TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 15, the 319th day of 2017. 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 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. 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 in Washington, D.C.
In 1959, four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, were found murdered in their home. (Ex-convicts Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were later convicted of the killings and hanged in a case made famous by the Truman Capote book “In Cold Blood.”)
In 1966, the flight of Gemini 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.
Ten 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.
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: Speaker Paul Ryan unanimously won his GOP colleagues’ votes for another term at the helm of the House.
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. Actor Sam Waterston is 77. Classical conductor Daniel Barenboim is 75. Pop singer Frida (ABBA) is 72. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is 70. Actress Beverly D’Angelo is 66. . Former “Jay Leno Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 60. Comedian Judy Gold is 55. Rapper E-40 is 50. Country singer Jack Ingram is 47. Actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier is 44. Christian rock musician David Carr (Third Day) is 43. Golfer Lorena Ochoa is 36. Hip-hop artist B.o.B is 29. Actress Shailene Woodley is 26. Actress-dancer Emma Dumont is 23.
Thought for Today: “In seeking wisdom thou art wise; in imagining that thou has attained it thou art a fool.”—Simon Ben Azzai, 2nd century (A.D.) Jewish scholar.