Today is Monday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2009. There are 73 days left in the year.

On this date

* In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, meeting in New York, drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.

* In 1781, British troops under General Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Va., as the American Revolution neared its end.

* In 1951, President Harry S. Truman signed an act formally ending the state of war with Germany.

* In 1959, the William Gibson play "The Miracle Worker," starring Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Helen's teacher, Annie Sullivan, opened on Broadway.

* In 1967, the U.S. space probe Mariner 5 flew past Venus.

* In 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value.

Today's Birthdays: Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Robert S. Strauss is 91. Author John le Carre is 78. Artist Peter Max is 72. Author and critic Renata Adler is 71. Actor Michael Gambon is 69. Actor John Lithgow is 64. Feminist activist Patricia Ireland is 64. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 64. Rock singer-musician Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers) is 61. Talk show host Charlie Chase is 57. Rock singer-musician Karl Wallinger (World Party) is 52. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is 51. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 49. Boxer Evander Holyfield is 47. TV host Ty Pennington ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition") is 45. Rock singer-musician Todd Park Mohr (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) is 44. Actor Jon Favreau is 43. Amy Carter is 42. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker is 40. Comedian Chris Kattan is 39. Rock singer Pras Michel (The Fugees) is 37. Actor Omar Gooding is 33. Country singer Cyndi Thomson is 33. Writer-director Jason Reitman is 32. Actor Benjamin Salisbury is 29.