This Day in History

[Amnorix]

Today...

[TimeForWasp]

U.S.
1966 U.S.A. Fridays Fish

18th November, 1966 : U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays.

1307 – William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.

1493 – Christopher Columbus first sights the island now known as Puerto Rico

1865 – Mark Twain's story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is published in the New York Saturday Press.

1909 – Two United States warships are sent to Nicaragua after 500 revolutionaries (including two Americans) are executed by order of José Santos Zelaya.

1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.

1963 – The first push-button telephone goes into service.

1978 – Jonestown incident: In Guyana, Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple cult to a mass murder-suicide that claimed 918 lives in all, 909 of them in Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Congressman Leo J. Ryan is murdered by members of the Peoples Temple hours earlier.


1951 Former Cubs 1st baseman and future TV star of Rifleman Chuck Connors is 1st player to oppose the major league draft

1805 Lewis and Clark reach Pacific Ocean, 1st Americans to cross continent


On November 18, 1883, four standard time zones for the continental U.S.A. were introduced at the instigation of the railroads. At noon on this day the U.S. Naval Observatory changed its telegraphic signals to correspond to the change. Until the invention of the railway, it took such a long time to get from one place to another that local "sun time" could be used. When traveling to the east or to the west, a person would have to change his or her watch by one minute every twelve miles.
When people began traveling by train, sometimes hundreds of miles in a day, the calculation of time became a serious problem. Operators of the new railroad lines realized that a new time plan was needed in order to offer a uniform train schedule for departures and arrivals.
Since every city was using a different time standard, there were over 300 local sun times to choose from. The railroad managers tried to address the problem by establishing 100 railroad time zones, but this was only a partial solution to the problem.

Fast Mail, Northern Pacific Railroad, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., James White, producer, July or August 1897.
Inventing Entertainment: The Edison Companies
The fact remained that the different railroad lines were using time schedules that varied from each other and from the cities they passed through, causing considerable befuddlement. Where railroad lines using different time zones intersected with each other, or with cities using different time standards, travelers were especially confused.
During the mid-nineteenth century, people throughout the world had experimented with methods of standardizing their clocks. In 1830 the U.S. Naval Observatory was created to cooperate with Great Britain's Greenwich Observatory to determine time based on astronomical observations. Accurate sea navigation based on the calculation of latitude and longitude, depended on accurate timekeeping.
Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph made it possible to coordinate time signals over long distances. In the 1840s, the Royal Greenwich Observatory established an official standard time for all of England, Scotland, and Wales. The U.S. Naval Observatory was responsible for keeping official time in the United States.

Burlington Route, Rand McNally and Company.
For Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, 1897.
Railroad Maps, 1828-1900
U.S. railway managers were the first to adopt a plan to simplify calculation of time for the convenience of travelers within the continental United States. They agreed that four time zones would be adopted: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time. Local times would no longer be used by the railroads. The American Railway Association obtained the cooperation of city governments served by the railroads. The U.S. Naval Observatory agreed to make the change.
At twelve o'clock noon on November 18, 1883, as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) was transmitted, the U.S. Naval Observatory began signaling the new time standard. Authorities in major cities and managers of the railroad reset their clocks. All over the United States and Canada, people changed their clocks and watches in synchronization with their zone's standard time. In one moment the many different standards of time that had caused conflict and confusion, were resolved into four simple standards.
A year later, on November 1, 1884, the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. agreed to establish international zones according to the same system. GMT was considered the "time zero," and the twenty-four standard meridians marked the centers of the zones. The International Dateline was placed along the 180 degree meridian in the Pacific Ocean. Around the world, clocks were reset to reflect the new system of timekeeping. By the time travelers began to rely on the airplane for travel, they had become accustomed to the system. Today, travelers think little of crossing more than one time zone in a trip of a few hours.

[Amnorix]

The standardization of the time zones is cool stuff.

