Today is Thursday, October 21, the 294th day of 2010. There are 71 days left in the year.

2137 B.C. ― First recorded total eclipse of the sun in China

1520 ― Magellan entered the strait which bears his name

1805 ― Battle of Trafalgar, Adm. Nelson defeats French & Spanish fleet, and dies

1879 ― Thomas Edison perfects the carbonized cotton filament light bulb

1918 ― Margaret Owen sets world typing speed record of 170 words-per-minute for one minute

1945 ― Women in France allowed to vote for first time

1948 ― Facsimile high-speed radio transmission demonstrated (Washington, D.C.)

1950 ― Chinese forces occupy Tibet

1967 ― Thousands opposing Vietnam War try to storm the Pentagon

1970 ― 777 Unification Church couples wed in Korea