Updated October 20, 2013, 2:28 pm

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On Oct. 20, 1973, in the so-called Saturday Night Massacre, President Nixon abolished the office of special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox, accepted the resignation of Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and fired Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus.

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On Oct. 20, 1859, John Dewey, the influential American philosopher, was born. Following his death on June 1, 1952, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On Oct. 20, 2011, Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's dictator for 42 years, was killed as revolutionary fighters overwhelmed his hometown of Sirte and captured the last major bastion of resistance two months after his regime fell. Gadhafi was 69.

1803	The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.
1931	Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Okla.
1944	Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return."
1947	The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence in the motion picture industry.
1964	Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, died at age 90 in New York City.
1968	Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
1973	Special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus were fired and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson resigned in the so-called Saturday Night Massacre.
1977	Three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Miss.
1992	The host Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in the first World Series game played outside the United States.
2000	Egyptian-born Ali Mohamed, a U.S. citizen who'd served in the Army, pleaded guilty in New York to helping plan the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people.

Historic Birthdays

89	Andrea Della Robbia 10/20/1435 - 8/4/1525 Italian sculptor
90	Sir Christopher Wren 10/20/1632 - 2/25/1723 English architect
88	Daniel Sickles 10/20/1825 - 5/3/1914 American politician, soldier, diplomat
37	Arthur Rimbaud 10/20/1854 - 11/10/1891 French poet
79	Charles Edward Ives 10/20/1874 - 5/19/1954 American composer
71	Bela Lugosi 10/20/1882 - 8/16/1956 Hungarian actor
82	Sir James Chadwick 10/20/1891 - 7/24/1974 English physicist
81	Dame Anna Neagle 10/20/1904 - 6/3/1986 English actress and dancer
63	Mickey Mantle 10/20/1931 - 8/13/1995 American professional baseball player
47	Lewis Grizzard 10/20/1946 - 3/20/1994 American columnist