Today in History

Today is Thursday, Nov. 11, the 315th day of 2021. There are 50 days left in the year. Today is Veterans Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 11, 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed a compact calling for a "body politick."

On this date:

In 1831, former slave Nat Turner, who'd led a slave uprising, was executed in Jerusalem, Virginia.

In 1918, fighting in World War I ended as the Allies and Germany signed an armistice in the Forest of Compiegne.

In 1921, the remains of an unidentified American service member were interred in a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony presided over by President Warren G. Harding.

In 1938, Irish-born cook Mary Mallon, who'd gained notoriety as the disease-carrying "Typhoid Mary" blamed for the deaths of three people, died on North Brother Island in New York's East River at age 69 after 23 years of mandatory quarantine.

In 1942, during World War II, Germany completed its occupation of France.

In 1966, Gemini 12 blasted off on a four-day mission with astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. aboard; it was the tenth and final flight of NASA's Gemini program.

In 1972, the U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Binh to the South Vietnamese, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1987, following the failure of two Supreme Court nominations, President Ronald Reagan announced his choice of Judge Anthony M. Kennedy, who went on to win confirmation.

In 1992, the Church of England voted to ordain women as priests.

In 1998, President Clinton ordered warships, planes and troops to the Persian Gulf as he laid out his case for a possible attack on Iraq. Iraq, meanwhile, showed no sign of backing down from its refusal to deal with U.N. weapons inspectors.

In 2003, in Galveston, Texas, millionaire Robert Durst was found not guilty of murdering Morris Black, an elderly neighbor who Durst said he'd killed accidentally.

In 2004, Palestinians at home and abroad wept, waved flags and burned tires in an eruption of grief at news of the death of Yasser Arafat in Paris at age 75.

Ten years ago: Heralding the end of one war and the drawdown of another, President Barack Obama observed Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery by urging Americans to hire the thousands of servicemen and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. A gunman armed with an assault rifle fired a series of shots at the White House from long range (Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was sentenced to 25 years in prison under a plea bargain with prosecutors.)

Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump shook up his transition team as he plunged into the work of setting up his administration, elevating Vice President-elect Mike Pence to head the operations. Three days after Election Day, President Barack Obama used his last Veterans Day speech to urge Americans to learn from the example of veterans as a divided nation sought to "forge unity" after the bitter 2016 campaign. Actor Robert Vaughn, 83, died in Connecticut.

One year ago: Georgia's secretary of state announced an audit of presidential election results that he said would be done with a full hand tally of ballots because the margin was so tight; President-elect Joe Biden led President Donald Trump by about 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million votes counted in the state. Texas became the first state with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. The U.S. marked Veterans Day with virtual gatherings and spectator-free parades; many of the traditional ceremonies were canceled because of the surging coronavirus that had killed thousands of veterans. Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber was the unanimous winner of the American League Cy Young Award; in the National League, Trevor Bauer became the first Cincinnati Reds pitcher to win the award.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Narvel Felts is 83. Former Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is 81. Americana roots singer/songwriter Chris Smither is 77. Rock singer-musician Vince Martell (Vanilla Fudge) is 76. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, is 76. Rock singer Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor) is 71. Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is 70. Pop singer-musician Paul Cowsill (The Cowsills) is 70. Rock singer-musician Andy Partridge (XTC) is 68. Singer Marshall Crenshaw is 68. Rock singer Dave Alvin is 66. Rock musician Ian Craig Marsh (Human League; Heaven 17) is 65. Actor Stanley Tucci is 61. Actor Demi Moore is 59. Actor Calista Flockhart is 57. Actor Frank John Hughes is 54. TV personality Carson Kressley is 52. Actor David DeLuise is 50. Actor Adam Beach is 49. Actor Tyler Christopher is 49. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 47. Actor Scoot McNairy is 44. Rock musician Jonathan Pretus (formerly with Cowboy Mouth) is 40. Actor Frankie Shaw is 40. Musician Jon Batiste is 35. Actor Christa B. Allen is 30. Actor Tye Sheridan is 25. Actor Ian Patrick is 19.