Today in history

Today is Wednesday, November 15, the 319th day of 2017 and the 55th day of autumn.

On this date in the SCV: In 1988, The Signal reported that Tenneco Oil Co. won the right to continue building a steam and power generating plant in Placerita Canyon and to ignore a city moratorium on construction there. Superior Court Judge Miriam Vogel said Tenneco’s irrevocable right to procede with its power plant existed before the city of Santa Clarita banned such construction Dec. 15, 1987 at its inaugural meeting. She also ruled that building permits mistakenly issued by the county building department on behalf of the city led Tenneco to believe that the city moratorium did not apply to the company, which already held a valid county permit to build the plant. City Attorney Carl Newton said he believed Vogel’s decision was “contrary to the law,” and that there were “substantial grounds for appeal.”

Today’s Highlights in History: In 1920, the League of Nations held its

first assembly in Geneva. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt laid the cornerstone for the Jefferson Memorial during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. In 1969, Vietnam anti-war demonstrations reached a peak when an estimated quarter- to half-million protesters marched peacefully in Washington, D.C. In 2002, Hu Jintao took over leadership of China’s Communist Party, replacing Jiang Zemin. In 2006, the international 24-hour news channel Al Jazeera English launched worldwide.

Today’s fact: Georgia O’Keeffe was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, by President Gerald Ford in 1977.

Today’s sports: In 2005, Major League Baseball team owners and

the players’ union agreed on a tougher testing policy for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Today’s number: 22 – average age of a U.S. infantryman serving in the Vietnam War.

Today’s moon: Between last quarter moon (Nov. 10) and new moon (Nov. 18).