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Today November 24th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
380 – Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal entry, into Constantinople.
1190 – Isabella of Jerusalem marries Conrad of Montferrat at Acre, making him de jure King.
1639 – Jeremiah Horrocks observes the transit of Venus, an event he had predicted.
1642 – Abel Tasman becomes the first European to discover the island Van Diemen s Land (later renamed Tasmania).
1850 – Danish troops defeat a Schleswig-Holstein force in the town of Lottorf, Schleswig-Holstein.
1859 – Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species.
1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Lookout Mountain – Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city led by General Braxton Bragg.
1898 – The International Conference of Rome for the Social Defense Against Anarchists opens.
1917 – Nine police officers and one civilian are killed when a bomb explodes at the headquarters of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1922 – Author and Irish Republican Army member Robert Erskine Childers is executed by an Irish Free State firing squad for illegally carrying a revolver.
1932 – In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.
1935 – The Senegalese Socialist Party holds its second congress.
1940 – World War II: Slovakia becomes a signatory of the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis Powers.
1941 – World War II: The United States grants Lend-Lease to the Free French.
1943 – World War II: The USS Liscome Bay is torpedoed near Tarawa and sinks with nearly 650 men killed.
1944 – World War II: Bombing of Tokyo – The first bombing raid against the Japanese capital from the east and by land is carried out by 88 American aircraft.
1947 – Red Scare: After the so-called Hollywood 10 refuse to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of Communist influence in the movie industry, the United States House of Representatives votes 346 to 17 to approve citations of contempt of Congress against them.
1962 – The West Berlin branch of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany forms a separate party, the Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin.
1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald is fatally shot by Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas police department headquarters. The shooting was broadcast live on television.
1963 – Vietnam War: Newly sworn-in US President Lyndon B. Johnson confirms that the United States intends to continue supporting South Vietnam both militarily and economically.
1965 – Joseph Désiré Mobutu seizes power in the Congo and becomes President; he rules the country (which he renames Zaire in 1971) for over 30 years, until being overthrown by rebels in 1997.
1966 – A Bulgarian plane with 82 people on board crashes near Bratislava, Slovakia.
1966 – New York City experiences the smoggiest day in the city s history.
1969 – Apollo program: The Apollo 12 command module splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the second manned mission to the Moon.
1971 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (AKA D.B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money – neither he nor the money have ever been found.
1974 – Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discover the 40% complete Australopithecus afarensis skeleton, nicknamed Lucy after The Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia s Afar Depression.
1992 – A China Southern Airlines domestic flight in the People s Republic of China, crashes, killing all 141 people on-board.
1993 – In Liverpool, 11-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables are convicted of the murder of 2-year-old James Bulger.
2004 – Male Po?o-uli dies of Avian malaria in the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, Hawaii before it could breed, making the species in all probability extinct.
2005 – Conservative leader Stephen Harper, the leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament, introduces a motion of no confidence, which NDP leader Jack Layton seconds. The motion is passed on November 28 leading to the dissolution of the 38th Canadian Parliament.
2006 – Israeli rapist Benny Sela escapes from police custody while being transferred to a court hearing. He is recaptured on December 8.
Births
1273 – Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (d. 1284)
1394 – Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet (d. 1465)
1420 – John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (d. 1473)
1583 – Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet (d. 1641)
1615 – Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (d. 1690)
1630 – Etienne Baluze, French scholar (d. 1718)
1632 – Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher (d. 1677)
1655 – Charles XI of Sweden (d. 1697)
1690 – Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German composer (d. 1750)
1713 – Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary (d. 1784)
1713 – Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist (d. 1768)
1724 – Maria Amalia of Saxony, queen of Spain (d. 1760)
1729 – Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (d. 1800)
1745 – Maria Louisa of Spain, Empress consort of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1792)
1774 – Thomas Dick, Scottish scientific teacher and writer (d. 1857)
