Today in History
1775 - The British burn Portland, Maine burned by British.
1781 - Washington takes Yorktown.
1829 - In Boston, the first modern American hotel, the Tremont, opens.
1849 - The British seize Tigre Island in the Gulf of Fonseca from Honduras.
1859 - John Brown leads a raid on the federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, VA.
1861 - The Confederacy starts selling postage stamps.
1869 - A hotel in Boston becomes the first to have indoor plumbing.
1923 - The Disney Co. is founded.
1925 - The Texas School Board prohibits the teaching of evolution.
1926 - A troop ship sinks in the Yangtze River, killing 1,200.
1940 - Benjamin Oliver Davis, Sr., is named as the first Black General in the regular army; a lottery for the first American WWII draftees is held; #158 is the first drawn; the Warsaw Ghetto is established.
1941 - Germany advances within 60 miles of Moscow.
1942 - The National Boxing Association freezes the titles of those serving in the armed forces.
1943 - Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly opens the city's new subway system.
1946 - 10 Nazi leaders are hanged as war criminals following the Nuremberg trials.
1962 - The Cuban missile crisis begins, as JFK becomes aware of missiles in Cuba.
1964 - China becomes the world's 5th nuclear power.
1969 - Soyuz-6 returns to Earth.
1970 - Anwar Sadat is elected president of Egypt.
1973 - Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1976 - Soyuz-23 returns to Earth.
1978 - Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is elected supreme pontiff (John Paul II).
1982 - The Mt. Palomar Observatory is the first to detect Halley's comet's 13th return; The U.S. warns that it will withdraw from U.N. if they vote to exclude Israel.
1984 - Desmond Tutu wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
1985 - Intel introduces the 32-bit 80386 microcomputer chip.
1986 - The U.S. government shuts down due to budget problems.
1987 - Jessica McClure ("Baby Jessica") is rescued 58 hrs after falling 22' into a well shaft.
1990 - U.S. forces reach 200,000 in the Persian Gulf.
1991 - George Jo Hennard kills 23 and wounds 20 in Texas, then kills himself; The U.S. Supreme Court begins to hear the Joseph Doherty case.

Birthdays
1708 - Albrecht von Haller, experimental physiology (Academy of Science)
1758 - Noah Webster, lexicographer (Webster's Dictionary)
1792 - Francisco Moraz, president of Central America (1830-40)
1863 - Sir Austen Chamberlain, British Foreign Secretary, Nobel Prize winner (1925)
1886 - David Ben-Gurion, first PM of Israel (1948-53, 55)
1898 - Arthur H. Dean, lawyer / advisor to FDR; William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1939-75)
1908 - Enver Hoxha, post-WWII leader of Albania (1944-85)

Passings
1793 - Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, beheaded
1946 - Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Austrian chancellor (1930s)
1951 - Liaquat Ali Khan, PM of Pakistan, assassinated by Said Akbar
1981 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli general
1990 - Art Blakey, jazz drummer (Jazz Messengers)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Bell, James F., USN (MD); RA5C shot down (pilot, w/Hutton), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive as of 1998

Hutton, James L., USN (Washington D.C.); RA5C shot down (w/Bell), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Applehans, Richard D., USAF (MT); RF4C disappeared while on mission (pilot, w/Clarke)

Clarke, George W., Jr., USAF (VA); RF4C disappeared while on mission (backseater, w/Applehans)

1969
Booth, Lawrence R., US Army (VA); OV1C shot down (pilot); Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Assoc. lists different vehicle and cause

Rattin, Dennis M., US Army (IL); OV1C shot down (pilot); Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Assoc. lists different vehicle and cause

1970
Martin, John B. II, USN (NJ); F8J crashed, KIA, body not recovered

by Spc. Ethan Anderson
October 13, 2006
An Afghan boy in the village of Gawmesak demonstrates his slingshot marksmanship to a 10th Mountain Division Soldier on patrol. US Army photo

Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20061016-01
Oct. 16, 2006

MULTINATIONAL DIVISION – NORTH PAO
MUQDADIYA, Iraq – Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces discovered a cache, freed a kidnap victim and detained two terrorists Saturday in the town of Muqdadiya. Soldiers with the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, and Company A, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Lightning, discovered the cache and kidnap victim after a local citizen pointed to a building in the area while they were conducting a combined operation aimed at impeding insurgent movement and activity.

A search of the location uncovered one grenade, one stick of TNT, one flare gun, and multiple fake improvised explosive devices. The kidnap victim was found chained to a wall in the house next door. Two males were detained from the house where the cache was found. The kidnap victim, detainees and the cache were transported to a secure location. The cache was later destroyed.

IA and CF combined operations continue to root out terrorists and disrupt their activity with the help of Iraqi citizens.

TEXT PROVIDED BY THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER FOR MULTINATIONAL
FORCE – NORTH.

