Today in History

  • Thursday, November 19, 2015 2:20pm
  • Life

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2015. There are 36 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight:

On Nov. 25, 1915, a new version of the Ku Klux Klan, targeting blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants, was founded by William Joseph Simmons, who proclaimed himself the Imperial Wizard of the group as he staged a cross-burning on Stone Mountain outside Atlanta.

On this date:

In 1783, the British evacuated New York, their last military position in the United States 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 1908, the first issue of The Christian Science Monitor was published.

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 1940, the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker made his debut in the animated short “Knock Knock” produced by Walter Lantz.

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 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 1999, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez 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: Palestinians took control of a border for the first time with the festive opening of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a milestone on their rocky path to independence. Susanne Osthoff, a German aid worker and archaeologist, was kidnapped in Iraq; she was released more than three weeks later. Nine inmates escaped from the Yakima County Jail in Washington state; all were recaptured, although one was at large for three weeks. George Best, one of the most dazzling players in soccer history, died at a London hospital at age 59.

Five years ago: Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki cemented his grip on power, bringing an end to nearly nine months of political deadlock after he was asked to form the next government. South Korea’s defense minister, Kim Tae-young, resigned amid intense criticism two days after a North Korean artillery attack killed four people on a small island near the Koreas’ disputed frontier.

One year ago: Attorneys for Michael Brown’s family vowed to push for federal charges against the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who killed the unarmed 18-year-old, a day after a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, who insisted in an interview with ABC News that he could not have done anything differently in the confrontation with Brown. (The Justice Department later declined to prosecute Wilson.) President Barack Obama sharply rebuked protesters for racially charged violence in Ferguson, saying there was no excuse for burning buildings, torching cars and destroying other property.

Today’s birthdays: Actress Noel Neill is 95. Playwright Murray Schisgal is 89. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 82. Actor Christopher Riordan is 78. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs is 75. Singer Bob Lind is 73. Author, actor and economist Ben Stein is 71. Actor John Larroquette is 68. Actor Tracey Walter is 68. Movie director Jonathan Kaplan is 68. Author Charlaine Harris is 64. Retired MLB All-Star Bucky Dent is 64. Dance judge Bruno Tonioli (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 60. Singer Amy Grant is 55. Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar is 52. Rock musician Eric Grossman (K’s Choice) is 51. Rock singer Mark Lanegan is 51. Rock singer-musician Tim Armstrong is 50. Actor Steve Harris is 50. Actor Billy Burke is 49. Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 49. Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 49. Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 47. Actress Jill Hennessy is 46. Actress Christina Applegate is 44. Actor Eddie Steeples is 42. Actress Kristian Nairn is 40. Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is 39. Actress Jill Flint is 38. Actor Jerry Ferrara is 36. Actor Joel Kinnaman is 36. Actress Valerie Azlynn is 35. Former first daughter Barbara Pierce Bush is 34. Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager is 34. Actress Katie Cassidy is 29. Neo-soul musician Ben Griner (St. Paul &the Broken Bones) is 25. Contemporary Christian singer Jamie Grace is 24.

Thought for today: “There’s no one so intolerable or less tolerated in society than someone who’s intolerant.” — Giacomo Leopardi, Italian author and poet (1798-1837).

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.