Today in History

Today is Monday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2011. There are 33 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 28, 1961, President John F. Kennedy dedicated the original permanent headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va.

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 1885, at the end of the Third Anglo-Burmese War, British troops occupied Mandalay.

In 1905, Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin.

In 1942, nearly 500 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston.

In 1958, Chad, Gabon and Middle Congo became autonomous republics within the French community.

In 1961, Ernie Davis of Syracuse University became the first African-American football player to be named winner of the Heisman Trophy.

In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course to Mars.

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 1987, a South African Airways Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean with the loss of all 159 people aboard.

Ten years ago: Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion deal to take it over. Officials recovered the body of CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann from a prison compound in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, after northern alliance rebels backed by U.S. airstrikes and special forces quelled an uprising by Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners.

Five years ago: At the opening of a NATO summit in Latvia, President George W. Bush rejected suggestions Iraq had fallen into civil war and vowed not to pull U.S. troops out "until the mission is complete." The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend for a year the mandate of the 160,000-strong multinational force in Iraq. Pope Benedict XVI, in Turkey on his first visit to a Muslim country, urged all religious leaders to "utterly refuse" to support any violence in the name of faith.

One year ago: European Union nations meeting in Brussels agreed to give 67.5 billion euros ($89.4 billion) in bailout loans to Ireland to help it weather the cost of its massive banking crisis. WikiLeaks began disclosing over 250,000 private cables written by U.S. diplomats, divulging candid comments from world leaders and detailing occasional U.S. pressure tactics aimed at hot spots in Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. Actor Leslie Nielsen died in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at age 84. Samuel T. Cohen, the inventor of the neutron bomb, died in Los Angeles at age 89. Roger Federer won his fifth season-ending title by beating top-ranked Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Today's Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 82. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 75. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 71. Singer Randy Newman is 68. CBS News correspondent Susan Spencer is 65. Movie director Joe Dante is 64. "Late Show" orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 62. Actor Ed Harris is 61. Former NASA teacher in space Barbara Morgan is 60. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson is 59. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is 58. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 55. Actor Judd Nelson is 52. Movie director Alfonso Cuaron is 50. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 49. Actress Jane Sibbett is 49. Comedian Jon Stewart is 49. Actress Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 43. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 37. Actress Aimee Garcia is 33. Rapper Chamillionaire is 32. Actor Daniel Henney is 32. Rock musician Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) is 28. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is 27. Actress Scarlett Pomers ("Reba") is 23.

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).

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.