[Gracie Dean]

At 4:05 AM on Nov 18, 1966 The world was introduced to Pamela Rose (esolc) who surprised doctors by surviving and thriving even tho she was one month premature and the doctors blistered her back because the incubator light was to close to her tiny delicate skin.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by ChiefsNow

U.S.
1928 U.S.A. Mickey Mouse

18th November, 1928: Mickey Mouse appears for the first time in Steamboat Willie, It was the first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon film produced by Walt Disney and premiered at the Colony Theater in NYC.

I swear that we've discussed MM somewhere before.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by noswad

At 4:05 AM on Nov 18, 1966 The world was introduced to Pamela Rose (esolc) who surprised doctors by surviving and thriving even tho she was one month premature and the doctors blistered her back because the incubator light was to close to her tiny delicate skin.

[Amnorix]

November 18. Note that I won't recover items previously posted.

1302. Pope Boniface VIII issues the Papal Bull Unam Sanctam (One Faith). Perhaps THE most extreme statement of papal supremacy every made, the doctrine proclaims that there is absolutely NO path to heaven save through the Church, and that submission to the Pope as supreme head of the Church is a necessary part of being a member of the Church, and thus the ability to attain salvation. Stated a bit differently, all who wish to belong to the fold of Christ have absolutely no choice but to fall under the dominion of Peter (the first Pope, according to Roman Catholic dogma) and his successors.

All others are doomed to eternal torment in Hell. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Originally Posted by Unam Sanctam

Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff" (Porro subesse Romano Pontifici omni humanae creaturae declaramus, dicimus, definimus, et pronuntiamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis)

1626. St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

1903. A treaty is signed giving the US exclusive rights over the Panama Canal zone.

1916. British General (soon to be Field Marshal) Douglas Haig gives the order to end the First Battle of the Somme, which had begun on July 1 and saw over a million casualties, combined, as well as the first serious introduction of the tank. There is much dispute about the advantages gained (or not) and damage inflicted (or not) as a result of the battle. While the Allies pushed the Germans back somewhat, the Germans also shortened their defensive lines, and generally improved their defensive position as a result. There's also mixed evidence about whether the battle seriously impacted the German's ability to replace casualties for the remainder of the war. Only one thing is clear about the battle -- it was horrific beyond measure.

Originally Posted by German Officer

Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word

1938. John L. Lewis is elected first President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO, later to be part of the AFL-CIO).

2003. In a 50 page, 4-3, decision, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court extends equal rights protections to same-sex civil unions.

[Jenson71]

Ahh, the famous, or infamous, Unam Sanctum. I think your summary is fair, Amnorix. It was quite the throw-down of the gauntlet, mainly to his enemies, especially the King of France, Philip the Fair. The enemies' response to the declaration of spiritual authority trumping secular authority? An invasion, an imprisonment. And famously, one Italian opponent of Boniface slapped him in the face. And Dante entertained the idea of him in the inferno.

[Amnorix]

November 19.

1863. At the consecretation of a cemetary on the site of the famous battle, Abraham Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address. The "address" was really supposed to be that given by Massachusetts Congressman and famous orator, Edward Everett, who spoke for over two hours. Shortly thereafter, President Lincoln got up and gave a two minute address. The precise wording of the address is in dispute -- as there are multiple drafts floating around, and some newspaper accounts are at odds with the drafts. The most commonly accepted version is the only one that Lincoln signed.

Originally Posted by Abraham Lincoln

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

After the speech, there was muted, delayed clapping, apparently in part at the surprise over its brevity. Lincoln himself was said to be unimpressed with his speech, saying (at least according to legend), "that speech won't scour", referring to a plow implement that doesn't do a good job of accomplishing its purpose. The Democratic Chicago Times wrote of the speech

Originally Posted by Chicago Times

The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the President of the United States.

Everett himself was the more farsighted of the reviewers, sending a letter to Lincoln the next day stating that " should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Lincoln replied that he was glad to hear that the speech was not a "total failure."

1930. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow commit their first robbery.

1942. The USSR launches Operation Uranus, counterattacks around Stalingrad that will turn the tide of the battle in its favor.

