Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Nov. 28, the 333rd day of 2016. There are 33 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 28, 2001, Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal. (Enron filed for bankruptcy protection four days later.)

On this date:

In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.

In 1861, the Confederate Congress admitted Missouri as the 12th state of the Confederacy after Missouri's disputed secession from the Union.

In 1905, Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin.

In 1922, Captain Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force gave the first public skywriting exhibition, spelling out, "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York's Times Square; about 47,000 calls in less than three hours resulted.

In 1942, nearly 500 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston.

In 1958, Chad, Gabon and Middle Congo became autonomous republics within the French community.

In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet.

In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford nominated federal judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.

In 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 en route to the South Pole crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all 257 people aboard.

In 1987, a South African Airways Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean with the loss of all 159 people aboard.

In 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as British prime minister during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who then conferred the premiership on John Major.

In 1994, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was slain in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate. Sixties war protester Jerry Rubin died in Los Angeles, two weeks after being hit by a car; he was 56.

Ten years ago: At the opening of a NATO summit in Latvia, President George W. Bush rejected suggestions Iraq had fallen into civil war and vowed not to pull U.S. troops out "until the mission is complete." The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend for a year the mandate of the 160,000-strong multinational force in Iraq. Pope Benedict XVI, in Turkey on his first visit to a Muslim country, urged all religious leaders to "utterly refuse" to support any violence in the name of faith.

Five years ago: Egyptians, despite a recent wave of unrest, waited peacefully in long lines to vote in the first parliamentary elections since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak; Islamist parties were the big winners. Occupy Wall Street protesters defied a deadline to remove their weeks-old encampment on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn.

One year ago: President Barack Obama kept up his holiday tradition of supporting small businesses, taking his daughters, Malia and Sasha, to a bookstore in Washington's Petworth neighborhood, where he bought nine books. Victor Mooney, a New Yorker who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean for AIDS awareness, arrived home in Brooklyn, ending a 21-month journey. Tyson Fury defeated Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision in Duesseldorf, Germany, to end the Ukrainian's nine-and-a-half-year reign as heavyweight champion and take his WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles. Marjorie Lord, 97, the Broadway and film actress who became a TV star on the sitcom "Make Room for Daddy," died in Beverly Hills, California.

Today's Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 87. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 80. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 76. Singer Randy Newman is 73. CBS News correspondent Susan Spencer is 70. Movie director Joe Dante is 69. Former "Late Show" orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 67. Actor Ed Harris is 66. Former NASA teacher in space Barbara Morgan is 65. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson is 64. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is 63. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 60. Actor Judd Nelson is 57. Movie director Alfonso Cuaron is 55. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 54. Actress Jane Sibbett is 54. Comedian Jon Stewart is 54. Actress Garcelle Beauvais is 50. Actor/comedian Stephnie (cq) Weir is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 48. Actress Gina Tognoni is 43. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 42. Actor Malcolm Goodwin is 41. Actor Ryan Kwanten is 40. Actress Aimee Garcia is 38. Rapper Chamillionaire is 37. Actor Daniel Henney is 37. Rock musician Rostam Batmanglij is 33. Rock singer-keyboardist Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees) is 33. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is 32. R&B singer Trey Songz is 32. Actress Scarlett Pomers is 28. Actor/rapper Bryshere Gray (TV: "Empire") is 23.

Thought for Today: "We are not all born at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later." -- Mary Hunter Austin, American novelist and playwright (1868-1934).