By The Associated Press

Sat Oct 7, 8:00 PM ET

Today is Sunday, Oct. 8, the 281st day of 2006. There are 84 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

Fifty years ago, on Oct. 8, 1956, Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series to date as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0.

On this date:

In 1869, the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, died in Concord, N.H.

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire erupted while another deadly blaze broke out in Peshtigo, Wis.

In 1890, American aviation hero Eddie Rickenbacker was born in Columbus, Ohio.

In 1918, Sgt. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 in the Argonne Forest in France.

In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was indicted for murder in the death of the son of Charles A. Lindbergh.

In 1944, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," starring Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, made its debut on CBS Radio.

In 1945, President Truman announced that the secret of the atomic bomb would be shared only with Britain and Canada.

In 1970, Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn was named winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.

In 1981, at the White House, President Reagan greeted former Presidents Carter, Ford and Nixon, who were preparing to travel to Egypt for the funeral of Anwar Sadat.

In 1985, the hijackers of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro killed American passenger Leon Klinghoffer and threw his body overboard.

Ten years ago: Pope John Paul II underwent a successful operation to remove his inflamed appendix. American economist William Vickrey and British professor James Mirrlees were named co-winners of the Nobel economics prize (the 82-year-old Vickrey died three days later).

Five years ago: The United States pounded terrorist targets in Afghanistan from the air for a second night. An SAS airliner taking off from Milan, Italy, hit a private jet, careened into an airport building and exploded, killing 118 people. Seventeen Virginians were killed when a dive boat capsized during a hurricane in Belize. American Leland H. Hartwell and Britons R. Timothy Hunt and Paul M. Nurse won the Nobel Prize in medicine. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh told listeners he was virtually deaf (Limbaugh later had an electronic device implanted in his skull that restored much of his hearing).

One year ago: A major earthquake flattened villages on the Pakistan-India border, killing an estimated 86,000 people. Delphi Corp., the largest U.S. auto supplier, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An Associated Press Television News crew covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina videotaped three New Orleans police officers beating retired teacher Robert Davis. Amtrak resumed passenger rail service to New Orleans as the train called the City of New Orleans arrived with 29 passengers aboard.

Today's Birthdays: Entertainment reporter Rona Barrett is 70. Actor Paul Hogan is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Fred Cash (The Impressions) is 66. Rev. Jesse Jackson is 65. Comedian Chevy Chase is 63. Author R.L. Stine is 63. Country singer Susan Raye is 62. TV personality Sarah Purcell is 58. Actress Sigourney Weaver is 57. Rhythm-and-blues singer Robert "Kool" Bell (Kool & the Gang) is 56. Producer-director Edward Zwick is 54. Country singer-musician Ricky Lee Phelps is 53. Actor Michael Dudikoff is 52. Comedian Darrell Hammond is 51. Actress Stephanie Zimbalist is 50. Rock musician Mitch Marine is 45. Rock singer Steve Perry (Cherry Poppin' Daddies) is 43. Gospel/rhythm-and-blues singer CeCe Winans is 42. Rock musician C.J. Ramone (The Ramones) is 41. Singer-producer Teddy Riley is 40. Actress Emily Procter is 38. Actor-screenwriter Matt Damon is 36. Actress Kristanna Loken is 27. Rhythm-and-blues singer Byron Reeder (Mista) is 27. Actor Nick Cannon is 26. Actor Angus T. Jones is 13.

Thought for Today: "If a thing is old, it is a sign that it was fit to live. ... The guarantee of continuity is quality." — Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973).