1784 – Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States (d. 1850)
1787 – Franz Xaver Gruber, Austrian organist (d. 1863)
1801 – Ludwig Bechstein, German poet (d. 1860)
1806 – William Webb Ellis, credited with the invention of Rugby (d. 1872)
1811 – Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1890)
1815 – Grace Darling, English heroine (d. 1842)
1826 – Carlo Collodi, Italian author (d. 1890)
1833 – Antoine Labelle, Quebec catholic priest (d. 1891)
1849 – Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-born author (d. 1924)
1853 – Bat Masterson, American gunfighter (d. 1921)
1859 – Cass Gilbert, American architect (d. 1934)
1864 – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter (d. 1901)
1868 – Scott Joplin, Ragtime Composer (d. 1917)
1869 – António Óscar Carmona, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal and 11th President of Portugal (d. 1951)
1873 – Julius Martov, Russian communiust leader (d. 1923)
1874 – Charles William Miller, Brazilian footballer (d. 1953)
1876 – Walter Burley Griffin, American architect (d. 1937)
1877 – Alben W. Barkley, Vice President of the United States (d. 1956)
1877 – Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian CID Commissioner of Police (d. 1941)
1881 – Al Christie, Canadian-born film director and producer (d. 1951)
1884 – Itzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel (d. 1963)
1886 – Margaret Caroline Anderson, American publisher (d. 1973)
1887 – Erich von Manstein, German military commander (d. 1973)
1888 – Dale Carnegie, American writer (d. 1955)
1888 – Fredrick Willius, American cardiologist (d. 1972)
1893 – Charles F. Hurley, 54th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1946)
1894 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (d. 1978)
1897 – Lucky Luciano, American gangster (d. 1962)
1899 – Ward Morehouse, American theater critic and newspaper columnist (d. 1966)
1908 – Libertad Lamarque, Argentine actress and singer (d. 2000)
1911 – Joe Medwick, baseball player (d. 1975)
1911 – Kirby Grant, American actor (d. 1985)
1912 – Bernard Delfgaauw, Dutch philosopher (d. 1993)
1912 – Garson Kanin, American writer (d. 1999)
1912 – Teddy Wilson, American jazz pianist (d. 1986)
1913 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-born actress (d. 2005)
1916 – Forrest J. Ackerman, American writer
1916 – Irwin Allen, American film producer (d. 1991)
1917 – Howard Duff, American actor (d. 1990)
1919 – David Kossoff, British actor (d. 2005)
1921 – John Lindsay, American politician (d. 2000)
1924 – Victor Grinich, Croatian-American businessman (d. 2000)
1925 – William F. Buckley Jr., American writer (d. 2008)
1925 – Simon van der Meer, Nobel Prize laureate
1926 – Tsung-Dao Lee, Nobel Prize laureate
1927 – Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (d. 2003)
1930 – Bob Friend, baseball player
1934 – Alfred Schnittke, Russian composer (d. 1998)
1935 – Ronald Vernie Dellums, U.S. Representative from California
1938 – Charles Starkweather, American Spree Killer (d. 1959)
1938 – Oscar Robertson, American basketball player
1938 – Willy Claes, Belgian politician
1940 – Paul Tagliabue, retired commissioner of the National Football League
1940 – Don Metz, American architect
1940 – Eric Wilson, Canadian children s author.
1941 – Pete Best, British musician
1941 – Donald Duck Dunn, American musician (Booker T. and the M.G. s)
1942 – Billy Connolly, Scottish comedian
1942 – Marlin Fitzwater, White House Press Secretary
1943 – Dave Bing, American basketball player
1943 – Robin Williamson, Scottish musician
1944 – Ibrahim Gambari, Nigerian scholar
1944 – Bev Bevan, English rock drummer (The Move, Electric Light Orchestra)
1945 – Lee Michaels, American musician and singer
1946 – Ted Bundy, American serial killer (d. 1989)
1946 – Penelope Jones Halsall (aka Caroline Courtney, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright, Annie Groves, Penny Jordan), English novelist
1947 – Dave Sinclair, English musician (Caravan, Hatfield and the North)
1947 – Dwight Schultz, American actor
1948 – Spider Robinson, science fiction author
1948 – Steve Yeager, baseball player
1949 – Shane Bourne, Australian comedian and actor
1949 – Linda Tripp, American political figure
1951 – Chet Edwards, American politician
1952 – Norbert Haug, German motorsport executive (Mercedes Benz)
1952 – Thierry Lhermitte, French comedian and actor
1953 – Glenn Withrow, American actor
1954 – Emir Kusturica, Serbian filmmaker
1955 – Ian Botham, England test cricketer
1955 – Clem Burke, American drummer (Blondie)
1955 – Takashi Yuasa, Japanese lawyer
1955 – Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Swedish politician
1957 – Denise Crosby, American actress
1957 – Edward Stourton, British radio presenter
1958 – Roy Aitken, Scottish former footballer
1958 – Alain Chabat, French actor and director
1960 – Amanda Wyss, American actress
1960 – Edgar Meyer, American bassist and composer
1961 – Carlos Carnero, Spanish member of parliament
1961 – Arundhati Roy, Indian writer
1962 – John Squire, British guitarist (The Stone Roses)
1962 – John Kovalic, British-born cartoonist
1964 – Garret Dillahunt, American actor
1964 – Brad Sherwood, American comedian
1964 – Tony Rombola, American guitarist (Godsmack)
1965 – Kim Roe-ha, South Korean actor
1965 – Shirley Henderson, Scottish actress
1966 – Russell Watson, British singer
1967 – Cal Eldred, American baseball player
1968 – Bülent Korkmaz, Turkish footballer
1968 – Todd Beamer, American, acclaimed hero of United Airlines Flight 93 (d. 2001)
