Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 29, the 333rd day of 2011. There are 32 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 29, 1961, Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited earth twice before returning.

On this date:

In 1530, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, onetime adviser to England's King Henry VIII, died.

In 1864, a Colorado militia killed at least 150 peaceful Cheyenne Indians in the Sand Creek Massacre.

In 1910, British explorer Robert F. Scott's ship Terra Nova set sail from New Zealand, carrying Scott's expedition on its ultimately futile -- as well as fatal -- race to reach the South Pole first.

In 1924, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini died in Brussels before he could complete his opera "Turandot." (It was finished by Franco Alfano.)

In 1929, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd, pilot Bernt Balchen, radio operator Harold June and photographer Ashley McKinney made the first airplane flight over the South Pole.

In 1947, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the partitioning of Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

In 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank.

In 1981, actress Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island, Calif., at age 43.

In 1986, actor Cary Grant died in Davenport, Iowa, at age 82.

In 1991, 17 people were killed in a 164-vehicle pileup during a dust storm on Interstate 5 near Coalinga, Calif. Actor Ralph Bellamy died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 87.

Ten years ago: George Harrison, the "quiet Beatle," died in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer; he was 58. "A Separate Peace" author John Knowles died in Florida at age 75. The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution extending the world body's humanitarian program in Iraq and setting the stage for an overhaul of U.N. sanctions against Baghdad the following year.

Five years ago: The first of two high-profile meetings in Jordan between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was abruptly postponed amid conflicting explanations. (Bush met al-Maliki the next day.) Still losing money after job and factory cuts, Ford Motor Co. said 38,000 workers, almost half of its hourly production force, had accepted buyouts or early retirement offers.

One year ago: An Afghan border policeman killed six American servicemen during a training mission in a remote area near the Pakistani border. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, admitted for the first time that a computer worm had affected centrifuges in Iran's uranium enrichment program. Climate negotiators began a two-week conference in Cancun. Former New York congressman Stephen J. Solarz, 70, died in Washington, D.C.

Today's Birthdays: Hall-of-Fame sportscaster Vin Scully is 84. Former French President Jacques Chirac is 79. Blues singer-musician John Mayall is 78. Actress Diane Ladd is 76. Composer-musician Chuck Mangione is 71. Country singer Jody Miller is 70. Pop singer-musician Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals) is 69. Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee is 65. Comedian Garry Shandling is 62. Actor Jeff Fahey is 59. Movie director Joel Coen is 57. Actor-comedian-game show host Howie Mandel is 56. Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano is 54. The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, is 52. Actress Cathy Moriarty is 51. Actress Kim Delaney is 50. Actor Tom Sizemore is 50. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 49. Actor Don Cheadle is 47. Actor-producer Neill Barry is 46. Musician Wallis Buchanan is 46. Pop singer Jonathan Knight (New Kids on the Block) is 43. Rock musician Martin Carr (Boo Radleys) is 43. Actress Jennifer Elise Cox is 42. Actor Larry Joe Campbell is 41. Rock musician Frank Delgado (Deftones) is 41. Actress Paola Turbay is 41. Actress Gena Lee Nolin is 40. Actor Brian Baumgartner is 39. Actress Anna Faris is 35. Actor Julian Ovenden is 35. Rapper The Game is 32. Rock musician Ringo Garza is 30. Actor Lucas Black is 29.

Thought for Today: "When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there." -- George Harrison (1943-2001).

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.