WEDNESDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 15, the 319th day of 2017. There are 46 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

OnNov. 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 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.

In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted themountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led byMaj. Gen. William T. Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah on Dec. 21.

In 1926, the National Broadcasting Company began operating its radio network.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial inWashington, D.C.

In 1966, the flight ofGemini 12, the final mission of the Gemini program, ended successfully as astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. splashed down safely in the Atlantic after spending four days in orbit.

In 1986, a government tribunal in Nicaragua convicted American Eugene Hasenfus of charges related to his role in delivering arms to Contra rebels, and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. (Hasenfus was pardoned a month later.)

Ten years ago: 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.

Five years ago: The Justice Department announced that BP had agreed to plead guilty to a raft of charges in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and pay a record $4.5 billion, including nearly $1.3 billion in criminal fines.

One year ago: President Barack Obama acknowledged in Athens, Greece, that he was surprised by Donald Trump’s victory, and said it stemmed from deep-seated anxieties among working-class Americans that the government needed to do better to address.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ed Asner is 88. Singer Petula Clark is 85. Comedian Jack Burns is 84. Actress Joanna Barnes is 83. Actor Yaphet Kotto is 78. News correspondent John Roberts is 61. Rapper E-40 is 50. Actress Shailene Woodley is 26.

Thought for Today: “In seeking wisdomthou art wise; in imagining that thou has attained it thou art a fool.” — SimonBen Azzai, 2ndcentury (A.D.) Jewish scholar.