Today in history

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Today is Saturday, Nov. 9, the 313th day of 2019. There are 52 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Nov. 9, 1620, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower sighted Cape Cod.

On this date:

In 1872, fire destroyed nearly 800 buildings in Boston.

In 1938, Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a pogrom or deliberate persecution that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

In 1961, U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert M. White became the first pilot to fly an X-15 rocket plane at six times the speed of sound. The Beatles’ future manager, Brian Epstein, first saw the group perform at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England.

In 1965, the great Northeast blackout began as a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours, leaving 30 million people in seven states and part of Canada without electricity.

In 1970, former French President Charles de Gaulle died at age 79.

In 1976, the U.N. General Assembly approved resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as “illegitimate.”

In 1989, communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West; joyous Germans danced atop the Berlin Wall.

In 1999, with fireworks, concerts and a huge party at the landmark Brandenburg Gate, Germany celebrated the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2000, George W. Bush’s lead over Al Gore in all-or-nothing Florida slipped beneath 300 votes in a suspense-filled recount, as Democrats threw the presidential election to the courts, claiming “an injustice unparalleled in our history.”

In 2005, three suicide bombers carried out nearly simultaneous attacks on three U.S.-based hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing 60 victims and wounding hundreds.

In 2007, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf (pur-VEHZ’ moo-SHAH’-ruhv) of Pakistan placed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto (BEN’-uh-zeer BOO’-toh) under house arrest for a day, and rounded up thousands of her supporters to block a mass rally against his emergency rule.

In 2011, after 46 seasons as Penn State’s head football coach and a record 409 victories, Joe Paterno was fired along with the university president, Graham Spanier, over their handling of child sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Ten years ago: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 203.52, or 2 percent, to 10,226.94, its highest finish since Oct. 3, 2008, as a falling dollar boosted prices for gold, oil and other commodities. Germany celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Five years ago: The citizens of Berlin released almost 7,000 balloons into the night sky, many carrying messages of hope to mark the 25th anniversary since the fall of the wall that had once divided their city.

One year ago: President Donald Trump issued an order to deny asylum to migrants who enter the country illegally; a divided Supreme Court in December said the administration could not begin enforcing the ban. Trump arrived in Paris for events marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I; he immediately took a poke at his French host by tweeting that President Emmanuel Macron had made an “insulting” proposal to build up Europe’s military. A federal judge blocked a permit for construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada and ordered officials to conduct a new environmental review; President Trump later issued a new permit for the project, a move that was challenged in court.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog is 88. Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson is 84. Actor Charlie Robinson is 74. Movie director Bille August is 71. Actor Robert David Hall is 71. Actor Lou Ferrigno is 68. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is 67. Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is 60. Rock musician Dee Plakas (L7) is 59. Actress Ion Overman is 50. Rapper Pepa (Salt-N-Pepa) is 50. Rapper Scarface (Geto Boys) is 49. Blues singer Susan Tedeschi (teh-DEHS’-kee) is 49. Actor Jason Antoon is 48. Actor Eric Dane is 47. Singer Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) is 46. Country musician Barry Knox (Parmalee) is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sisqo (Dru Hill) is 41. Country singer Corey Smith is 40. Country singer Chris Lane is 35. Actress Emily Tyra is 32. Actress Nikki Blonsky is 31. Actress-model Analeigh (AH’-nuh-lee) Tipton is 31.

Thought for Today: “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” — William Faulkner, American author (1897-1962).

By the Associated Press

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