Saturday, November 28th
The 332nd day of 2009.
There are 33 days left in the year.
Go to a previous date.
Go to lesson
Today's Highlights in History
On Nov. 28, 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran during World War II. (Go to article.)
On Nov. 28, 1904, Nancy Mitford, the British satiric novelist and essayist, was born. Following her death on June 30, 1973, her obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On November 28, 1857, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about a dispute between the federal government and Utah Mormons called the "Mormon War" or "Utah War." (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1520 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.
1895 The first automobile race took place, between Chicago and Waukegan, Ill.
1925 The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville made its debut on radio station WSM.
1939 James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, died at age 78.
1942 Fire destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing nearly 500 people.
1958 The African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.
1975 President Gerald R. Ford nominated federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.
1990 Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain. She was succeded by John Major.
1994 Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was murdered in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate.
1995 President Bill Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.
1999 Hsing-Hsing, a giant panda who arrived at the National Zoo in 1972 as a symbol of U.S.-China detente, was euthanized at age 28 because of deteriorating health.
2000 George W. Bush's lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to bring "legal finality" to the presidential election by ending any further ballot recounts; Al Gore's team countered that the nation's highest court should not interfere in Florida's recount dispute.
2001 Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion deal to take it over.
2007 O.J. Simpson pleaded not guilty in Las Vegas to charges of kidnapping and armed robbery stemming from a confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers. (Simpson was later convicted and sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison.)
2008 New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh with a gun tucked into his waistband at a New York City nightclub. (He was later sentenced to two years in prison for a weapons conviction.)
Current Birthdays
Berry Gordy Jr. turns 80 years old today.
AP Photo/Peter Kramer Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. turns 80 years old today.
73 Gary Hart
Former U.S. senator, D-Colo.
69 Bruce Channel
Singer, songwriter
67 Eric Shinseki
Secretary of veterans affairs
67 Paul Warfield
Football Hall of Famer
66 Randy Newman
Singer, songwriter
62 Joe Dante
Movie director
60 Paul Shaffer
Bandleader ("Late Show With David Letterman")
59 Ed Harris
Actor
56 Michael Chertoff
Former secretary of homeland security
53 Kristine Arnold
Country singer (Sweethearts of the Rodeo)
50 Judd Nelson
Actor
48 Alfonso Cuaron
Director ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban")
47 Matt Cameron
Rock musician
47 Jane Sibbett
Actress
47 Jon Stewart
Comedian ("The Daily Show")
45 Michael Bennet
U.S. senator, D-Colo.
43 Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon
Actress
41 Dawn Robinson
R&B singer
35 apl.de.ap
Hip-hop artist (Black Eyed Peas)
31 Aimee Garcia
Actress ("George Lopez")
30 Chamillionaire
Rapper
30 Daniel Henney
Actor
26 Rostam Batmanglij
Rock musician (Vampire Weekend)
25 Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Actress
21 Scarlett Pomers
Actress ("Reba")
Historic Birthdays
Nancy Mitford
11/28/1904 - 6/30/1973
English writer of social commentary
(Go to obit.)
54 Jean-Baptiste Lully
11/28/1632 - 3/22/1687
Italian-born French composer
69 William Blake
11/28/1757 - 8/12/1827
English poet and painter
68 William Froude
11/28/1810 - 5/4/1879
English naval architect
74 Friedrich Engels
11/28/1820 - 8/5/1895
German socialist philosopher
82 John Wesley Hyatt
11/28/1837 - 5/10/1920
American inventor
90 Helen Magill White
11/28/1853 - 10/28/1944
American educator and first American woman to earn a Ph.D. degree
57 Henry Bacon
11/28/1866 - 2/16/1924
American architect and designer of the Lincoln Memorial
84 David Warfield
11/28/1866 - 6/27/1951
American actor
77 Jose Iturbi
11/28/1895 - 6/28/80
Spanish pianist
45 Alexander Godunov
11/28/1949 - 5/18/1995
Russian ballet dancer
Go to a previous date.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
Front Page Image Provided by UMI
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Children's Privacy Notice
