TODAY IN HISTORY

Tuesday, October  18, 2011 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. 1898 The American flag was raised in Puerto Rico shortly before Spain formally relinquished control of the island to the United States. 1931 Inventor Thomas Alva Edison died at age 84. 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 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. 1989 Erich Honecker was ousted as leader of East Germany. 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 51 years old today. AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau Name Profession Age Chuck Berry Rock musician 85 Keith Jackson Sportscaster 83 Dawn Wells Actress ("Gilligan's Island") 73 Mike Ditka Hall of Fame football coach, sportscaster 72 Pam Dawber Actress ("Mork and Mindy") 61 Martina Navratilova Tennis Hall of Famer 55 Erin Moran Actress ("Happy Days") 51 Vincent Spano Actor 49 Ne-Yo R&B singer, actor 32 Lindsey Vonn U.S. Olympic skiier 27 Zac Efron Actor ("High School Musical" movies) 24 Joy Lauren Actress ("Desperate Housewives") 22 Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis turns 50 years old today. AP Photo/Joe Giblin