On this day, Oct. 22 ...

1979: The U.S. government allows the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment — a decision that precipitates the Iran hostage crisis.



Also on this day:

1797: French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin makes the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris.

French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin makes the first parachute descent, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet over Paris. 1934: Bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is shot to death by federal agents and local police at a farm near East Liverpool, Ohio.

1962: In a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy reveals the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announces a quarantine of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

1981: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August. 1986: President Reagan signs into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation.

President Reagan signs into law sweeping tax-overhaul legislation. 1991: The European Community and the European Free Trade Association concludes a landmark accord to create a free trade zone of 19 nations by 1993.

The European Community and the European Free Trade Association concludes a landmark accord to create a free trade zone of 19 nations by 1993. 1995: The largest gathering of world leaders in history marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

The largest gathering of world leaders in history marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. 1998: The government advises parents to remove the batteries from their kids' "Power Wheels" cars and trucks, made by Fisher-Price, because of faulty wiring that could cause them to erupt into flame.

The government advises parents to remove the batteries from their kids' "Power Wheels" cars and trucks, made by Fisher-Price, because of faulty wiring that could cause them to erupt into flame. 2001: A second Washington, D.C., postal worker, Joseph P. Curseen, dies of inhalation anthrax.

A second Washington, D.C., postal worker, Joseph P. Curseen, dies of inhalation anthrax. 2002: A bus driver, Conrad Johnson, is shot to death in Aspen Hill, Md., in the final attack carried out by the "Beltway Snipers."

A bus driver, Conrad Johnson, is shot to death in Aspen Hill, Md., in the final attack carried out by the "Beltway Snipers." 2018: President Trump declares that the U.S. would start cutting aid to three Central American countries he accuses of failing to stop thousands of migrants heading for the U.S. border.

2018: A bomb is found in a mailbox at the suburban New York home of liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros; federal agents safely detonate the device after being summoned by a security officer.