Today in history
Today is Saturday, Oct. 13, the 286th day of 2007. There are 79 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 13, 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.
On this date:
In 1775, the U.S. Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.
In 1843, the Jewish organization B’nai B’rith was founded in New York City.
In 1845, Texas voters ratified a state constitution.
In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.
In 1944, American troops entered Aachen, Germany, during World War II.
In 1957, CBS-TV broadcast “The Edsel Show,” a one-hour live special starring Bing Crosby designed to promote the new, ill-fated Ford automobile. (It was the first special to use videotape technology to delay the broadcast to the West Coast.)
In 1960, Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy participated in the third televised debate of their presidential campaign. (Nixon was in Los Angeles; Kennedy was in New York.)
In 1962, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” by Edward Albee, opened on Broadway. (The opening coincided with co-star Melinda Dillon’s 23rd birthday.)
In 1974, longtime television host Ed Sullivan died in New York City at age 72.