Today in History

Today is Friday, Nov. 5, the 309th day of 2021. There are 56 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 5, 2017, a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire in a small South Texas church, killing more than two dozen people; the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, was later found dead in a vehicle after he was shot and chased by two men who heard the gunfire. (An autopsy revealed that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.)

On this date:

In 1605, the "Gunpowder Plot" failed as Guy Fawkes was seized before he could blow up the English Parliament.

In 1872, suffragist Susan B. Anthony defied the law by attempting to cast a vote for President Ulysses S. Grant. (Anthony was convicted by a judge and fined $100, but she never paid the penalty.)

In 1912, Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected president, defeating Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt, incumbent Republican William Howard Taft and Socialist Eugene V. Debs.

In 1935, Parker Brothers began marketing the board game "Monopoly."

In 1968, Republican Richard M. Nixon won the presidency, defeating Democratic Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and American Independent candidate George C. Wallace.

In 1989, death claimed pianist Vladimir Horowitz in New York at age 86 and singer-songwriter Barry Sadler in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at age 49.

In 1992, Malice Green, a Black motorist, died after he was struck in the head 14 times with a flashlight by a Detroit police officer, Larry Nevers, outside a suspected crack house. (Nevers and his partner, Walter Budzyn, were found guilty of second-degree murder, but the convictions were overturned; they were later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.)

In 1994, former President Ronald Reagan disclosed he had Alzheimer's disease.

In 2003, President George W. Bush signed a bill outlawing the procedure known by its critics as "partial-birth abortion"; less than an hour later, a federal judge in Nebraska issued a temporary restraining order against the ban. (In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.)

In 2006, Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced by the Iraqi High Tribunal to hang for crimes against humanity.

In 2007, Hollywood writers began a three-month strike, forcing late-night talk shows to immediately start airing reruns.

In 2009, a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas left 13 people dead; Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was later convicted of murder and sentenced to death. (No execution date has been set.)

Ten years ago: Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, accused of molesting eight boys, was arrested and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. (Sandusky was later convicted and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for the sexual abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period.)

Five years ago: Republican Donald Trump vowed to press into Democratic strongholds over the campaign's final days as Hillary Clinton looked to an army of A-list celebrities and politicos to defend her narrowing path to the presidency. Arrogate overhauled pacesetter California Chrome in the final 100 yards in an upset half-length victory in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

One year ago: With Democrat Joe Biden inching closer to victory, President Donald Trump lashed out in a statement from the White House briefing room, insisting that Democrats were trying to "steal the election" with "illegal votes"; there had in fact been no evidence that votes cast illegally were being counted, and no evidence of widespread fraud. ABC, CBS and NBC all cut away from Trump's remarks, with network anchors saying they needed to correct falsehoods being disseminated by the president. Biden appealed for calm as the vote count continued, telling reporters, "The process is working." Facebook banned a large group called "Stop the Steal" that supporters of Trump were using to organize protests against the presidential vote count; some members had called for violence.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Harris Yulin is 84. Actor Chris Robinson is 83. Actor Elke Sommer is 81. Singer Art Garfunkel is 80. Singer Peter Noone is 74. TV personality Kris Jenner is 66. Actor Nestor Serrano is 66. Actor-comedian Mo Gaffney is 63. Actor Robert Patrick is 63. Singer Bryan Adams is 62. Actor Tilda Swinton is 61. Actor Michael Gaston is 59. Actor Tatum O'Neal is 58. Actor Andrea McArdle is 58. Rock singer Angelo Moore (Fishbone) is 56. Actor Judy Reyes is 54. Actor Seth Gilliam is 53. Rock musician Mark Hunter (James) is 53. Actor Sam Rockwell is 53. Actor Corin Nemec is 50. Rock musician Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) is 50. Country singer-musician Ryan Adams is 47. Actor Sam Page is 46. Actor Sebastian Arcelus is 45. Actor Luke Hemsworth is 41. Actor Annet Mahendru is 36. Rock musician Kevin Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 34. Actor Landon Gimenez is 18.