Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Nov. 11, the 316th day of 2016. There are 50 days left in the year. This is Veterans Day in the U.S., Remembrance Day in Canada.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 11, 1918, fighting in World War I ended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice in the Forest of Compiegne.

On this date:

In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed a compact calling for a "body politick."

In 1778, British redcoats, Tory rangers and Seneca Indians in central New York killed more than 40 people in the Cherry Valley Massacre.

In 1831, former slave Nat Turner, who'd led a violent insurrection, was executed in Jerusalem, Virginia.

In 1889, Washington became the 42nd state.

In 1916, "Mountain Interval," a collection of Robert Frost poems, including "The Road Not Taken" and "Out, Out" was published by Henry Holt and Co.

In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding.

In 1938, Irish-born cook Mary Mallon, who'd gained notoriety as the disease-carrying "Typhoid Mary" blamed for the deaths of three people, died on North Brother Island in New York's East River at age 69 after 23 years of mandatory quarantine.

In 1942, during World War II, Germany completed its occupation of France.

In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final flight of NASA's Gemini program.

In 1972, the U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Binh to the South Vietnamese, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan became the first U.S. chief executive to address the Diet, Japan's national legislature.

In 1996, Phan Thi Kim Phuc (fahn thee kihm fook), who as a 9-year-old girl was captured in a famous Associated Press photograph running naked and severely burned down a Vietnamese highway while fleeing a napalm attack, laid a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush marked Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery by praising U.S. troops who had fought oppression around the world, yet spoke only briefly about Iraq, where U.S. commanders were re-evaluating strategy. The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution seeking to condemn an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Five years ago: Heralding the end of one war and the drawdown of another, President Barack Obama observed Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery by urging Americans to hire the thousands of servicemen and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. In the evening, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, watched from midcourt as No. 1 North Carolina beat Michigan State 67-55 in the Carrier Classic on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, anchored off the coast of San Diego. A gunman armed with an assault rifle fired a series of shots at the White House from long range (Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez from Idaho was sentenced to 25 years in prison under a plea bargain with prosecutors.)

One year ago: The world's two biggest beer makers, AB InBev and SABMiller, announced they would join forces in a $107 billion merger to create a company that would produce almost a third of the world's beer. Phil Taylor, 61, a former drummer with the heavy metal band Motorhead nicknamed "Philthy Animal," died in London.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz singer-musician Mose Allison is 89. Actress Bibi Andersson is 81. Country singer Narvel Felts is 78. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is 76. Americana roots singer/songwriter Chris Smither is 72. Rock singer-musician Vince Martell (Vanilla Fudge) is 71. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, is 71. Rock singer Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor) is 66. Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is 65. Pop singer-musician Paul Cowsill (The Cowsills) is 65. Rock singer-musician Andy Partridge (XTC) is 63. Singer Marshall Crenshaw is 63. Rock singer Dave Alvin is 61. Rock musician Ian Craig Marsh (Human League; Heaven 17) is 60. Actor Stanley Tucci is 56. Actress Demi Moore is 54. Actress Calista Flockhart is 52. Actor Philip McKeon is 52. Rock musician Scott Mercado is 52. Actor Frank John Hughes is 49. TV personality Carson Kressley is 47. Actor David DeLuise is 45. Actor Adam Beach is 44. Actor Tyler Christopher is 44. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 42. Actor Scoot McNairy is 39. Rock musician Jonathan Pretus (Cowboy Mouth) is 35. NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez is 30. Actress Christa B. Allen is 25. Actor Tye Sheridan is 20. Actor Ian Patrick is 14.

Thought for Today: "Old myths, old gods, old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the bottom of our mind, waiting for our call. We have need for them. They represent the wisdom of our race." -- Stanley Kunitz, American poet laureate (1905-2006).