Today in History: November 27, 602 “He was a better judge of policy than of men.” – Previté-Orton On November 27, 603, the 20-year reign of Byzantine Emperor Maurice came to a most violent conclusion when he was forced to watch his five sons beheaded, and was then executed himself. Maurice’s road to the throne began when he was serving […]

This Day In History: November 26, 1922 “You can’t create humor out of happiness” – Charles Schulz Charles Schulz’s life-long relationship with comic strips began within days of his birth on November 26, 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His uncle nicknamed him “Sparky” after the horse, Spark Plug, from the Barney Google strip when he was two days old, and it […]

This Day In History: November 25, 1990 On November 25, 1990, the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge broke into pieces and sank to the bottom of Lake Washington. After a week-long windswept rainstorm, the old bridge succumbed to the forces of nature and gradually disappeared beneath relentless waves. Since the bridge’s demise was a gradual process, the local media could […]

Today in History: November 24, 1859 When Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” was published on November 24, 1859, it sold out that same day. That’s not as impressive as it may initially seem as only 1,250 copies were available for purchase. The truly remarkable thing was the ground-breaking subject matter contained within its pages. Like Galileo two centuries earlier, Darwin […]

This Day In History: November 21, 1922 In November 1922, Georgia Governor Thomas Hardwick found himself in quite the quandary. He desperately wanted to run for the Senate seat left empty due to the death of Thomas Watson in September – but he had actively opposed the passage of the 19th amendment. Now that it was law, how could he […]

This Day In History: November 20, 1969 Most people remember Alcatraz Island off the California coast as the location of the country’s most notorious and isolated federal prison housing the most dangerous inmates. It closed in 1963, and the empty prison complex stood silently against the rocky, grey landscape. That is, until November 20, 1969, when a group of Native […]

This Day In History: November 19, 1990 There were red faces all around as the Grammy Award for best new artist was stripped from pop duo Milli Vanilli on November 19, 1990, when it was revealed that they hadn’t warbled a single note on the “Girl You Know It’s True” album. The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences explained […]

This Day In History: November 18, 326 C.E. Ever since the apostle Peter was crucified in Rome during the reign of Nero in 65 C.E., Christians have venerated the spot where he was martyred and buried. Peter had only been dead a few decades when Pope Anacletus built an oratory over his tomb to honor the deceased saint. When Constantine […]

This Day In History: November 17, 1558 “A Faerie Land ruled by a Faerie Queene” – Longleat On November 17, 1558, the Lords of the Council rode from London to the palace of Hatfield on a mission of great importance. Sir Nicholas Throckmorton carried a ring belonging to Queen Mary as a token of proof for her younger half-sister Elizabeth […]

This Day In History: November 14, 1959 “TV has altered drastically the nature of our political campaigns, conventions, constituents, candidates, and costs…” — Senator John F. Kennedy On November 14, 1959, an article written by Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts appeared as part of a series TV Guide was presenting called “Television As I See It.” JFK’s contribution was […]

This Day In History: November 13, 1974 On November 13, 1974, a 28 year-old technician at a plutonium plant named Karen Silkwood died in a one-car crash near Crescent, Oklahoma. She was headed to a meeting with a union representative and a reporter for the New York Times. Witnesses who saw here last claim she carried with her a folder […]

Today in History: November 12, 1954 Almost half of those living in the United States today can trace their roots back to a descendant who entered the country through Ellis Island, the gateway to America. The island, situated in New York Harbor, closed its doors on November 12, 1954 after processing over 12 million immigrants since officially opening on January […]

This Day In History: November 11, 1926 Well if you ever plan to motor west Just take my way that’s the highway that’s the best Get your kicks on Route 66 – Bobby Troupe U.S. Route 66, also known as the Main Street of America, the Mother Road, and the Will Rogers Highway, was officially established on this day in […]

This Day In History: November 10, 1969 “Sesame Street” was built around a single, breakthrough insight: that if you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them.” – author Malcolm Gladwell On November 10, 1969 “Sesame Street”, the ever-popular children’s TV show that has taught millions of kids their letters and numbers, made its debut on public television. […]

This Day In History November 7, 1962 Long before former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt died on November 7, 1962, she made it perfectly clear she wished her funeral to be a quiet, no-frills affair. She requested a simple wooden coffin covered with pine boughs and asked that her passing not be announced until her memorial services had already been conducted. […]

This Day In History: November 6, 1982 A 40 year-old woman named Shirley Allen from St. Charles Missouri was arrested on November 6, 1982 for the murder of her husband, Lloyd Allen, also 40. The murder weapon was ethylene glycol, commonly used in anti-freeze, which Mrs. Allen had been spiking her husband’s beverages with over the course of many months. […]

This Day In History: November 5, 1862 In the aftermath of the Great Sioux Uprising, now more accurately referred to as the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862, over three hundred Sioux men were sentenced to death by hanging after a trial that can only be described as farcical at best. Specifically, out of the 392 prisoners put on trial, […]

This Day In History: November 3, 1926 On November 3, 1926, legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley died of natural causes in Greenville Ohio. To escape her poverty-stricken childhood, she capitalized on her extraordinary marksmanship and later joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show. Annie was the first female superstar in the once male-dominated profession. Phoebe Ann Moses, who later changed her […]