Today in History

Today in History

Today is Thursday, Dec. 1, the 336th day of 2016. There are 30 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Dec. 1, 1941, Japan's Emperor Hirohito approved waging war against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands after his government rejected U.S. demands contained in the Hull Note. British-born journalist and broadcaster Alistair Cooke became a naturalized American citizen.

On this date:

In 1824, the presidential election was turned over to the U.S. House of Representatives when a deadlock developed between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford and Henry Clay. (Adams ended up the winner.)

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln sent his Second Annual Message to Congress, in which he called for the abolition of slavery, and went on to say, "Fellow-citizens, we can not escape history. We of this Congress and this Administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves."

In 1866, Welsh surveyor Sir George Everest, 79, whose name had been conferred upon the mountain in Nepal by the Royal Geographical Society over his objections, died in London.

In 1921, the Navy flew the first non-rigid dirigible to use helium; the C-7 traveled from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Washington, D.C.

In 1934, Soviet communist official Sergei M. Kirov, an associate of Josef Stalin, was assassinated in Leningrad, resulting in a massive purge.

In 1942, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.

In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus; the incident sparked a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.

In 1965, an airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.

In 1969, the U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.

In 1973, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, died in Tel Aviv at age 87.

In 1989, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

In 1990, British and French workers digging the Channel Tunnel between their countries finally met after knocking out a passage in a service tunnel.

Ten years ago: Felipe Calderon took the oath of office as Mexico's president amid catcalls and brawling lawmakers, a chaotic start to a term in which he pledged to heal a country divided by his narrow victory. Officials reported that Typhoon Durian had killed as many as 200 people when it tore through the eastern Philippines (the storm was eventually blamed for some 1,400 deaths).

Five years ago: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) during a visit to Myanmar. Bobby Valentine was named the 45th manager of the Boston Red Sox. (However, he was fired after one season.)

One year ago: President Barack Obama told a U.N. climate conference that parts of the global warming deal being negotiated in Paris should be legally binding on the countries that signed on, setting up a potential fight with Republicans at home. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States was expanding its special operations forces in Iraq and Syria to help fight Islamic State militants. The Philadelphia 76ers ended the longest losing streak in the history of major professional sports in the United States, topping the Los Angeles Lakers 103-91 to snap a 28-game skid.

Today's Birthdays: Former CIA director Stansfield Turner is 93. Actor-director Woody Allen is 81. World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino is 77. Singer Dianne Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 77. Country musician Casey Van Beek (The Tractors) is 74. Television producer David Salzman is 73. Rock singer-musician Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult) is 72. Rock musician John Densmore (The Doors) is 72. Actress-singer Bette Midler is 71. Singer Gilbert O'Sullivan is 70. Former child actor Keith Thibodeaux (TV: "I Love Lucy") is 66. Actor Treat Williams is 65. Country singer Kim Richey is 60. Actress Charlene Tilton is 58. Actress-model Carol Alt is 56. Actor Jeremy Northam is 55. Actress Katherine LaNasa is 50. Producer-director Andrew Adamson is 50. Actor Nestor Carbonell is 49. Actress Golden Brooks is 46. Actress-comedian Sarah Silverman is 46. Actor Ron Melendez is 44. Contemporary Christian singer Bart Millard is 44. Actor-writer-producer David Hornsby is 41. Singer Sarah Masen is 41. Rock musician Brad Delson (Linkin Park) is 39. Actor Nate Torrence is 39. Rock/Christian music singer-songwriter Mat Kearney is 38. Rock musician Mika Fineo (Filter) is 35. Actor Charles Michael Davis is 32. R&B singer Janelle Monae is 31. Actress Ashley Monique Clark is 28. Pop-rock-rap singer Tyler Joseph (Twenty One Pilots) is 28. Actress Zoe Kravitz is 28. Pop singer Nico Sereba (Nico & Vinz) is 26. Actor Jackson Nicoll is 13.

Thought for Today: "People, when they first come to America, whether as travelers or settlers, become aware of a new and agreeable feeling: that the whole country is their oyster." -- Alistair Cooke (1908-2004).