Today In History, Oct. 21: Oscar Pistorius
Today is Wednesday, October 21.
Today's Highlight in History:
2014: Oscar Pistorius
One year ago: In South Africa, Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp; legal analysts said under the law, the man known as the "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fiber running blades, would have to serve 10 months, or one-sixth of his sentence, in prison before he was eligible for house arrest.
1879: Thomas Edison
In 1879, Thomas Edison perfected a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
1944: Aachen, Germany
In 1944, during World War II, U.S. troops captured the German city of Aachen.
1945: France National Election
In 1945, women in France were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time.
1959: Guggenheim Museum
In 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened to the public in New York.
1960: John F. Kennedy & Richard M. Nixon
In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon clashed in their fourth and final presidential debate in New York.
1971: Supreme Court Nominations
In 1971, President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell (left) and William H. Rehnquist (right) to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Both nominees were confirmed.)
1985: Dan White
In 1985, former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White - who'd served five years in prison for killing Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights advocate - was found dead in a garage, a suicide.
1995: Maxene Andrews
In 1995, Maxene Andrews (left) of the Andrews Sisters died in Hyannis, Massachusetts, at age 79.
2005: Hurricane Wilma
Ten years ago: Hurricane Wilma tore into Mexico's Yucatan peninsula as a Category 4 storm, after killing 13 people in Haiti and Jamaica.
2010: Bell, California
Five years ago: Eight current and former officials pleaded not guilty to looting millions of dollars from California's modest blue-collar city of Bell. (Seven defendants ended up being convicted, and received sentences ranging from home confinement to 12 years in prison.)
2010: James F. Neal
Five years ago: James F. Neal, the attorney who prosecuted Jimmy Hoffa and key Watergate figures, and defended Elvis Presley's doctor and the Exxon Corp. after the Alaska oil spill, died in Nashville at age 81.
2010: Lyon, France
Five years ago: French police used tear gas and water cannon against rampaging youth in Lyon while the French government showed its muscle in parliament, short-circuiting tense Senate debate on a bill raising the retirement age from 60 to 62.
2014: Ben Bradlee
One year ago: Former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, 93, died in Washington.
2014: Jeffrey Fowle
One year ago: North Korea abruptly freed Jeffrey Fowle, an American, nearly six months after he was arrested for leaving a Bible in a nightclub.
2014: World Series
One year ago: The San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-1 in the first game of the World Series.
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