Today in History

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Nov. 26, the 330th day of 2015. There are 35 days left in the year. This is Thanksgiving Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

Nov. 26, 1789 was a day of thanksgiving set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.

On this date:

In 1825, the first college social fraternity, the Kappa Alpha Society, was formed at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

In 1864, English mathematician and writer Charles Dodgson presented a handwritten and illustrated manuscript, "Alice's Adventures Under Ground," to his 12-year-old friend Alice Pleasance Liddell; the book was later turned into "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

In 1933, a judge in New York ruled the James Joyce book "Ulysses" was not obscene and could be published in the United States.

In 1941, a Japanese naval task force consisting of six aircraft carriers left the Kuril Islands, headed toward Hawaii.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning Dec. 1. The motion picture "Casablanca," starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, had its world premiere at the Hollywood Theater in New York.

In 1950, China entered the Korean War, launching a counteroffensive against soldiers from the United Nations, the U.S. and South Korea.

In 1965, France launched its first satellite, the 92-pound Asterix, into orbit.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon's personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, told a federal court that she'd accidentally caused part of the 18-1/2-minute gap in a key Watergate tape.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford, having previously opposed a bailout of New York City, announced he would ask Congress to provide a temporary line of credit, citing progress made by the city in putting its financial affairs in order. A federal jury in Sacramento, California, found Lynette Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, guilty of trying to assassinate President Ford. (Fromme, sentenced to life, was paroled in 2009.)

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan appointed a commission headed by former Sen. John Tower to investigate his National Security Council staff in the wake of the Iran-Contra affair.

In 1990, Japanese business giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. agreed to acquire MCA Corp., owner of Universal Studios, for $6.6 billion.

In 2000, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified George W. Bush the winner over Al Gore in the state's presidential balloting by a 537-vote margin.

Ten years ago: Four members of the Chicago-based aid group Christian Peacemaker Teams -- an American, a Briton and two Canadians -- were taken hostage in Iraq. (The American, Tom Fox, was later killed; the others were released.) Stan Berenstain, who with wife Jan wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bear books, died in suburban Philadelphia at age 82.

Five years ago: Nineteen-year-old Somali-born Mohamed Osman Mohamud was arrested by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, culminating an elaborate sting operation in which Mohamud was led to believe he would be detonating a van of explosives during the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony. (Mohamud was later sentenced to 30 years in prison.) President Barack Obama received 12 stitches in his upper lip after taking an errant elbow during a pickup basketball game with family and friends visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday.

One year ago: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a heart stent implanted, reviving talk about how long the 81-year-old liberal jurist would be staying on the court. (As of November 2015, Justice Ginsburg remains on the bench.)

Today's Birthdays: Impressionist Rich Little is 77. Singer Tina Turner is 76. Singer Jean Terrell is 71. Pop musician John McVie is 70. Actress Marianne Muellerleile is 67. Actor Scott Jacoby is 59. Actress Jamie Rose is 56. Country singer Linda Davis is 53. Actor Scott Adsit is 50. Blues singer-musician Bernard Allison is 50. Country singer-musician Steve Grisaffe is 50. Actress Kristin Bauer is 42. Actor Peter Facinelli is 42. Actress Tammy Lynn Michaels Etheridge is 41. Actress Maia Campbell is 39. Country singer Joe Nichols is 39. Contemporary Christian musicians Anthony and Randy Armstrong (Red) are 37. Actress Jessica Bowman is 35. Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield is 34. Country singer-musician Mike Gossin (Gloriana Rock) is 31. Ben Wysocki (The Fray) is 31. Singer Lil Fizz is 30. Singer Aubrey Collins is 28.

Thought for Today: "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." -- Oprah Winfrey.