Today in History

Today is Saturday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2019. There are 45 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 16, 1914, the newly created Federal Reserve Banks opened in 12 cities.

On this date:

In 1776, British troops captured Fort Washington in New York during the American Revolution.

In 1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.

In 1939, mob boss Al Capone, ill with syphilis, was released from prison after serving 7 1/2 years for tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.

In 1960, Academy Award-winning actor Clark Gable died in Los Angeles at age 59.

In 1961, House Speaker Samuel T. Rayburn died in Bonham, Texas, having served as speaker since 1940 except for two terms.

In 1966, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was acquitted in Cleveland at his second trial of murdering his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in 1954.

In 1981, actor William Holden was found dead in his apartment in Santa Monica, California; he was 63.

In 1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.

In 2001, Investigators found a letter addressed to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., containing anthrax; it was the second letter bearing the deadly germ known to have been sent to Capitol Hill.

In 2004, President George W. Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be his new secretary of state, succeeding Colin Powell.

In 1997, China's most prominent pro-democracy campaigner, Wei Jingsheng, arrived in the United States after being released following nearly 18 years of imprisonment in his country.

In 2006, Democrats embraced Nancy Pelosi as the first woman House speaker in history, but then selected Steny Hoyer as majority leader against her wishes.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, on his first-ever trip to China, gave his hosts a pointed, unexpected nudge to stop censoring Internet access, but the message was not widely heard in China, where the president's words were blocked online and shown on only one regional television channel. A U.S. government health task force suggested most women wait until age 50 to get mammograms, conflicting with the American Cancer Society's advice to start at 40. Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off with six astronauts and a full load of spare parts for the International Space Station. Actor Edward Woodward, 79, died in Cornwall, England.

Five years ago: The Islamic State group released a video featuring a masked militant standing over the severed head of Peter Kassig, a former U.S. soldier-turned-aid worker in Syria; President Barack Obama denounced the killing as one of "pure evil." President Obama returned to Washington following the conclusion of the Group of 20 economic forum in Brisbane, Australia. Erica Enders-Stevens won the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, California, to become the first woman to earn the Pro Stock world championship title.

One year ago: A U.S. official said intelligence officials had concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta. A federal judge in Virginia ruled that John Hinckley Jr., who had tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, could move out of his mother's house and live on his own. Ten days after the election Democrat Stacey Abrams acknowledged that Republican Brian Kemp had won Georgia's gubernatorial race; Abrams had hoped to make history as America's first black woman governor.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Clu Gulager is 91. Journalist Elizabeth Drew is 84. Blues musician W.C. Clark is 80. Actress Joanna Pettet is 77. Actor Steve Railsback is 74. Actor David Leisure is 69. Actor Miguel Sandoval is 68. Actress Marg Helgenberger is 61. Rock musician Mani is 57. Country singer-musician Keith Burns (Trick Pony) is 56. Former pro tennis player Zina Garrison is 56. Former MLB All-Star pitcher Dwight Gooden is 55. Jazz singer Diana Krall is 55. Actor Harry Lennix is 55. Rock musician Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver) is 53. Actress Lisa Bonet is 52. Actress Tammy Lauren is 51. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bryan Abrams (Color Me Badd) is 50. Actress Martha Plimpton is 49. Actor Michael Irby is 47. Actress Missi Pyle is 47. Rock musician Corey McCormick (Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real) is 43. Olympic gold medal figure skater Oksana Baiul is 42. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is 42. Pop singer Trevor Penick is 40. Former NBA player Amare Stoudemire is 37. Actress Kimberly J. Brown is 35. Rock singer Siva Kaneswaran (The Wanted) is 31. Actor-comedian Pete Davidson (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 26. Actor Casey Moss is 26. Actor Noah Gray-Cabey is 24.

Thought for Today: "An American who can make money, invoke God, and be no better than his neighbor, has nothing to fear but truth itself." -- Marya Mannes, American critic (1904-1990).

Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.