Today in HistoryToday is Thursday, October 26, the 299th day of 2006. There are 66 days left in the year.

ON THIS DATE<$>

In 1905, revolutionary Russian workers in St. Petersburg formed the first Soviet, or workers’ assembly, in a brief uprising.

In 1972, national security adviser Henry Kissinger declared, “Peace is at hand” in Vietnam.

In 2001, the Taliban captured and executed veteran Afghan opposition commander Abdul Haq while he is on a mission inside Afghanistan to gather support for a peace plan.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity.” — Marie Curie, Polish-French scientist (1867-1934).