Today in History, 11/3

1783: John Austin, a highwayman, is the last person to be publicly hanged at London's Tyburn gallows.
1783: The American Continental Army is disbanded.
1816: Jubal Early, Confederate general, is born.1839: The first Opium War between China and Britain breaks out.
1903: With the encouragement of the United States, Panama proclaims itself independent from Colombia. US President Theodore Roosevelt had wanted the United States to build the Panama Canal, but was not willing to pay what Colombia asked.
1908: Bronko Nagurski is born.1913: The United States introduces an income tax.
1946: Tom Savini is born. He is one of the pioneers of the "gore" effect in modern horror.1948: Lulu is born. She is best known for the song "To Sir, With Love."

1953: Kate Capshaw is born.

1953: Dennis Miller is born.

1954: Adam Ant is born.

1956: Kevin Murphy is born. He was Tom Servo for eleven years on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

1957: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter orbit: a dog named Laika.1957: Dolph Lundgren is born. Was he the Muscles From Brussels? I always get him an Jean Claude Van Damme mixed up. Anyway, he was in that terrible Masters of the Universe movie.

1964: Washington D.C. residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time.

Today in History elements mostly cribbed from The History Channel, Wikipedia, The New York Times, The Jewish World Review, The Writer's Almanac and anything else I can dig up.