TODAY IN HISTORY

Thursday, October  18, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Oct. 18, 1962, Dr. James D. Watson of the United States and Dr. Francis Crick and Dr. Maurice Wilkins of Britain were named winners of the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for their work in determining the double-helix molecular structure of DNA.   AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
On this date in: 1685 King Louis XIV of France revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had established the legal toleration the Protestant Huguenots. 1867 The United States took possession of Alaska from Russia. 1892 The first long distance telephone line between Chicago and New York was opened. 1922 The British Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (later the British Broadcasting Corp. of BBC) was founded. 1968 The U.S. Olympic Committee suspended two black athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, for giving a "black power" salute as a protest during a victory ceremony in Mexico City. AP Photo 1972 Congress passed the Clean Water Act, overriding President Richard M. Nixon's veto. 1977 Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees hit three home runs to lead New York to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding Game 6 of the World Series. AP Photo 1982 Former first lady Bess Truman died in Independence, Mo., at age 97. 2001 Four defendants were convicted in New York for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. 2007 Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan, ending eight years of self-imposed exile.		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme turns 52 years old today. AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau Name Profession Age Chuck Berry Rock musician 86 Keith Jackson Sportscaster 84 Dawn Wells Actress ("Gilligan's Island") 74 Mike Ditka Hall of Fame football coach, sportscaster 73 Russ Giguere Singer, musician (The Association) 69 Pam Dawber Actress ("Mork and Mindy") 62 Martina Navratilova Tennis Hall of Famer 56 Erin Moran Actress ("Happy Days") 52 Vincent Spano Actor 50 Ne-Yo R&B singer, actor 33 Lindsey Vonn U.S. Olympic skiier 28 Zac Efron Actor ("High School Musical" movies) 25 Joy Lauren Actress ("Desperate Housewives") 23 Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis turns 51 years old today. AP Photo/Joe Giblin