Today in History

Today is Friday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2014. There are 33 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 28, 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet.

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 1905, Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin.

In 1922, Captain Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force gave the first public skywriting exhibition, spelling out, "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York's Times Square; about 47,000 calls in less than three hours resulted.

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

In 1944, the MGM movie musical "Meet Me in St. Louis," starring Judy Garland, opened in New York, six days after its world premiere in St. Louis.

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

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy dedicated the original permanent headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Ernie Davis of Syracuse University became the first African-American to be named winner of the Heisman Trophy.

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.

In 1994, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was murdered in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate. Sixties war protester Jerry Rubin died in Los Angeles, two weeks after being hit by a car; he was 56.

In 2001, Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal.

Ten years ago: NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol was injured, his 14-year-old son Teddy among three people killed, when a charter plane crashed during takeoff outside Montrose, Colorado. Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for slaughtering members of Iraq's security forces in Mosul, where dozens of bodies had been found. A gas explosion in a central Chinese coal mine killed 166 people.

Five years ago: A conservative Iranian legislator warned his country might pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a U.N. resolution censuring Tehran. For a second straight day, Tiger Woods was unavailable to speak to the Florida Highway Patrol about an accident involving his SUV that sent him to the hospital with injuries.

One year ago: China said it had sent warplanes into its newly declared maritime air defense zone, days after the U.S., South Korea and Japan all sent flights through the airspace in defiance of rules Beijing said it had imposed in the East China Sea.

Today's Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 85. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 78. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 74. Singer Randy Newman is 71. CBS News correspondent Susan Spencer is 68. Movie director Joe Dante is 67. "Late Show" orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 65. Actor Ed Harris is 64. Former NASA teacher in space Barbara Morgan is 63. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson is 62. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is 61. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 58. Actor Judd Nelson is 55. Movie director Alfonso Cuaron is 53. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 52. Actress Jane Sibbett is 52. Comedian Jon Stewart is 52. Actress Garcelle Beauvais is 48. Actor/comedian Stephnie Weir (TV: "The Comedians"; "MadTV") is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 46. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 40. Actor Ryan Kwanten is 38. Actress Aimee Garcia is 36. Rapper Chamillionaire is 35. Actor Daniel Henney is 35. Rock musician Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) is 31. Rock singer-keyboardist Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees) is 31. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is 30. R&B singer Trey Songz is 30. Actress Scarlett Pomers (TV: "Reba") is 26.

Thought for Today: "Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love." -- Adela Rogers St. Johns, American journalist (1894-1988).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.