Today is Saturday, Oct. 19, the 293rd day of 2024. There are 73 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On Oct. 19, 2005, Saddam Hussein was put on trial by the Iraqi Interim Government, accused of crimes against humanity.
Also on this date:
In 1781, British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end.
In 1914, the First Battle of Ypres began in World War I.
In 1960, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a sit-down protest at a lunch counter in Atlanta.
In 1977, the supersonic Concorde made its first landing in New York City, flying from Toulouse, France, in three hours and 44 minutes.
In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6% in value (its largest daily percentage loss ever), to close at 1,738.74 on what came to be known as “Black Monday.”
In 2003, Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa during a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.
In 2016, in the third and final 2016 presidential debate, Republican Donald Trump refused to say he would accept the results of the election if he were to lose.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Artist Peter Max is 87.
- Actor John Lithgow (LIHTH’-goh) is 79.
- Fox News host Steve Doocy is 68.
- Singer Jennifer Holliday is 64.
- Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield is 62.
- “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” host Ty Pennington is 60.
- Filmmaker Jon Favreau is 58.
- Former first daughter Amy Carter is 57.
- “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker is 55.
- Comedian Chris Kattan is 54.
- Musician Pras Michel (Fugees) is 52.
- Filmmaker Jason Reitman is 47.
- Actor Gillian Jacobs is 42.
- Actor Rebecca Ferguson is 41.