TODAY IN HISTORY

Sunday, October  23, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Oct. 23, 1983, a suicide truck-bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon killed 241 U.S. Marines and sailors; a near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.   AP Photo/Bill Foley
On this date in: 1707 The Parliament of Great Britain, created by the Acts of Union between England and Scotland, held its first meeting. 1925 Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa. 1942 Britain launched a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein in Egypt during World War II. 1956 An anti-Stalinist revolt began in Hungary. 1973 President Richard M. Nixon agreed to turn White House tape recordings requested by the Watergate special prosecutor over to Judge John J. Sirica. 1987 The U.S. Senate rejected the Supreme Court nomination of Robert H. Bork, 58-42. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter became the second player to end a World Series with a home run in an 8-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6. 1998 Dr. Barnett Slepian, a doctor who performed abortions, was killed at his home in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., when a sniper fired through his kitchen window. 1998 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed a land-for-peace agreement at the White House, following nine days of talks at Wye River, Md. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu King Hussein of Jordan 2001 Apple Computer Inc. introduced the iPod portable digital music player.  Read the original AP story AP Photo/Julie Jacobson 2002 Gunmen seized a crowded Moscow theater, taking hundreds hostage and threatening to kill them unless the Russian army pulled out of Chechnya. 2003 Madame Chiang Kai-shek, widow of the Chinese nationalist leader, died in New York at age 105. 2006 Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for his role in the company's collapse.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Ryan Reynolds turns 35 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Jim Bunning Baseball Hall of Famer, former U.S. senator, R-Ky. 80 Philip Kaufman Director ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers") 75 Mel Martinez Former U.S. senator, R-Fla. 65 Ang Lee Director 57 Dwight Yoakam Country singer 55 Weird Al Yankovic Musical parodist 52 Doug Flutie Football player 49 Al Leiter Baseball player, sportscaster 46 John Lackey Baseball player 33 Jessica Stroup Actress ("90210") 25 Soccer player Pele turns 71 years old today. AP Photo/Andre Penner