Today In History

Today is Friday, Nov. 9, the 313th day of 2018. There are 52 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1938: Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a program of deliberate persecution that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

ON THIS DATE

› 1620: The passengers and crew of the Mayflower sighted Cape Cod.

› 1961: U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert M. White became the first pilot to fly an X-15 rocket plane at six times the speed of sound. The Beatles’ future manager, Brian Epstein, first saw the group perform at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.

› 1965: The great Northeast blackout began as a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours left 30 million people in seven states and part of Canada without electricity.

› 1967: A Saturn V rocket carrying an unmanned Apollo spacecraft blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a successful test flight.

› 1976: The U.N. General Assembly approved resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as “illegitimate.”

› 1989: Communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West.

› 2000: George W. Bush’s lead over Al Gore in all-or-nothing Florida slipped beneath 300 votes in a suspense-filled recount.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog is 87. Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson is 83. Actor Charlie Robinson is 73. Movie director Bille August is 70. Actor Robert David Hall is 70. Actor Lou Ferrigno is 67. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is 66. Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is 59. Rock musician Dee Plakas (L7) is 58. Actress Ion Overman is 49. Rapper Pepa (Salt-N-Pepa) is 49. Rapper Scarface (Geto Boys) is 48. Blues singer Susan Tedeschi is 48. Actor Jason Antoon is 47. Actor Eric Dane is 46. Singer Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) is 45. Country musician Barry Knox (Parmalee) is 41. Rhythm and blues singer Sisqo (Dru Hill) is

40. Country singer Corey Smith is 39. Country singer Chris Lane is 34. Actress Emily Tyra is 31. Actress Nikki Blonsky is

30. Actress-model Analeigh Tipton is 30.