TODAY IN HISTORY

Monday, October  31, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Palace church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1795 Poet John Keats was born in London. 1864 Nevada became the 36th state. 1926 Magician Harry Houdini died of complications from a ruptured appendix. AP Photo 1938 The day after his "War of the Worlds" broadcast had panicked radio listeners, Orson Welles expressed "deep regret" but also bewilderment that anyone had thought the show was real. 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations. President Lyndon B. Johnson 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated near her residence by two Sikh security guards. 1991 Theatrical producer Joseph Papp died at age 70. 1992 It was announced that five American nuns in Liberia had been shot to death near the capital Monrovia; the killings were blamed on rebels loyal to Charles Taylor. 1999 EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed off the Massachusetts coast, killing all 217 people aboard. 2001 A 61-year-old New York hospital worker died from inhalation anthrax. 2001 Microsoft and the Justice Department reached a tentative agreement to settle the historic antitrust case against the software giant. 2005 President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. 2006 P.W. Botha, South Africa's apartheid-era president, died at age 90. 2007 Three lead defendants in the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people were found guilty of mass murder and other charges. 2010 Theodore C. Sorensen, President John F. Kennedy's aide and speechwriter, died in New York at age 82.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Piper Perabo ("Covert Affairs") turns 35 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer Name Profession Age Michael Collins Astronaut 81 Dan Rather Broadcast journalist 80 Ron Rifkin Actor ("Alias") 72 Sally Kirkland Actress 70 David Ogden Stiers Actor ("M.A.S.H.") 69 Jane Pauley Broadcast journalist 61 Peter Jackson Director ("Lord of the Rings" movies) 50 Larry Mullen Jr. Rock musician (U2) 50 Dermot Mulroney Actor 48 Rob Schneider Actor, comedian ("Saturday Night Live") 47 Rob Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) Rapper 43 Fred McGriff Baseball player 43 Actor Brian Stokes Mitchell turns 54 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini