- Author Edgar Allan Poe died at age 40.
1868- Cornell University was inaugurated in Ithaca, N.Y.
1879- Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky was born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein in Yanovka, Ukraine.
1949- The Republic of East Germany was formed.
1954- Marian Anderson became the first black singer hired by New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
1963- President John F. Kennedy signed the documents of ratification for a nuclear test ban treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union.
1968- The Motion Picture Association of America adopted a film-rating system.
1981- Egypt’s parliament named Vice President Hosni Mubarak to succeed the assassinated Anwar Sadat.
1982- The musical “Cats” opened on Broadway, beginning its record run of 7,485 performances.
1985- Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean with more than 400 people aboard.
1996- Fox News Channel made its debut.
1998- Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post outside Laramie, Wyo.; he died five days later.
2001- Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants wrapped up his record-breaking season with his 73rd home run.
2003- California voters recalled Gov. Gray Davis and elected actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him.
2006- Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who had chronicled Russian military abuses against civilians in Chechnya, was found shot to death in Moscow.
2008- The Federal Reserve annouced a radical plan to buy massive amounts of short-term debt, known as commercial paper, to get credit markets moving again.

Today’s Birthdays:
TV personality Simon Cowell (“American Idol”) turns 56 years old today.
Desmond Tutu, Archbishop, Nobel Peace Prize winner, 84
Oliver North, Former National Security Council aide, 72
John Mellencamp, Rock singer, musician, 64
Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist, 60
Dylan Baker, Actor, 57
Toni Braxton, R&B singer, 48
Taylor Hicks, Singer (“American Idol”), 39
Charles Woodson, Football player, 39
Evan Longoria, Baseball player, 30
Comedian, TV host Joy Behar (“The View”) turns 73 years old today.

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