TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Thursday, Nov. 15, the 320th day of 2012. There are 46 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 15, 1942, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U. S. victory over Japanese forces.
On this date:
In 1937, the House and Senate chambers of the U. S. Capitol were air- conditioned for the first time.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D. C.
In 1966, the flight of Gemini 12 ended successfully as astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. splashed down safely in the Atlantic.
In 1969, a quarter of a million protesters staged a peaceful demonstration in Washington against the Vietnam War. In 1979, the British government publicly identified Sir Anthony Blunt as the “fourth man” of a Soviet spy ring.
In 1982, funeral services were held in Moscow’s Red Square for the late Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev.
In 2001, President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to resolve their dispute over U. S. missile shield plans but pledged to fight terrorism and deepen U. S.- Russian ties as their summit, which began at the White House before shifting to Bush’s Texas ranch, came to a close.
Ten years ago: Palestinian militants raked Israeli troops and settlers with gunfire in a West Bank ambush, killing 12 Israelis in Hebron.
Five years ago: During a feisty Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Hillary Rodham Clinton accused her closest rivals, Barack Obama and John Edwards, of slinging mud “right out of the Republican playbook” and sharply criticized their records.
One year ago: Hundreds of police officers in riot gear raided the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City in the pre- dawn darkness, evicting hundreds of protesters and then demolishing the tent city.
Today’s Birthdays: Judge Joseph Wapner is 93. Actor Ed Asner is 83. Actor John Kerr is 81. Singer Petula Clark is 80. Comedian Jack Burns is 79. Actress Joanna Barnes is 78. Actor Yaphet Kotto is 73. Actor Sam Waterston is 72. Actor Bob Gunton is 67. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is 65. Director- actor James Widdoes is 59. Rock singer- producer Mitch Easter is 58. Fox News reporter John Roberts is 56. Former “Jay Leno Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 55. Comedian Judy Gold is 50. Actress Rachel True is 46. Rapper E- 40 is 45. Rock singer- musician Chad Kroeger is 38. Rock musician Jesse Sandoval is 38. Actress Virginie Ledoyen is 36.
Thought for Today: “News reports don’t change the world. Only facts change it, and those have already happened when we get the news.” — Friedrich Durrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright ( 1921
1990).