Today in History

Today is Sunday, Nov. 23, the 327th day of 2014. There are 38 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 23, 1889, the first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon. (The coin-operated device consisted of four listening tubes attached to an Edison phonograph.)

On this date:

In 1765, Frederick County, Maryland, became the first colonial entity to repudiate the British Stamp Act.

In 1804, the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was born in Hillsboro, New Hampshire.

In 1903, Enrico Caruso made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, appearing in "Rigoletto."

In 1914, the seven-month U.S. military occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, ended.

In 1936, Life, the photojournalism magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was first published.

In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure establishing the U.S. Women's Coast Guard Reserve, or SPARS (an abbreviation of the U.S. Coast Guard motto "Semper Paratus" -- "Always Ready").

In 1943, during World War II, U.S. forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese.

In 1959, the musical "Fiorello!," starring Tom Bosley as legendary New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, opened on Broadway.

In 1964, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 707 bound for Athens, crashed during takeoff from Rome, killing 50 of the 73 people on board.

In 1971, the People's Republic of China was seated in the U.N. Security Council.

In 1980, some 2,600 people were killed by a series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy.

In 1996, a commandeered Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the water off the Comoros Islands, killing 125 of the 175 people on board, including all three hijackers.

Ten years ago: Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared himself the winner of Ukraine's disputed presidential election and took a symbolic oath of office. (He won a court-ordered revote in Dec. 2004.) Viacom agreed to pay a record $3.5 million to settle dozens of government investigations into allegations of indecency in its radio and television programming. Dan Rather announced he would step down as principal anchorman of "The CBS Evening News" in March 2005.

Five years ago: One of the worst massacres in Philippine history took place as gunmen targeted an election campaign convoy in southern Maguindanao (mah-GIHN'-dah-NOW') province, killing 58 people. Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins became only the second catcher in 33 years to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award, finishing first in a near-unanimous vote.

One year ago: President Barack Obama said a nuclear deal reached with Iran during talks in Geneva was an "important first step" toward addressing the world's concerns over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear program.

Today's Birthdays: Former Labor Secretary William E. Brock is 84. Actress Elmarie Wendel is 86. Actor Franco Nero is 73. Actress Susan Anspach is 72. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas is 70. Actor-comedy writer Bruce Vilanch is 67. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is 64. Singer Bruce Hornsby is 60. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is 59. Actor Maxwell Caulfield is 55. Actor John Henton is 54. TV personality Robin Roberts ("Good Morning America") is 54. Rock singer-musician Ken Block (Sister Hazel) is 48. Rock musician Charlie Grover is 48. Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield is 47. Actor Oded Fehr is 44. Rapper-actor Kurupt (Tha Dogg Pound) is 42. Actor Page Kennedy is 38. Actress Kelly Brook is 35. Actor Lucas Grabeel is 30. TV personality Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is 27. Actress-singer Miley Cyrus is 22. Actor Austin Majors is 19.

Thought for Today: "Music expresses that which cannot be said and which cannot remain silent." -- Victor Hugo, French author (1902-1885).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.