1969 – Rob Nicholson, American musician
1969 – David Adeang, Nauruan politician
1970 – Julieta Venegas, Mexican singer
1970 – Doug Brien, American football player
1971 – Cosmas Ndeti, three-time Boston Marathon winner
1971 – Keith Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player
1974 – Stephen Merchant, British comedian
1974 – Taro Yamamoto, Japanese actor
1974 – Machel Montano, Trinidad & Tobago musician
1975 – Thomas Kohnstamm, American writer
1976 – Dave Aizer, American television host
1976 – Chen Lu, Chinese figure skater
1976 – Christian Laflamme, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – Colin Hanks, American actor
1978 – Katherine Heigl, American actress
1980 – Beth Phoenix, American professional wrestler
1982 – Sean O Loughlin, English rugby league footballer
1983 – Dean Ashton, English footballer
1983 – Meredith Henderson, Canadian actress
1983 – Karine Vanasse, Canadian actress
1985 – Julia Alexandratou, Greek fashion model and singer
1985 – Tony Hunt, Football player
1987 – Megan Mullins, American singer
1989 – Johnny Exantus, Hatian footballer
1998 – Bridger Palmer, American child actor
1998 – Brecken Palmer, American child actor
Deaths
654 – Emperor Kotoku of Japan (b. 596)
1468 – Jean de Dunois, French soldier (b. 1402)
1531 – Johannes Oecolampadius, German religious reformer (b. 1482)
1541 – Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV of Scotland (b. 1489)
1572 – John Knox, Scottish reformer (b. 1510)
1583 – René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (b. 1506)
1615 – Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (b. 1556)
1650 – Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese composer (b. 1566)
1722 – Johann Adam Reinken, German organist (b. 1623)
1741 – Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (b. 1688)
1770 – Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian (b. 1685)
1775 – Lorenzo Ricci, Italian Jesuit leader (b. 1703)
1781 – James Caldwell, American revolutionary (b. 1734)
1793 – Clément Charles François de Laverdy, French statesman (b. 1723)
1801 – Franz Moritz Graf von Lacy, Austrian field marshal (b. 1725)
1807 – Joseph Brant, Mohawk leader (b. 1742)
1848 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1779)
1870 – Comte de Lautréamont, French writer (b. 1846)
1890 – August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born financier (b. 1816)
1916 – Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, American-born gunsmith (b. 1840)
1920 – Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian writer (b. 1854)
1922 – Robert Erskine Childers, Irish nationalist (executed) (b. 1870)
1929 – Georges Clemenceau, Premier of France (b. 1841)
1943 – Doris Miller, American navy cook (b. 1919)
1956 – Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)
1957 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (b. 1886)
1958 – Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, British politician, Nobel laureate (b. 1864)
1959 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player (b. 1883)
1960 – Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (b. 1882)
1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald, accused assassin of John F. Kennedy (b. 1939)
1965 – Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1895)
1967 – Louis Fratto, American gangster (b. 1908)
1973 – John Neihardt, American writer (b. 1881)
1980 – George Raft, American actor (b. 1895)
1980 – Herbert Agar, American journalist and historian (b. 1897)
1985 – Big Joe Turner, American singer (b. 1911)
1987 – Jehane Benoît, French Canadian culinary author (b. 1904)
1990 – Fred Shero, National Hockey League player and coach (b. 1925)
1990 – Dodie Smith, English novelist and playwright (b. 1896)
1990 – Juan Manuel Bordeu, Argentine racing driver (b. 1934)
1991 – Freddie Mercury, Zanzibar-born singer (Queen) (b. 1946)
1991 – Eric Carr, American drummer (KISS) (b. 1950)
1993 – Albert Collins, American blues guitarist (b. 1932)
1996 – Sorley MacLean, British poet (b. 1911)
1999 – Hilary Minster, British Actor, Best known for his part as the General in Allo Allo (b. 1944)
2001 – Melanie Thornton, American dance/pop singer (b. 1967)
2002 – John Rawls, political philosopher (b. 1921)
2003 – Floquet de Neu, Ecuato Guinean albino gorilla (b. 1964)
2003 – Warren Spahn, Major League Baseball player (b. 1921)
2004 – Wong Jim, Hong Kong songwriter (b. 1940)
2004 – Arthur Hailey, British-born author (b. 1920)
2005 – Pat Morita, American actor (b. 1932)
2006 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish rock singer (b. 1950)
2006 – George W. S. Trow, American writer (b. 1943)
2006 – Zdenek Veselovský, Czech zoologist (b. 1938)
2008 – Cecil H. Underwood, Governor of West Virginia (b. 1922)
2008 – Kenny MacLean, Scottish musician (Platinum Blonde) (b. 1956)
Holidays and observances
Roman festivals – in the Byzantine empire the Brumalia (a wine festival) were celebrated from this day until the winter solstice
R.C. Saints – Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and other Vietnamese Martyrs, Saint Colman of Cloyne – Cobh, Ireland, Flavian of Ricina
Teacher s Day in Turkey
Lachit Divas is observed on 24th November each year in Assam, India to commemorate the heroism of the Assamese General Lachit Borphukan and the victory of Assamese army over the Mughal army in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.
Evolution Day
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