Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 24, the 328th day of 2015. There are 37 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 24, 1865, Mississippi became the first Southern state to enact laws which came to be known as "Black Codes" aimed at limiting the rights of newly freed blacks; other states of the former Confederacy soon followed.

On this date:

In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th President of the United States, was born in Orange County, Virginia.

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

In 1939, British Overseas Airways Corp. (BOAC) was formally established.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. bombers based on Saipan attacked Tokyo in the first raid against the Japanese capital by land-based planes.

In 1950, the musical "Guys and Dolls," based on the writings of Damon Runyon and featuring songs by Frank Loesser, opened on Broadway.

In 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

In 1965, Joseph-Desire Mobutu (later known as Mobutu Sese Seko) seized power in the Congo (later known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, and for a time, as Zaire) through a military coup.

In 1969, Apollo 12 splashed down safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, a hijacker calling himself "Dan Cooper" (but who became popularly known as "D.B. Cooper") parachuted from a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 over the Pacific Northwest after receiving $200,000 dollars in ransom; his fate remains unknown.

In 1974, the bone fragments of a 3.2 million-year-old hominid were discovered by scientists in Ethiopia; the skeletal remains were nicknamed "Lucy."

In 1985, the hijacking of an Egyptair jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently as Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers.

In 1995, voters in Ireland narrowly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing divorce.

Ten years ago: A suicide bomber struck outside a hospital south of Baghdad while U.S. troops were handing out candy and food to children; the blast killed some 30 people. A giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York snagged a street light and caused part of it to fall, injuring a woman and a child. Actor Pat Morita died in Las Vegas at age 73.

Five years ago: A jury in Austin convicted former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, on charges he'd illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. (DeLay's convictions were overturned on appeal.)

One year ago: Under pressure from President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel submitted his resignation amid White House concerns about his effectiveness and broader criticism from outside about the administration's Middle East crisis management. It was announced that a grand jury in St. Louis County, Missouri, had decided against indicting Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown; the decision enraged protesters who set fire to buildings and cars and looted businesses in the area where Brown had been fatally shot.

Today's Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson is 77. Country singer Johnny Carver is 75. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is 75. Rock drummer Pete Best is 74. Actor-comedian Billy Connolly is 73. Former White House news secretary Marlin Fitzwater is 73. Former Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Dan Glickman is 71. Singer Lee Michaels is 70. Actor Dwight Schultz is 68. Actor Stanley Livingston is 65. Rock musician Clem Burke (Blondie; The Romantics) is 61. Record producer Terry Lewis is 59. Actor/director Ruben Santiago-Hudson is 59. Actress Denise Crosby is 58. Actress Shae D'Lyn is 53. Rock musician John Squire (The Stone Roses) is 53. Rock musician Gary Stonadge (Big Audio) is 53. Actor Conleth Hill is 51. Actor-comedian Brad Sherwood is 51. Actor Garret Dillahunt is 51. Actor-comedian Scott Krinsky is 47. Rock musician Chad Taylor (Live) is 45. Actress Lola Glaudini is 44. Actress Danielle Nicolet is 42. Actor/writer/director/producer Stephen Merchant is 41. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Chen Lu is 39. Actor Colin Hanks is 38. Actress Katherine Heigl is 37. Actress Sarah Hyland is 25.

Thought for Today: "There is a great deal of difference in believing something still, and believing it again." -- W.H. Auden, British poet (1907-1973).