TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Thursday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2019. There are 33 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 28, 1942, fire engulfed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub blaze ever. (The cause of the rapidly-spreading fire, which began in the basement, is in dispute; one theory is that a busboy accidentally ignited an artificial palm tree while using a lighted match to fix a light bulb.)
On this date:
■ In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.
■ In 1861, the Confederate Congress admitted Missouri as the 12th state of the Confederacy after Missouri’s disputed secession from the Union.
■ In 1905, Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin.
■ In 1919, American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female member of the British Parliament.
■ In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began conferring in Tehran during World War II.
■ In 1961, Ernie Davis of Syracuse University became the first African-American to be named winner of the Heisman Trophy.
■ In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet.
■ In 1975, President Ford nominated Federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U-S Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.
■ In 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 en route to the South Pole crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all 257 people aboard.
In 1994, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was slain in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate. Sixties war protester Jerry Rubin died in Los Angeles, two weeks after being hit by a car; he was 56.
■ In 2001, Enron Corp., once the world’s largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal. (Enron filed for bankruptcy protection four days later.)
Ten years ago: A conservative Iranian legislator warned his country might pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a U.N. resolution censuring Tehran. For a second straight day, Tiger Woods was unavailable to speak to the Florida Highway Patrol about an accident involving his SUV that sent him to the hospital with injuries.
Five years ago: A gunman fired more than 100 rounds at downtown buildings in Austin, Texas, and tried to set the Mexican Consulate ablaze before he died during a confrontation with police.
One year ago: Democrats overwhelmingly nominated Nancy Pelosi to become House speaker when Democrats took control of the House in January. Stocks surged to their biggest gain in eight months after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hinted that the Fed might not raise interest rates much further; the Dow soared 617 points higher. President Donald Trump told the New York Post that a pardon for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was “not off the table,” prompting critics to fear that Trump would use his executive power to protect friends and supporters caught up in the Russia probe.
Today’s Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 90. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 83. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is 82. Singer Randy Newman is 76. Former “Late Show” orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 70. Actor Ed Harris is 69. Former NASA astronaut Barbara Morgan is 68. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson is 67. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is 66. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 63. Actor Judd Nelson is 60. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 57. Actress Jane Sibbett is 57. Comedian Jon Stewart is 57. Actress Garcelle Beauvais is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 51. Actress Gina Tognoni is 46. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 45. Actor Malcolm Goodwin is 44. Actor Ryan Kwanten is 43. Rapper Chamillionaire is 40. Actor Daniel Henney is 40. NHL goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is 35.
Thought for Today:
“Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more.” — William Cowper, English poet (1731-1800).