Today is Sunday, Nov. 20, the 324th day of 2005. There are 41 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Nov. 20, 1947, Britain’s future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, in a ceremony broadcast worldwide from Westminster Abbey.
On this date:
In 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
In 1910, revolution broke out in Mexico, led by Francisco I. Madero.
In 1925, Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Mass.
In 1929, the radio program “The Rise of the Goldbergs” debuted on the NBC Blue Network.
In 1943, during World War II, U.S. Marines began landing on Tarawa and Makin atolls in the Gilbert Islands, encountering fierce resistance from Japanese forces but emerging victorious three days later.
In 1945, 24 Nazi leaders went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.
In 1959, the United Nations issued its “Declaration of the Rights of the Child.”
In 1967, the Census Clock at the Commerce Department ticked past 200 million.
In 1975, after nearly four decades of absolute rule, Spain’s General Francisco Franco died, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.
In 1980, faced with disastrous reviews from New York critics, United Artists announced it was withdrawing its $36 million movie “Heaven’s Gate” for re-editing.
Ten years ago: Federal employees idled during a government shutdown returned to their jobs. Olympic figure skating champion Sergei Grinkov died of a heart attack in Lake Placid, N.Y. BBC Television broadcast an interview with Princess Diana, who admitted being unfaithful to Prince Charles.
Five years ago: Lawyers for Al Gore and George W. Bush battled before the Florida Supreme Court over whether the presidential election recount should be allowed to continue. Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori resigned, ending a 10-year reign.
One year ago: Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill through the House. Palestinians formally opened the campaign for a successor to Yasser Arafat. Scientist Ancel Keys, who invented the K rations eaten by soldiers in World War II and who linked high cholesterol and fatty diets to heart disease, died in Minneapolis at age 100.
Today’s Birthdays: Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., is 88. Actress Evelyn Keyes is 86. Economist Beryl Sprinkel is 82. Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 80. Actress Estelle Parsons is 78. TV personality Richard Dawson is 73. Comedian Dick Smothers is 67. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 63. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., is 63. Actress Veronica Hamel is 62. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 59. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 59. Singer Joe Walsh is 58. Actor Richard Masur is 57. Actress Bo Derek is 49. Reggae musician Jim Brown (UB40) is 48. Actress Sean Young is 46. Rock musician Todd Nance (Widespread Panic) is 43. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 40. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 40. Actress Ming-Na is 38. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 35. Rapper Kamaal (aka Q-Tip) is 35. Actress Marisa Ryan is 31. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 30. Actress Laura Harris is 29. Country singer Josh Turner is 28.
Thought for Today: “Make haste slowly.” — Caesar Augustus, Roman emperor (63 B.C.-A.D. 14).