Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 20, the 324th day of 2018. There are 41 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 20, 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.)

On this date:

In 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

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

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

In 1967, the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Clock at the Commerce Department ticked past 200 million.

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," starring Sylvester Stallone, premiered in New York.

In 1982, in one of college football's oddest finales, the University of California used five laterals to score a disputed winning touchdown on the last play of a game against Stanford, 25-20.

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

In 1998, forty-six states embraced a $206 billion settlement with cigarette makers over health costs for treating sick smokers.

In 2000, lawyers for Al Gore and George W. Bush battled before the Florida Supreme Court over whether the presidential election recount should be allowed to continue.

In 2003, Michael Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Jackson was later acquitted at trial.) Record producer Phil Spector was charged with murder in the shooting death of an actress, Lana Clarkson, at his home in Alhambra, California. (Spector's first trial ended with a hung jury in 2007; he was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.)

Ten years ago: Sen. Ted Stevens, the chamber's longest-serving Republican, delivered his swan song address following his failed re-election bid; he was saluted by his colleagues as a staunch friend and teacher. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions aimed at reducing the arms flowing into Somalia and the lawlessness and piracy that were flourishing there.

Five years ago: Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. and Afghanistan had agreed on the language of a bilateral security pact that would clear the way for thousands of U.S troops to train and assist Afghan forces after the NATO combat mission ended in 2014. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation allowing same-sex weddings in his state.

One year ago: President Donald Trump announced that he was designating North Korea, which he called a "murderous regime," as a state sponsor of terror. CBS News suspended Charlie Rose, and PBS stopped distribution of his nightly interview show, after a Washington Post report carried accusations of sexual misconduct from eight women. Nebraska regulators approved an alternative route for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the last major regulatory hurdle facing the project's operator.

Today's Birthdays: Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 93. Actress Estelle Parsons is 91. Comedian Dick Smothers is 80. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 76. Former Vice President Joe Biden is 76. Actress Veronica Hamel is 75. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 72. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 72. Singer Joe Walsh is 71. Actor Richard Masur is 70. Opera singer Barbara Hendricks is 70. National security adviser John Bolton is 70. Actress Bo Derek is 62. Former NFL player Mark Gastineau is 62. Reggae musician Jimmy Brown (UB40) is 61. Actress Sean Young is 59. Pianist Jim Brickman is 57. Rock musician Todd Nance (Widespread Panic) is 56. Actress Ming-Na is 55. Actor Ned Vaughn is 54. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 53. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 53. Actress Callie Thorne is 49. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 48. Actor Joel McHale is 47. Actress Marisa Ryan is 44. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 43. Actor Joshua Gomez is 43. Actress Laura Harris is 42. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes is 42. Country singer Josh Turner is 41. Actress Nadine Velazquez is 40. Actress Andrea Riseborough is 37. Actor Jeremy Jordan is 34. Actor Dan Byrd is 33. Actress Ashley Fink is 32. Rock musician Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) is 32. Actress Jaina Lee Ortiz is 32. Actor Cody Linley is 29. Pop musician Michael Clifford (5 Seconds to Summer) is 23.

Thought for Today: "There is no greatness where there is not simplicity." -- Leo Tolstoy, Russian author (1828-1910).