Today in History

Today is Monday, Nov. 18, the 322nd day of 2013. There are 43 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 18, 1928, Walt Disney's first sound-synchronized animated cartoon, "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.

On this date:

In 1883, the United States and Canada adopted a system of Standard Time zones.

In 1886, the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, died in New York.

In 1910, British suffragists clashed with police outside Parliament on what became known as "Black Friday."

In 1936, Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

In 1942, "The Skin of Our Teeth," Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning allegory about the history of humankind, opened on Broadway.

In 1958, the cargo freighter SS Carl D. Bradley sank during a storm in Lake Michigan, claiming the lives of 33 of the 35 on board.

In 1959, "Ben-Hur," MGM's Biblical-era spectacle starring Charlton Heston and directed by William Wyler, had its world premiere at Loew's State Theatre in New York.

In 1962, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr died in his native Denmark at age 77.

In 1966, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays outside of Lent.

In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo J. Ryan, D-Calif., and four others were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by more than 900 cult members.

In 1987, the congressional Iran-Contra committees issued their final report, saying President Ronald Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides. A fire at London King's Cross railway station claimed 31 lives.

In 1991, Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon freed Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland, the American dean of agriculture at the American University of Beirut.

In 1999, 12 people were killed when a bonfire under construction at Texas A-and-M University collapsed.

In 2000, actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married in an extravagant wedding at The Plaza hotel in New York City.

Ten years ago: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled, 4-3, that the state constitution guaranteed gay couples the right to marry. President Bush and his wife, Laura, arrived in Britain for a state visit. The U.N. refugee agency began pulling foreign staff out of Afghanistan after the killing of French worker. A judge in Modesto, Calif., ordered Scott Peterson to stand trial for the killing of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. (Peterson was later convicted and sentenced to death.) Barry Bonds won his record sixth National League MVP award.

Five years ago: Detroit's Big Three automakers pleaded with Congress for a $25 billion lifeline, warning of a national economic catastrophe should they collapse. Belgium-based InBev SA formed the world's largest brewer with its 41 billion-euro ($52 billion) takeover of U.S.-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Boston's Dustin Pedroia won the American League MVP award, becoming the first second baseman to earn the honor in nearly a half-century.

One year ago: In the deadliest single attack in Israel's offensive against Islamic militants, at least 11 civilians were killed when an Israeli missile ripped through a two-story home in a residential area of Gaza City. Palestinian militants continued to barrage Israel with rockets, firing more than 100.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 74. Author-poet Margaret Atwood is 74. Actress Linda Evans is 71. Actress Susan Sullivan is 71. Country singer Jacky Ward is 67. Actor Jameson Parker is 66. Actress-singer Andrea Marcovicci is 65. Rock musician Herman Rarebell is 64. Singer Graham Parker is 63. Actor Delroy Lindo is 61. Comedian Kevin Nealon is 60. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon is 57. Actor Oscar Nunez is 55. Actress Elizabeth Perkins is 53. Singer Kim Wilde is 53. Rock musician Kirk Hammett (Metallica) is 51. Rock singer Tim DeLaughter is 48. Actor Romany Malco is 45. Actor Owen Wilson is 45. Singer Duncan Sheik is 44. Actor Mike Epps is 43. Actress Peta Wilson is 43. Actress Chloe Sevigny is 39. Country singer Jessi Alexander is 37. Actor Steven Pasquale is 37. Rapper Fabolous is 36. Actor Nate Parker is 34. Rapper Mike Jones is 33. Actress/comedian Nasim Pedrad is 32. Actor Damon Wayans Jr. is 31. Actor Nathan Kress is 21.

Thought for Today: "If an historian were to relate truthfully all the crimes, weaknesses and disorders of mankind, his readers would take his work for satire rather than for history." -- Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and critic (born this date in 1647, died 1706).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.