October 17th

Today's Highlight in History:
On October 17th, 1979, Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

On this date:
In 1777, British forces under General John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

In 1919, the Radio Corporation of America was created.

In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years in prison. (He was released in 1939.)

In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

In 1945, Colonel Juan Peron staged a coup, becoming absolute ruler of Argentina.

In 1957, French author Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

In 1978, President Carter signed a bill restoring US citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

In 1989, an earthquake measuring seven-point-one on the Richter scale struck northern California, killing 67 people and causing $7 billion worth of damage.

In 1994, leaders of Israel and Jordan initialed a draft peace treaty.

In 1997, the remains of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara were laid to rest in his adopted Cuba, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia.

Ten years ago: In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State James Baker said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "must fail if peace is to succeed." The Cincinnati Reds opened up a two games-to-none World Series lead, beating the Oakland A's 5-to-4.

Five years ago: President Clinton told wealthy contributors at a Houston fund-raiser that "you think I raised your taxes too much. It might surprise you to know that I think I raised them too much, too" -- a statement that drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. A bomb exploded aboard a Paris subway car, wounding 29 people. The Cleveland Indians won the American League pennant by defeating the Seattle Mariners, 4-to-0, in game six of their playoff series.

One year ago: The FBI reported that serious crimes reported to police declined for seventh straight year in 1998 and murder and robbery rates reached 30-year lows. Former nurse Orville Lynn Majors was convicted of murdering six patients at a western Indiana hospital; the jury deadlocked on a seventh count. (Major is serving a 360-year prison sentence.)

"Some people always sigh in thanking God."

-- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet (1806-1861).