Today in History - Oct. 30

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 30, 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. (The live drama, which employed fake breaking news reports, panicked some listeners who thought the portrayal of a Martian invasion was real.)

On this date:

In 1735, the second president of the United States, JohnAdams, was born in Braintree, Mass.

In 1893, the U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval to repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.

In 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.

In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.

In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.

In 1974, Muhammad Ali regained his world heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."

In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead" a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced his choice of federal appeals judge Shirley Hufstedler to head the newly created Department of Education.

In 1984, police in Poland found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death was blamed on security officers.

In 1989, Mitsubishi Estate Co. announced it was buying 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York. (However, amid a real estate slump, Mitsubishi ended up walking away from its investment in 1995.)

Ten years ago: Fifty-four people were killed in a fire inside a four-story building crowded with weekend shoppers and diners in Incheon, South Korea.

Five years ago: The decapitated body of Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad; the militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi later claimed responsibility. Grateful fans embraced the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, hailing the team as heroes during a jubilant parade. Actress-dancer Peggy Ryan died in Las Vegas at age 80.

One year ago: A federal jury in Miami convicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the first case brought under a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture and atrocities committed overseas. (Charles McArthur Emmanuel was later sentenced to 97 years in prison.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Gautier is 72. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 72. Rock singer Grace Slick is 70. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 70. Actor Ed Lauter is 69. R&B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 68. Actor Henry Winkler is 64. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 63. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 62. Actor Leon Rippy is 60. Actor Harry Hamlin is 58. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 56. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 52. Actor Michael Beach is 46. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 42. Actor Jack Plotnick is 41. Comedian Ben Bailey is 39. Actress Nia Long is 39. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 33. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 31. Actor Matthew Morrison is 31. Actor Shaun Sipos is 28. Actor Tequan Richmond ("Everybody Hates Chris") is 17.

Thought for Today: "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983).

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Oct 29, 2009 - 12:00 p.m. EDT

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