Today in history
Today is Saturday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2017. There are 36 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight
On Nov. 25, 2016, Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba, died at age 90.
On this date
In 1783, the British evacuated New York during the Revolutionary War.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Confederate agents set a series of arson fires in New York; the blazes were quickly extinguished.
In 1915, a new version of the Ku Klux Klan, targeting blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants, was founded by William Joseph Simmons.
In 1920, radio station WTAW of College Station, Texas, broadcast the first play-by-play description of a football game, between Texas University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. (Texas won, 7-3.)
In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the “Hollywood Ten” who’d been cited for contempt of Congress the day before.
In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke.
In 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, Jacqueline, lighted an “eternal flame” at the gravesite.
In 1974, former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant (oo thahnt) died in New York at age 65.
In 1987, Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, died in office at age 65.
In 1992, the movie “The Bodyguard,” starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, was released by Warner Bros.
In 1999, Elian Gonzalez, a 5-year-old Cuban boy, was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle.
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.
Ten years ago: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (nah-WAHZ’ shah-REEF’) returned from exile to an ecstatic welcome from thousands of supporters and immediately stepped up the pressure on U.S.backed military ruler Pervez Musharraf (pur-VEHZ’ mooSHAH’-ruhv) to end emergency rule. Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home; he was 52. Actor Neil Hope died in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at age 35.
Five years ago: Rioters stormed a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters building in northern Egypt on the third day of street battles following a power grab by President Mohammed Morsi. YouTube announced that “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper PSY had become the site’s most viewed video to that time, with more than 805 million viewings.
One year ago: Presidentelect Donald Trump pressed forward with two more administration picks: Fox News analyst Kathleen Troia “KT” McFarland to serve as deputy national security adviser and campaign attorney Donald McGahn as White House counsel. Actor Ron Glass, best known for his role as the gregarious, sometimes sardonic detective Ron Harris in the long-running cop comedy “Barney Miller,” died in Los Angeles at age 71.
Today’s Birthdays: Playwright Murray Schisgal is 91. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 84. Actor Christopher Riordan is 80. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is 77. Singer Bob Lind is 75. Author, actor and economist Ben Stein is 73. Actor John Larroquette is 70. Actor Tracey Walter is 70. Movie director Jonathan Kaplan is 70. Author Charlaine Harris is 66. Retired MLB All-Star Bucky Dent is 66. Dance judge Bruno Tonioli (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 62. Singer Amy Grant is 57.