2137 BC- China is the site of the first recorded total eclipse of the sun.
1520 - Magellan entered the strait which bears his name.
1553 - Volumes of the Talmud are burned.
1797 - The U.S. Navy frigate Constitution ("Old Ironsides") is launched in Boston.
1805 - At the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Nelson defeats the French and Spanish fleet, and dies.
1861 - Battle of Balls Bluff, VA.
1869 - The first shipment of fresh oysters travels overland from Baltimore.
1879 - Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb.
1897 - At the University of Chigago, the Yerkes Observatory is dedicated.
1915 - The first transatlantic radiotelephone message is sent from Arlington, VA, to Paris.
1917 - For the first time, Americans see action on the front lines of WW I.
1944 - U.S. troops capture Aachen - the first large German city to fall in WW II.
1945 - For the first time, women in France are allowed to vote.
1948 - The facsimile high-speed radio transmission demonstrated in Washington, DC.
1950 - Chinese forces occupy Tibet.
1959 - In NYC, the Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opens.
1967 - Thousands opposing the Vietnam War try to storm the Pentagon.
1969 - A bloodless coup occurs in Somalia.
1971 - Nixon nominates Lewis F. Powell and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court following the resignations of Justices Hugo Black and John Harlan.
1975 - Venera-9, the first craft to orbit the planet Venus, is launched.
1976 - The NY Knicks retire their first number, # 19 (Willis Reed).
1977 - The U.S. recalls William Bowdler, ambassador to South Africa.
1987 - The U.S. Senate begins rejecting Robert Bork's Supreme Court nomination.
1988 - Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos are indicted on racketeering charges.
1989 - After being buried for four days in the San Francisco earthquake, Buck Helm is found alive.
1991 - 24 die in a fire in Oakland, CA.

Birthdays
1772 - Samuel Taylor Coleridge, poet (Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
1833 - Alfred Bernhard Nobel, created dynamite and the Peace Prizes
1917 - Dizzy Gillespie, trumpeter, a creator of modern jazz
1950 - Ronald E. McNair, astronaut (STS 41B, 51L-Challenger disaster)

Passings
1805 - Admiral Horatio Nelson, in the Battle of Trafalgar
1831 - Nat Turner and 19 associates, hanged for their roles in the Southampton Slave Revolt
1967 - Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish astrophysicist
1987 - Ying-Chin Ho, Taiwanese government official

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Earll, David J., USAF (TX); F105D exploded after releasing ordinance on bombing run

1967
Hemmel, Clarence J., USAF (MO); F100D shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1968
Finley, Dickie W., US Army (MO)

Knabb, Kenneth K., USN (IL); A4E shot down

1969
Cook, Glenn R., USAF (NC); O2A shot down (pilot, w/Epenshield)

Espenshield, John L., USAF (OH); O2A shot down (observer, w/Cook), remains returned May, 1989

1973
Bradley, Ed, Civilian; O/A returned from visit November, 1973

An Army Black Hawk helicopter passes over a Chinook helicopter (both from U.S. Southern Command) on its return flight from a humanitarian mission to people in remote villages in Guatemala, who are suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Stan. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Robert McRill.

Michael Yon's latest is up; he's got information on an upcoming radio interview, and more news on Rhma...

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HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT— U.S. Army Spc. Mark Windham works on a rotor of a CH-47 helicopter at Bagram, Afghanistan, Oct. 17, 2005. The helicopters will be re-assembled and flown to support earthquake victims in Pakistan for humanitarian relief. Windham is assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Kidnapped defense lawyer in Saddam case killed: police
A Comparison of Saddam, Milosevic Trials
Reporter for British Paper Freed in Iraq
1st Saddam witness to testify from hospital

Operation Enduring Freedom
Burning-bodies video ignites furor
UPDATE: ALLEGED MISCONDUCT BY U.S. FORCES
NATO Will Expand Afghanistan Role — Story

Homeland Security / War on Terror
3 won't seek pardons in 2002 Bali bombings

Hurricane Season
Tourists Flee Cancun
NFL Reschedules Game Around Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Job Losses Increase to 478,000
In Katrina's wake, a tattoo boom in New Orleans
E-mails reveal disconnect between FEMA, storm impact

U.N. News
U.N. Probe Questions Lebanese President

Supreme Court
Senate Faces Tight Schedule to Confirm Harriet Miers

Politics
DeLay Set to Appear in Court
Possible cover-up a focus in CIA leak case: lawyers
Cheney aide may have contacted reporters in leak case

