Today in history

Today is Thursday, Nov. 14, the 318th day of 2019. There are 47 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight:

On Nov. 14, 1972, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 1,000 level for the first time, ending the day at 1,003.16.

On this date:

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln gave the go-ahead for Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s plan to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond; the resulting Battle of Fredericksburg proved a disaster for the Union.

In 1907, two renowned children’s authors were born: William Steig (“Shrek”) in New York, Astrid Lindgren (“Pippi Longstocking”) near Vimmerby, Sweden.

In 1910, Eugene B. Ely became the first aviator to take off from a ship as his Curtiss pusher rolled off a sloping platform on the deck of the scout cruiser USS Birmingham off Hampton Roads, Virginia.

In 1940, during World War II, German planes destroyed most of the English town of Coventry.

In 1943, Leonard Bernstein, the 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, made his debut with the orchestra as he filled in for the ailing Bruno Walter during a nationally broadcast concert.

In 1965, the U.S. Army’s first major military operation of the Vietnam War began with the start of the five-day Battle of Ia Drang. (The fighting between American troops and North Vietnamese forces ended on Nov. 18 with both sides claiming victory.)

In 1969, Apollo 12 blasted off for the moon.

In 1970, a chartered Southern Airways DC-9 crashed while trying to land in West Virginia, killing all 75 people on board, including the Marshall University football team and its coaching staff.

In 1986, the Securities and Exchange Commission imposed a $100 million penalty on inside-trader Ivan F. Boesky and barred him from working again in the securities industry.

In 1996, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the senior Roman Catholic prelate in the United States and leader of Chicago’s 2.3 million Catholics, died at his home at age 68. Singer Michael Jackson married his plastic surgeon’s nurse, Debbie Rowe, in a ceremony in Sydney, Australia. (Rowe filed for divorce in 1999.)

In 1997, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, decided that Pakistani national Aimal Khan Kasi should get the death penalty for gunning down two CIA employees outside agency headquarters. (Five years later on this date, Aimal Khan Kasi was executed.)

In 2004, Mahmoud Abbas, successor to Yasser Arafat, escaped unharmed when militants firing assault rifles burst into a mourning tent for the deceased Palestinian leader in Gaza, killing two security guards.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, on a mission to repair America’s global standing, told Asian countries during a speech in Tokyo that he was determined to engage them as equal partners in the economy, diplomacy and security.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the Pentagon would spend an additional $10 billion to correct deep problems of neglect and mismanagement within the nation’s nuclear forces. During his visit to Asia, President Barack Obama mounted a warm show of support for Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, appearing with the democracy activist on the back porch of her lakeside home.

One year ago: Chris Stapleton won four awards, including those for male vocalist, song and single of the year, at the Country Music Association Awards, but Keith Urban took home the top prize, entertainer of the year. Jacob DeGrom of the New York Mets easily won the National League Cy Young Award despite winning just 10 games during the season on a struggling team; the American League award went to Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays, who had pitched fewer innings than any other starting pitcher who had won the award.

Today’s birthdays: Actress Kathleen Hughes is 91. Former NASA astronaut Fred Haise is 86. Jazz musician Ellis Marsalis is 85. Composer Wendy Carlos is 80. Writer P.J. O’Rourke is 72. Britain’s Prince Charles is 71. Rock singer-musician James Young (Styx) is 70. Singer Stephen Bishop is 68. Blues musician Anson Funderburgh is 65. Pianist Yanni is 65. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is 65. Former presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett is 63. Actress Laura San Giacomo is 58. Actor D.B. Sweeney is 58. Rapper Reverend Run (Run-DMC) is 55. Actor Patrick Warburton is 55. Rock musician Nic Dalton is 55. Country singer Rockie Lynne is 55. Pop singer Jeanette Jurado (Expose) is 54. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling is 53. Rock musician Brian Yale is 51. Rock singer Butch Walker is 50. Actor Josh Duhamel is 47. Rock musician Travis Barker is 44. Contemporary Christian musician Robby Shaffer is 44. Actor Brian Dietzen is 42. Rapper Shyheim is 42. Rock musician Tobin Esperance (Papa Roach) is 40. Actress Olga Kurylenko is 40. Actress-comedian Vanessa Bayer is 38. Actor Russell Tovey is 38. Actor Cory Michael Smith is 33. Actor Graham Patrick Martin is 28. NHL forward Taylor Hall is 28.

Thought for today: “The world cares very little what you or I know, but it does care a great deal about what you or I do.” — Booker T. Washington (1856-1915).

— Associated Press