1969. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land on the Moon, becoming the third and fourth humans to do so, though they do not quite earn the fame of their predecessors.

1998. The House begins impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton.

[Amnorix]

November 19.

1863. At the consecretation of a cemetary on the site of the famous battle, Abraham Lincoln gives the Gettysburg Address. The "address" was really supposed to be that given by Massachusetts Congressman and famous orator, Edward Everett, who spoke for over two hours. Shortly thereafter, President Lincoln got up and gave a two minute address. The precise wording of the address is in dispute -- as there are multiple drafts floating around, and some newspaper accounts are at odds with the drafts. The most commonly accepted version is the only one that Lincoln signed.

Originally Posted by Abraham Lincoln

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

After the speech, there was muted, delayed clapping, apparently in part at the surprise over its brevity. Lincoln himself was said to be unimpressed with his speech, saying (at least according to legend), "that speech won't scour", referring to a plow implement that doesn't do a good job of accomplishing its purpose. The Democratic Chicago Times wrote of the speech

Originally Posted by Chicago Times

The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the President of the United States.

Everett himself was the more farsighted of the reviewers, sending a letter to Lincoln the next day stating that " should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Lincoln replied that he was glad to hear that the speech was not a "total failure."

1930. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow commit their first robbery.

1942. The USSR launches Operation Uranus, counterattacks around Stalingrad that will turn the tide of the battle in its favor.

1969. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean land on the Moon, becoming the third and fourth humans to do so, though they do not quite earn the fame of their predecessors.

1998. The House begins impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton.

[Amnorix]

November 20

1820. 2,000 miles from the coast of South America, an 80 ton sperm whale attacks by ramming, and sinks, the Nantucket, Massachusetts based whaling ship Essex, which was in the midst of a 2.5 year whaling trip to the South Pacific. This event will inspire Herman Melville's Moby Dick after the young Melville meets the son of the Essex's first mate while serving on the whaling ship Acushnet.

1945. The Nuremberg trials commence.

1947. Princess (later Queen) Elizabeth (II) marries Lieutenant PHilip Montbatten. They remain married to this day, 62 years later.

1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis ends after President Kennedy lifts the quarantine on the island following the Soviet Union's promise to remove its missiles from Cuba. Given the impending advent of ICBMs and submarine launched ballistic missiles, in retrospect it seems a bit of a silly exercise in end-of-the-world gamesmanship, though the adventure will soon cause the ouster of Nikita Khrushchev.

1969. Newsweek and other magazines widely report the My Lai village massacre, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer publishes photographs, bringing intense pressure to bear on the US military.



1985. Microsoft Windows 1.0 is released.

[Amnorix]

November 21

164 BC. Judas Maccabeaus, one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history, restores the Temple of Jerusalem, an event celebrated each year by the Hannukah festival.

1620. The Plymouth Colony settlers sign the Mayflower Compact.

1877. Thomas Edison reveals his invention of the phonograph -- a machine that can record and play music -- to the world.

1967. General William Westmoreland tells the press that he is "absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing."

1985. US Navy analyst Jonathan Pollard is arrested for spying for Israel. He remains in prison to this day, despite repeated efforts by Israel to obtain a pardon or other clemency for him.

1986. National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary begin to shred documents relating ot the Iran-Contra affair. Unfortunatately, he does not remain in prison to this day. In fact, his conviction will be overturned as his limited immunity for Congressional testimony ends up immunizing him more broadly than expected.

[Amnorix]

November 22

1864. Confederate General John Bell Hood invades Tennessee, hoping to force Union General Sherman to reverse course on his March to the Sea. Instead, Sherman is thrilled, and merrily continues hsi rampaging destruction through the South, leaving Union General (the Rock of Chicamauga) Thomas to deal with Hood. He will do so, very successfully.

