Today is Wednesday, Nov. 17, the 321st day of 2021. There are 44 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Nov. 17, 1997, 62 people, most of them foreign tourists, were killed when militants opened fire at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt; the attackers, who also hacked their victims, were killed by police.

On this date:

In 1558, Elizabeth I acceded to the English throne upon the death of her half-sister, Queen Mary, beginning a 44-year reign.

In 1800, Congress held its first session in the partially completed U.S. Capitol building.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt.

In 1889, the Union Pacific Railroad Co. began direct, daily railroad service between Chicago and Portland, Oregon, as well as Chicago and San Francisco.

In 1969, the first round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union opened in Helsinki, Finland.

In 1970, the Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon told Associated Press managing editors in Orlando, Florida: “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

In 1979, Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of 13 Black and/or female American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

In 1989, the Walt Disney animated feature “The Little Mermaid” opened in wide release.

In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the 38th governor of California.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer Gordon Lightfoot is 83. Singer-songwriter Bob Gaudio is 80. Movie director Martin Scorsese is 79. Actor Lauren Hutton is 78. Actor-director Danny DeVito is 77. “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels is 77. Former House Speaker John Boehner is 72. Entertainer RuPaul is 61. Former MLB outfielder Ryan Braun is 38.