Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2017. There are 33 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 28, 1942, fire engulfed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub blaze ever. (The cause of the rapidly-spreading fire, which began in the basement, is in dispute; one theory is that a busboy accidentally ignited an artificial palm tree while using a lighted match to fix a light bulb.)

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 1912, Albania proclaimed its independence from the Ottoman Empire.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began conferring in Tehran during World War II.

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 1967, actress-model Anna Nicole Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan in Houston.

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 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.)

Ten years ago: A day after an international Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, President George W. Bush told Israeli and Palestinian leaders he was personally committed to their mission of peace. Republican presidential rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney clashed over immigration in a provocative, no-holds-barred CNN/YouTube debate. Broadway stagehands and theater producers reached a tentative agreement on ending a crippling 19-day-old strike.

Five years ago: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said his state would need nearly $37 billion to recover and rebuild from Superstorm Sandy and that the state would seek federal aid to cover most of the expenses.

One year ago: An 18-year-old Somali native drove a car into a crowd of students at Ohio State University, then attacked bystanders with a knife before he was shot and killed by a campus police officer; 13 people were injured. A chartered plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team crashed near Medellin, Colombia, killing all but six of the 77 people on board. The first commercial flight from the United States to Havana in more than 50 years landed in Cuba, arriving as the island began week-long memorial services for Fidel Castro. Michael James "Jim" Delligatti, the McDonald's franchisee credited with creating the Big Mac in 1967, died in Pittsburgh at age 98. Former NBC chairman and TV producer Grant Tinker, 90, died in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 88. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 81. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is 80. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 77. Singer Randy Newman is 74. CBS News correspondent Susan Spencer is 71. Movie director Joe Dante is 70. Former "Late Show" orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 68. Actor Ed Harris is 67. Former NASA astronaut Barbara Morgan is 66. Actress S. Epatha (Merkerson is 65. Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is 64. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 61. Actor Judd Nelson is 58. Movie director Alfonso Cuaron is 56. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 55. Actress Jane Sibbett is 55. Comedian Jon Stewart is 55. Actress Garcelle Beauvais is 51. Actor/comedian Stephnie (cq) Weir is 50. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 49. Actress Gina Tognoni is 44. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 43. Actor Malcolm Goodwin is 42. Actor Ryan Kwanten is 41. Actress Aimee Garcia is 39. Rapper Chamillionaire is 38. Actor Daniel Henney is 38. Rock musician Rostam Batmanglij is 34. Rock singer-keyboardist Tyler Glenn (Neon Trees) is 34. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead is 33. R&B singer Trey Songz is 33. Actress Scarlett Pomers is 29. Actor-rapper Bryshere Gray is 24.

Thought for Today: "Journalism is literature in a hurry." -- Matthew Arnold, English poet and critic (1822-1888).