Today in History: Saturday, October 11, 2014

AP Highlight in History:  On Oct. 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the first session of the Roman Catholic Church's 21st Ecumenical Council, better known as Vatican II.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1811 The first steam-powered ferryboat was put into operation between New York City and Hoboken, N.J. AP Photo 1884 First lady Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City. 1958 The lunar probe Pioneer 1 was launched; it failed to go as far as planned, fell back to Earth and burned up in the atmosphere. 1968 Apollo 7 was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard. 1975 "Saturday Night Live" debuted on NBC. 1986 President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened two days of talks on arms control and human rights in Reykjavik, Iceland. 1991 Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her; Thomas reappeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a "high-tech lynching." 1998 Pope John Paul II canonized the first Jewish-born saint of the modern era: Edith Stein, a Catholic nun killed at Auschwitz. 2001 Trinidad-born writer V.S. Naipaul won the Nobel Prize in literature. 2002 The Senate joined the House in approving the use of America's military might against Iraq. 2002 Former President Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for his 1970s Middle East diplomacy.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock") turns 46 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer Name Profession Age William Perry Former defense secretary 87 Patty Murray U.S. senator, D-Wash. 64 Steve Young Football Hall of Famer 53 Joan Cusack Actress 52 Luke Perry Actor ("Beverly Hills 90210") 48 MC Lyte Rapper 43 Michelle Trachtenberg Actress 29 Actress Emily Deschanel ("Bones") turns 38 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer