Today is Thursday, October 16, the 289th day of 2025. There are 76 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On October 16, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began when President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs revealed the presence of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
Also on this date:
In 1758, American lexicographer Noah Webster was born in Hartford, Connecticut.
In 1793, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, was beheaded during the French Revolution.
In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led an unsuccessful raid on the American arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then West Virginia. The raid failed to spark the slave rebellion that Brown had planned, but it deepened hostilities between the North and South that led to the Civil War. (Ten of Brown’s men were killed, others fled, and Brown and six of his followers were captured and executed.)
In 1934, the Chinese Communists, under siege by the Nationalists, began their year-long “Long March” from southeastern to northwestern China.
In 1964, China launched its first atomic bomb, codenamed “596”, at the Lop Nur proving ground.
In 1968, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked controversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving a “Black Power” salute during the victory ceremony after winning gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter dash.
In 1978, the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as the new pope; He took the name John Paul II.
In 1984, Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of nonviolent struggle for racial equality in South Africa.
In 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure was recovered from an abandoned well in Midland, Texas, after being stuck there for more than two days. The effort to save Baby Jessica captured the nation’s attention.
In 1991, a gunman opened fire in a lobby cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, killing 23 people before killing himself.
In 1995, the Million Man March, a gathering of black men aimed at promoting unity in the face of economic and social issues affecting African Americans, was held in Washington, D.C.
In 2017, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was arrested and held by the Taliban for five years after leaving his post in Afghanistan in 2009, pleaded guilty to desertion and misconduct before the enemy. He was subsequently not sentenced to prison after providing evidence that he had been tortured by the Taliban. A federal judge overturned his military conviction in 2023.
In 2024, more than 140 people, including children, were killed in Nigeria when an overturned petrol tanker truck exploded and caught fire as they tried to collect spilled fuel. Dozens were injured in the massive fire that occurred in Jigawa State.
Birthdays today: Actress Fernanda Montenegro is 96, actor Barry Corbin is 85, musician Bob Weir is 78, actor and director Tim Robbins is 67, rocker Red Hot Chili Peppers is 63, director Kenneth Lonergan is 63, and actor Terry J. Vaughn 56 years old, and singer John Mayer 48 years old. Sue Bird is 45 years old. Actress Caterina Scorsone is 44 years old, Philadelphia Phillies player Bryce Harper is 33 years old, and tennis player Naomi Osaka is 28 years old.