Alito Supreme Court Nomination Marked 21 Years Ago

President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court on October 31, 2005. The appointment occurred 21 years ago today, placing the event squarely in the second decade of the 2000s. Bush chose Alito, then serving on the federal appeals court, to fill a seat on the nation's highest judicial body.

The selection marked a key moment in the administration's judicial strategy. Alito's nomination was part of a series of high court appointments made during Bush's second term. The choice reflected the president's intent to shape the bench with judges who shared his legal philosophy.

Other historical events occurred on this date across the past two centuries. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation admitting Nevada as the 36th state. That action took place eight days before the presidential election of that year. In 1913, officials dedicated the Lincoln Highway. This route was the first automobile highway to span the entire United States.

Construction on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota was completed in 1941. The project, which began in 1927, carved the faces of four U.S. presidents into the Black Hills. In 1950, Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols became the first African American to play in an NBA game. Lloyd went on to play nine seasons and won a championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.

In 1961, Soviet authorities removed the body of Josef Stalin from Lenin's Tomb. This action was part of the de-Stalinization drive following Stalin's death. In 1984, Indira Gandhi, India's Prime Minister for more than 15 years, was assassinated. Two of her own security guards carried out the attack.

A series of aviation disasters also occurred on this date in recent decades. In 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed off the Massachusetts coast while bound from New York to Cairo. All 217 people aboard died. In 2015, a Russian airliner was blown up shortly after takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, and all 226 people aboard were killed. In 2017, a man in a rented pickup truck struck pedestrians and cyclists near the World Trade Center memorial in New York City. Eight people died and 11 others were seriously injured. The driver, Sayfullo Saipov, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The United Nations estimated that the world population reached 7 billion people in 2011. The global population is now greater than 8 billion.