Today’s highlight

On Oct. 6, 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was shot to death by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad while reviewing a military parade.

On this date

1927: The era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson, a feature film containing both silent and sound-synchronized sequences.

1973: War erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur holiday.

1979: Pope John Paul II, on a weeklong U.S. tour, became the first pontiff to visit the White House, where he was received by President Jimmy Carter.

2014: The Supreme Court unexpectedly cleared the way for a dramatic expansion of gay marriage in the United States as it rejected appeals from five states seeking to preserve their bans, effectively making such marriages legal in 30 states.

2018: In the narrowest Senate confirmation of a Supreme Court justice in nearly a century and a half, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by a 50-48 vote; he was sworn in hours later.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Britt Ekland is 83. Irish politician Gerry Adams is 77. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy is 70. Bowler Walter Ray Williams Jr. is 66. Actor Elisabeth Shue is 62. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is 60. Actor Emily Mortimer is 54. Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo is 52. Actor Ioan Gruffudd is 52. Actor Jeremy Sisto is 51. Football Hall of Famer Richard Seymour is 46. NFL quarterback Trevor Lawrence is 26. Social media personality Addison Rae is 25.