Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 12, the 316th day of 2013. There are 49 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 12, 1942, the World War II naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. (The Allies ended up winning a major victory over Japanese forces.)

On this date:

In 1787, severe flooding struck Dublin, Ireland, as the River Liffey rose.

In 1815, American suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in Johnstown, N.Y.

In 1918, the short-lived Republic of German-Austria was declared.

In 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

In 1936, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in Washington, D.C., giving the green light to traffic.

In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal.

In 1969, news of the My Lai Massacre in South Vietnam in March 1968 was broken by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh.

In 1977, the city of New Orleans elected its first black mayor, Ernest "Dutch" Morial, the winner of a runoff.

In 1982, Yuri V. Andropov was elected to succeed the late Leonid I. Brezhnev as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee.

In 1987, the American Medical Association issued a policy statement saying it was unethical for a doctor to refuse to treat someone solely because that person had AIDS or was HIV-positive.

In 1990, Japanese Emperor Akihito formally assumed the Chrysanthemum Throne. Actress Eve Arden died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 82.

In 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 headed to the Dominican Republic, crashed after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.

Ten years ago: President Bush and his top foreign advisers reviewed new strategies to speed the transfer of political power in Iraq. A suicide truck bomber attacked the headquarters of Italy's paramilitary police in Nasiriyah, Iraq, killing more than 30 people. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat swore in a new Palestinian Cabinet. Actress Penny Singleton died in Sherman Oaks, Calif., at age 95. Actor Jonathan Brandis died in Los Angeles at age 27.

Five years ago: Same-sex marriages began in Connecticut, a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that gays had the right to wed. Kenny Chesney took home his fourth entertainer of the year trophy at the CMA Awards. Mitch Mitchell, the England-born drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was found dead in his hotel room in Portland, Ore.; he was 61.

One year ago: Two weeks after Superstorm Sandy, more than 70,000 customers of the Long Island Power Authority in New York were still without electricity. The utility said more than half of those in the dark had water damage to electrical panels and wiring, and their service could not be restored without an inspection and possibly repairs.

Today's Birthdays: Rhythm-and-blues singer Jimmy Hayes (Persuasions) is 70. Singer Brian Hyland is 70. Actor-playwright Wallace Shawn is 70. Rock musician Booker T. Jones (Booker T. & the MGs) is 69. Sportscaster Al Michaels is 69. Singer-songwriter Neil Young is 68. Rock musician Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (Blue Oyster Cult) is 66. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., is 64. Country/gospel singer Barbara Fairchild is 63. Actress Megan Mullally is 55. Actor Vincent Irizarry is 54. Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci is 52. Actor Sam Lloyd is 50. Rock musician David Ellefson is 49. Former MLB player Sammy Sosa is 45. Figure skater Tonya Harding is 43. Actress Radha Mitchell is 40. Actress Lourdes Benedicto is 39. Actress Tamala Jones is 39. Actress Angela Watson is 39. Singer Tevin Campbell is 37. Actress Ashley Williams is 35. Actress Cote de Pablo is 34. Actor Ryan Gosling is 33. Contemporary Christian musician Chris Huffman is 33. Actress Anne Hathaway is 31. Pop singer Omarion is 29. Actress Macey Cruthird is 21.

Thought for Today: "This is the lesson that history teaches: repetition." -- Gertrude Stein, American author (1874-1946).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.