Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, Nov. 20, the 325th day of 2016. There are 41 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

On this date:

In 1620, Peregrine White was born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay; he was the first child born of English parents in present-day New England.

In 1910, the Mexican Revolution of 1910 had its beginnings under the Plan of San Luis Potosi issued by Francisco I. Madero.

In 1925, Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In 1945, 22 former Nazi officials went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany. (Almost a year later, the International Military Tribune sentenced 12 of the defendants to death; seven received prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life; three were acquitted.)

In 1947, Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

In 1959, the United Nations issued its Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

In 1966, the musical play "Cabaret," set in pre-Nazi Germany, opened on Broadway with Jill Haworth as Sally Bowles and Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies.

In 1969, the Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phaseout. A group of American Indian activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

In 1975, after nearly four decades of absolute rule, Spain's Generalissimo Francisco Franco died, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.

In 1976, the boxing drama "Rocky," a United Artists release starring Sylvester Stallone as a journeyman fighter who's given the chance to face the heavyweight champion, premiered in New York.

In 1985, the first version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows 1.0, was officially released.

In 1992, fire seriously damaged Windsor Castle.

Ten years ago: After a firestorm of criticism, News Corp. said it had canceled the O.J. Simpson book and TV special "If I Did It," in which Simpson was to speak hypothetically about how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (A federal bankruptcy judge later awarded the rights to Simpson's book to Goldman's family, who had it published under the title, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.") Six imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after passengers reported they were acting suspiciously. (The imams, charging discrimination, later settled with the airline.) Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies was voted the National League's MVP. Movie director Robert Altman died in Los Angeles at age 81.

Five years ago: Spain's opposition conservatives were swept into power as voters dumped the Socialists -- the third time in as many weeks Europe's debt crisis had claimed a government. Tony Stewart held off Carl Edwards to win his third NASCAR championship in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Landon Donovan scored in the 72nd minute on passes from Robbie Keane and David Beckham, and the Los Angeles Galaxy's three superstars won their first MLS Cup together with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. The Americans won the Presidents Cup as a team, 19-15, in Melbourne, Australia.

One year ago: Islamic extremists shot up a luxury hotel in Mali's capital that was frequented by diplomats and businessmen, killing 20 people in an attack blamed on Islamic extremists. A week after the deadliest attacks on France in decades, shell-shocked Parisians honored the 130 victims with candles and songs. Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, was released from prison after 30 years behind bars for spying for Israel. Actor Keith Michell, remembered for his portrayals of England's King Henry VIII, died in London at age 88.

Today's Birthdays: Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 91. Actress Estelle Parsons is 89. Comedian Dick Smothers is 78. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 74. Vice President Joe Biden is 74. Actress Veronica Hamel is 73. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 70. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 70. Singer Joe Walsh is 69. Actor Richard Masur is 68. Opera singer Barbara Hendricks is 68. Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton is 68. Actress Bo Derek is 60. Former NFL player Mark Gastineau is 60. Reggae musician Jim Brown (UB40) is 59. Actress Sean Young is 57. Pianist Jim Brickman is 55. Rock musician Todd Nance (Widespread Panic) is 54. Actress Ming-Na is 53. Actor Ned Vaughn is 52. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 51. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 51. Actress Callie Thorne is 47. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 46. Actor Joel McHale is 45. Actress Marisa Ryan is 42. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 41. Actor Joshua Gomez is 41. Actress Laura Harris is 40. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes is 40. Country singer Josh Turner is 39. Actress Nadine Velazquez is 38. Actress Andrea Riseborough is 35. Actor Jeremy Jordan is 32. Actor Dan Byrd is 31. Actress Ashley Fink is 30. Rock musician Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) is 30. Actor Cody Linley is 27. Pop musician Michael Clifford (5 Seconds to Summer) is 21.

Thought for Today: "There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of a comfortable past which, in fact, never existed." -- Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968).