By The Associated Press

Sun Oct 15, 8:00 PM ET

Today is Monday, Oct. 16, the 289th day of 2006. There are 76 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Oct. 16, 1978, the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to be the new pope; he took the name John Paul II.

On this date:

In 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was beheaded.

In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a group of about 20 men in a raid on Harper's Ferry, Va.

In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic, in New York City. (The clinic ended up being raided by police and Sanger was arrested.)

In 1946, 10 Nazi war criminals condemned during the Nuremberg trials were hanged.

In 1962, the Cuban missile crisis began as President Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba.

In 1964, Harold Wilson of the Labor Party assumed office as prime minister of Britain, succeeding Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home.

In 1964, China set off its first atomic bomb, code-named "596," on the Lop Nur Test Ground.

In 1981, Israeli war hero Moshe Dayan died in Tel Aviv at age 66.

In 1987, a 58 1/2 hour drama in Midland, Texas, ended happily as rescuers freed Jessica McClure, an 18-month-old girl trapped in an abandoned well.

In 1991, a deadly shooting rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as George Hennard crashed his pickup truck into a Luby's Cafeteria and opened fire, killing 23 people before taking his own life.

Ten years ago: Republican Bob Dole challenged President Clinton's ethics and honesty in their final debate. Soccer fans trying to squeeze into Mateo Flores National Stadium in Guatemala City stampeded, killing 84 people.

Five years ago: U.S. bombs struck the Red Cross compound in Afghanistan, injuring a guard. Twelve Senate offices were closed as hundreds of staffers underwent anthrax tests. Jazz vocalist Etta Jones died in New York at age 72.

One year ago: Polish television broadcast a recorded interview with Pope Benedict XVI, who said that he planned to visit Poland, the homeland of his predecessor, John Paul II (it's believed to be the first TV interview by a pope). The Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-3 to win the American League Championship Series in five games, their first pennant since 1959. Elmer "Len" Dresslar Jr., the booming voice of the Jolly Green Giant, died at age 80.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Angela Lansbury is 81. Author Gunter Grass is 79. Former presidential adviser Charles W. Colson is 75. Actor-producer Tony Anthony is 69. Actor Barry Corbin is 66. Rock musician C.F. Turner (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) is 63. Actress Suzanne Somers is 60. Rock singer-musician Bob Weir (The Dead) is 59. Producer-director David Zucker is 59. Record company executive Jim Ed Norman is 58. Actor Daniel Gerroll is 55. Actor-director Tim Robbins is 48. Actor-musician Gary Kemp is 47. Singer-musician Bob Mould is 46. Actor Randy Vasquez is 45. Rock musician Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 44. Jazz musician Roy Hargrove is 37. Actress Terri J. Vaughn is 37. Singer Wendy Wilson (Wilson Phillips) is 37. Rapper B-Rock (B-Rock and the Bizz) is 35. Actress Kellie Martin is 31. Singer John Mayer is 29. Actor Jeremy Jackson is 26.

Thought for Today: "One learns in life to keep silent and draw one's own confusions." — Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and author (1901-1979).