Today is Thursday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2006. There are 45 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
Two hundred years ago, on Nov. 16, 1806, Moses Cleaveland, the land surveyor for whom the city of Cleveland is named, died in Canterbury, Conn., at age 52.
On this date:
In 1776, British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.
In 1885, Canadian rebel Louis Riel was executed for high treason.
In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.
In 1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.
In 1959, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The Sound of Music” opened on Broadway.
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 his second trial of charges he’d murdered his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in 1954.
In 1973, Skylab 4, carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an 84-day mission.
In 1973, President Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act.
In 1981, actor William Holden was found dead in his apartment in Santa Monica, Calif.; he was 63.
Ten years ago: President Clinton spent the first full day of a shortened vacation in Hawaii that preceded a trip to Australia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Five years ago: 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. A University of Georgia football fan rushing to catch his flight ran past guards and through a passenger exit at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, forcing officials to halt flights; the man, Michael Lasseter, was later sentenced to five weekends or 10 days in jail and 500 hours of community service.
One year ago: Hoping to reverse the deterioration of pension plans, the Senate voted to force companies to make up underfunding and live up to promises made to employees. Vice President Dick Cheney joined the chorus of Republican criticism of Democrats who contended the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence on Iraq, an accusation Cheney called “one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city.” “This Is Your Life” host Ralph Edwards died in West Hollywood, Calif., at age 92.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Clu Gulager is 78. Blues musician Hubert Sumlin is 75. Journalist Elizabeth Drew is 71. Blues musician W.C. Clark is 67. Actor Steve Railsback is 61. Actor David Leisure is 56. Actress Marg Helgenberger is 48. Rock musician Mani is 44. Country singer-musician Keith Burns (Trick Pony) is 43. Tennis player Zina Garrison is 43. Former baseball player Dwight Gooden is 42. Jazz singer Diana Krall is 42. Actor Harry Lennix is 42. Actress Lisa Bonet is 39. Actress Tammy Lauren is 38. Rhythm-and-blues singer Bryan Abrams (Color Me Badd) is 37. Actress Martha Plimpton is 36. Olympic gold medal figure skater Oksana Baiul is 29. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is 29. Pop singer Trevor Penick is 27. Actress Kimberly J. Brown is 22. Actor Noah Gray-Cabey (“My Wife and Kids”) is 10.
Thought for Today: “Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations.” — Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian political philosopher (1469-1527).