Today in History

Today is Friday, Nov. 30, the 334th day of 2018. There are 31 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 30, 1874, British statesman Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace.

On this date:

In 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris for ending the Revolutionary War; the Treaty of Paris was signed in Sept. 1783.

In 1835, Samuel Langhorne Clemens -- better known as Mark Twain -- was born in Florida, Missouri.

In 1900, Irish writer Oscar Wilde died in Paris at age 46.

In 1939, the Winter War began as Soviet troops invaded Finland. (The conflict ended the following March with a Soviet victory.)

In 1960, the last DeSoto was built by Chrysler, which had decided to retire the brand after 32 years.

In 1966, the former British colony of Barbados became independent.

In 1981, the United States and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.

In 1982, the Michael Jackson album "Thriller" was released by Epic Records. The motion picture "Gandhi," starring Ben Kingsley as the Indian nationalist leader, had its world premiere in New Delhi.

In 1988, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. was declared the winner of the corporate free-for-all to take over RJR Nabisco Inc. with a bid of $24.53 billion.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.

In 2000, Al Gore's lawyers battled for his political survival in the Florida and U.S. Supreme Courts; meanwhile, GOP lawmakers in Tallahassee moved to award the presidency to George W. Bush in case the courts did not by appointing their own slate of electors.

In 2004, "Jeopardy!" fans saw Ken Jennings end his 74-game winning streak as he lost to real estate agent Nancy Zerg.

Ten years ago: Space shuttle Endeavour returned to Earth after a nearly 16-day mission to repair and upgrade the international space station. The world's most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.

Five years ago: Paul Walker, 40, the star of the "Fast & Furious" movie series, died with his friend, Roger W. Rodas, who was at the wheel of a Porsche sports car that crashed and burned north of Los Angeles. Paul Crouch, 79, an American televangelist who'd built what has been called the world's largest Christian broadcasting network, died in Orange, California.

One year ago: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on veteran Democratic congressman John Conyers to resign in the face of multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. (Conyers resigned five days later.) A jury found a Mexican man not guilty in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier, a shooting that touched off a fierce national immigration debate. (Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who had been deported five times, did not deny shooting Kate Steinle but said it was an accident. He was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.) Rapper DMX pleaded guilty to tax fraud, admitting he concealed millions of dollars in revenue to dodge $1.7 million in taxes. (The rapper was sentenced in March to a year in prison.) Actor Jim Nabors, best known as TV's "Gomer Pyle," died at the age of 87.

Today's Birthdays: G. Gordon Liddy is 887. Country singer-recording executive Jimmy Bowen is 81. Movie director Ridley Scott is 81. Movie writer-director Terrence Malick is 75. Rock musician Roger Glover (Deep Purple) is 73. Playwright David Mamet is 71. Actor Mandy Patinkin is 66. Musician Shuggie Otis is 65. Country singer Jeannie Kendall is 64. Singer Billy Idol is 63. Historian Michael Beschloss is 63. Rock musician John Ashton (The Psychedelic Furs) is 61. Comedian Colin Mochrie is 61. Former football and baseball player Bo Jackson is 56. Rapper Jalil (Whodini) is 55. Actor-director Ben Stiller is 53. Rock musician Mike Stone is 49. Music producer Steve Aoki is 41. Singer Clay Aiken is 40. Actor Billy Lush is 37. Actress Elisha Cuthbert is 36. Actress Kaley Cuoco (KWOH'-koh) is 33. Model Chrissy Teigen is 33. Actress Christel Khalil is 31. Actress Rebecca Rittenhouse is 30. Actress Adelaide Clemens is 29.

Thought for Today: "The real problem is what to do with the problem solvers after the problems are solved." -- Gay Talese, American author and journalist.