October 28th

Today's Highlight in History:
On October 28th, 1958, the Roman Catholic patriarch of Venice, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, was elected Pope; he took the name John the 23rd.

On this date:
In 1636, Harvard College was founded in Massachusetts.

In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent for his cotton gin (the patent was granted the following March).

In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Cleveland.

In 1919, Congress enacted the Volstead Act, which provided for enforcement of Prohibition, over President Wilson's veto.

In 1922, fascism came to Italy as Benito Mussolini took control of the government.

In 1936, President Roosevelt rededicated the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary.

In 1940, Italy invaded Greece during World War Two.

In 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

In 1965, Pope Paul the Sixth issued a decree absolving Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

In 1980, President Carter and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan faced off in a nationally broadcast, 90-minute debate in Cleveland.

Ten years ago: In a surprise move, Iraq said it was halting gasoline rationing imposed earlier in response to global economic sanctions.

Five years ago: The Atlanta Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians, 1-0, to win the World Series in Game 6. The Senate approved a GOP package of spending slashes and tax reductions, 52-to-47.

One year ago: Five Republican presidential hopefuls debated such issues as abortion, health care and taxes in their second meeting in less than a week; once again, front-runner George W. Bush was absent from the gathering in New Hampshire. The House passed, 218-to-211, the last spending bill of the year, which President Clinton said he would veto.

"Next to excellence is the appreciation of it."

-- William Makepeace Thackeray, British author (1811-1863).