Military News
U.S. Denies Feeding Tube Misuse at Gitmo

Sports News
Boston Celtics guard charged with felony in West Loop brawl

Oddities
Astrologer wrong on the big prediction
Man requests longer prison term to match Bird's number

Fox News
Arrest in Murder of Horowitz's Wife
Earthquake Shakes Turkey
Arrested Mother Suffered History of Mental Illness
Ford Posts Massive Loss, 'Significant' Layoffs Coming
Schwarzenegger Upset Over Bush Visit
Bush, Abbas Meet
Bush to Avoid Distractions
Bird Flu Spreads to Taiwan
Sens. Push for More Vaccine
House OKs Protection for Gun Makers From Lawsuits

Reuters: Top News
Wilma targets Mexico's Yucatan resorts
Thailand awaits bird flu tests, mutation fears wane
Bush China visit may not bring prisoner release
Rumsfeld talks with S.Korea on Seoul's defense role
Indonesians challenge US envoy in lively exchange
Lucas donates $1 mil toward King memorial
New Singapore rules to prevent misuse of mobiles
Senate panel sets end to analog TV broadcasts
Japan CO2 emissions inch down, but far from target
Don't jump to conclusions on bird flu mutation -WHO
US restricts 1918 flu virus samples
Depression, hunger stalk tsunami survivors

AP World News
U.S., S. Korea Hail North's Nuclear Pledge
Inmates at Kyrgyz Prison Kill Legislator
N. Korea Said Will Return to Nuclear Talks
U.N.: Berlin-Type Airlift Needed in Asia
China Leader to Visit N. Korea Next Week
Chavez Warns if U.S. Invades, Oil Goes Up
Brazil Holding Gun Control Referendum
Middle East Braces for Migrating Birds
Bush Confident of Arab-Israeli Peace
Nigerian Debt Deal Fuels Optimism
Head of Arab League Condemns Attacks
Global Warming a Major Threat in Africa

The Seattle Times
In Congo, a people's gold rush
Senators clash over "Bridge to Nowhere"
In defense of soap and water
Asia quake aid can't wait, U.N. says
Elusive rat's mission captivates scientists

Chicago Sun-Times
Senate again blocks heating aid for poor families

Boston Globe: World
Bird flu virus kills man in Thailand
Iran offers concessions on nuclear issue

Military.com
NG Short of Equipment at Home
Body Believed to Be WWII Airman to Be ID'd
U.S. Decreasing Troop Levels in S. Korea
Concerns Over Iraq Growing on Homefront
Army Deserter Recalls Abuse in N. Korea
Senate Nears Deal on Defense Authorization Bill
V Corps to Stand Down
Coast Guard: Recruit's Death an Accident
Quake Relief Team to Stay at 400
Seabee Dies in Kenya
Interpreter Given High-Level Clearance, but Who Is he?

CENTCOM: News Release
RAMADI-BASED ZARQAWI LIEUTENANT KILLED

Department of Defense
Army Investigates Alleged Misconduct — Story
General Addresses NATO's Future
Talks Assess U.S.-South Korean Alliance — Story
Iraqis Thwart Efforts to Stop Referendum — Story Slides Video

ON THE GROUND
Vehicle Armor Kits Add Safety, Peace of Mind — Story
Sailors Get Tougher Search, Seizure Training — Story Photos
Marines Train Iraqis to Find Weapons Caches — Story

IN IRAQ
Tall Afar Search Unearths Buried Munitions Photos
Macedonian Defense Minister Visits His Troops
Soldiers, Marines Team Up to Secure Camp Photos
Iraqi Children, Teachers Get School Supplies
Chief Medical Unit in Iraq Transfers Authority

IN AFGHANISTAN
Logistical Task Force Supports Warfighters
Bagram To Get New Passenger Terminal
EOD Airmen Help Destroy Old Rockets

FACE OF DEFENSE
Sailor Named 2005 Military Citizen of the Year — Story

TOP NEWS
SPECIAL REPORTS
Hurricane Coverage
Iraq Transition of Power

IRAQ
Fire, Bomb Claim U.S. Troops' Lives
Saddam's Trial Begins in Baghdad
Iraqi Recalls Saddam's Wrath
Rice Outlines Iraq Strategy
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
Iraq Progress Fact Sheet (pdf)
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

AFGHANISTAN
Army Reservists Help Rebuild
Coalition Remains Strong
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Troops Impress Visiting Civilians
JCOC Special
Rumsfeld Talks Change
Soldiers Test Drive Hybrid Humvee
DoD Goal: World-Class Health Care
Troops Get Non-lethal Riot Gear
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Defense Officials Identify Casualties — Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History - coming later