Tuesday, November 17th
The 321st day of 2009.
There are 44 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Nov. 17, 1973, President Nixon told an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, Fla., that ``people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook.'' (Go to article.)
On Nov. 17, 1901, Lee Strasberg, the director who pioneered the technique of "method acting", was born. Following his death on Feb. 17, 1982, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On November 17, 1860, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about local militia on training day. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1558 Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary.
1800 Congress held its first session in Washington, D.C., in the partially completed Capitol building.
1869 The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas.
1917 French sculptor Auguste Rodin died at age 77.
1934 Lyndon B. Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, better known as "Lady Bird."
1962 Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy.
1968 NBC outraged football fans by cutting away from the final minutes of a game to air a TV special, "Heidi," on schedule. Viewers were deprived of seeing the Oakland Raiders come from behind to beat the New York Jets 43-32.
1970 The Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon.
1997 Six militants opened fire at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt, killing 62 people, most of them foreign tourists. The attackers were killed by police.
1998 Israel's parliament overwhelmingly approved the Wye River land-for-peace accord with the Palestinians.
2000 The Florida Supreme Court froze the state's presidential tally, forbidding Secretary of State Katherine Harris to certify results of the marathon vote count in the race between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore.
2001 The Taliban confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden's military chief Mohammed Atef in an airstrike three days earlier.
2003 John Allen Muhammad was convicted of two counts of capital murder in the Washington-area sniper shootings. (He was later sentenced to death and executed.)
2003 Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California.
2005 A jury in Sarasota, Fla., convicted mechanic Joseph Smith of kidnapping, raping and strangling 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, whose abduction had been captured by a car-wash security camera. (Smith was later sentenced to death.)
2006 Hall of Fame college football coach Bo Schembechler died at age 77.
Current Birthdays
Martin Scorsese turns 67 years old today.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Director Martin Scorsese turns 67 years old today.
75 James Inhofe
U.S. senator, R-Okla.
71 Gordon Lightfoot
Singer
68 Bob Gaudio
Singer, songwriter (The Four Seasons)
66 Lauren Hutton
Actress
65 Jim Boeheim
College basketball coach
65 Danny DeVito
Actor
65 Lorne Michaels
TV producer ("Saturday Night Live")
65 Tom Seaver
Baseball Hall of Famer
64 Elvin Hayes
Basketball Hall of Famer
64 Roland Joffe
Director
61 Howard Dean
Democratic Party chairman
58 Stephen Root
Actor ("NewsRadio," "Office Space")
52 Jim Babjak
Rock musician (The Smithereens)
51 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Actress
50 William Moses
Actor
49 RuPaul
Entertainer
46 Dylan Walsh
Actor
43 Daisy Fuentes
Actress, model
43 Sophie Marceau
Actress
42 Ronnie DeVoe
R&B singer (New Edition; Bell Biv DeVoe)
42 Ben Wilson
Rock musician (Blues Traveler)
37 Leonard Roberts
Actor
36 Leslie Bib
Actress
33 Brandon Call
Actor
32 Aaron Lines
Country singer
31 Rachel McAdams
Actress ("The Notebook," "Mean Girls")
31 Reggie Wayne
Football player
29 Isaac Hanson
Rock musician (Hanson)
26 Ryan Braun
Baseball player
21 Justin Cooper
Actor
Historic Birthdays
Lee Strasberg
11/17/1901 - 2/17/1982
American film director
(Go to obit.)
69 Angelo Bronzino
11/17/1503 - 11/23/1572
Italian painter
91 Joost van den Vondel
11/17/1587 - 2/5/1679
Dutch poet
64 Pierre Gaultier La Verendrye
11/17/1685 - 12/5/1749
French-Canadian soldier, fur trader and explorer
68 Louis XVIII
11/17/1755 - 9/16/1824
French king (1814-24)
71 Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes
11/17/1895 - 12/10/1966
Mexican novelist
84 Isamu Noguchi
11/17/1904 - 12/30/1988
American sculptor
61 Mischa Auer
11/17/1905 - 3/5/1967
American actor
59 Rock Hudson
11/17/1925 - 10/2/1985
American actor
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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