IN THE PERSIAN GULF — U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Bobo, a machinist's mate from Batavia, N.Y., shifts the air ejectors in the forward main machinery room aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Persian Gulf, Oct. 12, 2006. The Iwo Jima, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command areas of responsibility to conduct maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Joshua T. Rodriguez

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
8 Bodies Found Dumped in Iraq
Court may give Saddam verdict on November 5
Car bomb kills 10 south of Baghdad

Operation Enduring Freedom
Suicide attack on NATO troops kills 3 Afghans - Video

Other Military News
22,000 Evacuated in Germany as World War II Bombs Defused
Canadian troops battle ten-foot high marijuana plants

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Rape Allegations Haunt Israeli President
UN force only protects Israel: top Shi'ite cleric

Worldwide Wackos
Iran Rejects U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea
U.S. looks to China, Japan to act on N.Korea sanctions - Video
NKorea return to 6-way talks won't end sanctions: US
U.S. seeks common ground with China on N.Korea shipping
North Korea's Kim Jong-il can withstand sanctions - Video
China inspects North Korean cargo

Homegrown Moonbats
Scalia debates head of ACLU on TV

Politics / Government
Conservatives Rally Against Gay Marriage in Boston
Schwarzenegger expands green initiatives
2 GOP senators want new Iraq strategy

In the Courts
Indicted Duke Lacrosse Players Say They Thought DNA Test Would End Rape Case
Duke Lacrosse Players Speak Out About Rape Case
Suspect in Vt. Student's Death Due in Court Monday
Colombian rebel's trial to begin in D.C.
Testimony to begin in coin dealer case
Convicted lawyer faces prison sentence

Media in the Media
Yahoo adds CBS news to video lineup

Mother Nature
6.6-Magnitude Earthquake Leaves Hawaii in the Dark
Video: Eyewitness Describes Earthquake Damage in Hawaii
Past earthquakes in Hawaii

Oddities
Do 'Real Men' Wear Flip-Flops?

Other News of Note
EU, U.S. to sign air data deal on Monday

Fox News
Stocks to Watch: Research In Motion and Wachovia
68 Dead After Tamil Rebel Attack in Sri Lanka
31 Miami, FIU Players Suspended After Brawl
Slain Fla. Family Had No Known Enemies
Son Charged With Murdering Iowa Family
Miami, FIU Have 31 Players Suspended After Brawl

Reuters: Top News
Ecuador's election race heads for run-off
Vatican officially confirms Pope trip to Turkey - Video
Second minister resigns from new Sweden government
Booming populations threaten East Asian coasts
Haze distresses orangutans in Indonesian reserve
Reuters opens virtual news bureau in Second Life
LinkedIn adds yellow-pages-like services directory
Homeowners eyeing mortgage rate escape hatch
Red wine can help prevent stroke damage: study
Low-risk H5N1 bird flu in Ohio wild birds: USDA
"Prada" still in style at foreign box office
Scorsese says he wants a break from Hollywood
Oil climbs to $59 as OPEC to meet Oct 19 on cut - Video
Stock futures little changed before earnings
Gold hovers at 2-week high, dollar limits gains
Yen pushes higher as Russia c.bank buys for reserves
European stocks clock up new high on firm oils, M&A
Paulson faces heady challenges
Treasuries augur downturn
Mattel posts higher third-quarter profit
Chrysler struggles to shift unsold inventory: report
Wachovia third-quarter profit rises 13 pct
Philips misses forecast despite massive chip gain
Russia threatens Shell with sanctions over Sakhalin

AP World News
UVM senior eulogized in solemn ceremony
Feds promote donation of umbilical cords
Shake-up at top of UnitedHealth Group
CBGB hosts last concert before eviction .
Mets rout Cards 12-5, even series 2-2
Steelers wake up for drubbing of Chiefs >
Heirs defy history of blacks losing land
Darfur refugees plead for protection
More tourists weigh zero gravity flights
'Grudge 2' scares up $22M at box office
T.O.'s 3 TDs lift Cowboys over Texans
Obituaries in the news
Money fuels oil tax fight in California
College volunteering rises sharply
AIDS activist Jeff Getty dead at 49

CENTCOM: News Releases
HILLAH IP CHIEF, DEPUTY KILLED IN EXPLOSION

CITIZEN’S TIP LEADS IPS TO UNEXPLODED VBIED

IRAQI SECURITY FORCES SPOIL TERRORIST ATTACK

MND-B SOLDIERS DETAIN TERRORISTS, SEIZE MUNITIONS

USJFCOM
USJFCOM exhibits Joint Force Projection ACTD- podcast
Top DoD readiness officials tour command
Joint Systems Baseline Assessment 2006 comes to successful close- podcast
More about the Joint Systems Integration Command

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Troops Nab Terrorists, Weapons - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Leaders' Infantry Training Reinforces Combat Skills - Story
'IED Hunters' Work to Clear, Safeguard Roadways - Story
Renovated Schools Set Standard in Kirkuk Area - Story
Army Interpreter Pays for Mosque Supplies - Story

IN IRAQ
CSI: National Forensics Academy Opens in Baghdad
Civil Affairs Soldiers Distribute Supplies to School
Saab al Bour Opens Refurbished Primary School
Soldiers Patrol the Liquid Highways of Iraq

IN AFGHANISTAN
Task Force Grizzly Soldiers Eliminate Insurgents
Afghan NCOs Complete Drill Sergeant Course

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

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

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Marine 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" post coming later.