1942. German General Friedrich Paulus notifies Hitler that his Sixth Army is completely surrounded.

1963. President John F. Kennedy is killed and Texas Governor John B. Connally is seriously wounded by (presumably) Lee Harvey Oswald, who is later captured.

1995. Toy Story is released, the first feature length fully computer generated imagery movie.

[Amnorix]

November 23.

1863. The Battle of Chattanooga begins. To lay some groundwork, in 1863 the Civil War was essentially at the tipping point, with the Union having won decisive victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In the middle of the country, however, the Confederates had landed a decisive blow at the Battle of Chickamauga against the Union Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosencrans. At this battle, General Thomas earns the nickname the Rock of Chickamauga for staving off destruction, but the battle was still a decisive victory for the Confederates. The Union is thrown into Chattanooga, which is soon surrounded by the Confederates on the high ground, and besieged.

In response, the Union reacts swiftly. General Hooker, who had led the Union Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville earlier in the year, but had been dismissed, was sent with 15,000 men by train to help. In addition, General Grant was ordered first to send General Sherman with 20,000 men, and then ordered to go personally to save the Union Army. During the course of these events, for the first time the entire Western Theater -- everything from the Appalachians to the Mississippi -- is put under the command of one man -- Grant.

Meanwhile, the defeat at Chickamuaga and siege, short though it had been, broke Rosencrans psychologically. Lincoln, in his inimicable fashion, said that he "seemed confused and stunned, like a duck that had been hit in the head." Grant was given authority to deal with command there as he saw fit, and he relieved Rosencrans, appointing Thomas in his stead.

Now commanding the Confederate forces at Chattanooga -- an important rail hub and iron and coke producer, was Braxton Bragg, who had with him as a corps commander Lee's right hand, General Longstreet.

Without going into too much detail, the battle was hard fought, as the Union needed to try to dislodge the Confederates who held the high ground, especially Lookout Mountain. Both sides also had a fair share of bumbling under the circumstances. The Union plan seemed sound -- with General Sherman charging up the long side of a ride rather than a frontal assault, but he was pinned down and unable to effect much. Somehow, somewhat against orders, a Union frontal assault up the steep mountain succeeded in throwing the Confederates off. Both Grant and Sherman tried to shift credit for the victory to Sherman, but the careful Civil War student knows that there was as much luck as skill involved in this particular victory, and that Sherman certainly doesn't deserve the lion's share of the credit.

In any event, the siege was broken, and the Confederacy's efforts to obtain a major victory to redeem the losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg failed.


1876. Boss Tweed, leader of the Tammany Hall corrupt political machine in New York City, is turned over to NY authorities after being captured in Spain.

1936. The first edition of Life Magazine is published.

1963. The first episode of Dr. Who is broadcast.

[TimeForWasp]

1582: William Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway

I searched for about a half hour and this is the only thing worth even mentioning on nov 27 in history LOL

[Amnorix]

November 24

1835. The Texas Provisional Government authorizes the formation of a mounted police force called the Texas Rangers.

1859. Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species.

1932. The FBI crime lab officially opens.

1963. Only days after he shot President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald is shot and killed by Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters. The shooting was coincidentally broadcast live on national television.

1971. "Dan Cooper", who had boarded and hijacked a plane two days earlier, parachutes out of a plane in a severe thunderstorm over Washington state with his $200,000 in ransom money. He is never caught, though the FBI believes he did not survive the jump. To this day, it remains the only unsolved airplane hijacking in US history, as no one has been able to determine who Dan Cooper (the name he used in getting his tickets) actually was.

Various clues have led to dead ends through the years, including an eight year old boy finding over $5,000 in decaying $20 bills which were confirmed as being part of the original ransom money along the banks of the Columbia River, near the jump site.

In 2007 the FBI tried to jump-start interest in the case by announcing that it had obtained partial DNA identification from the tie he had left on the plane, and by releasing for the first time composite sketches. While reiterating that it thought he was dead, the FBI stated that it was still interested in determining his identity.

1974. "Lucy", a 3.2 million year old Australopithecus skeleton, is discovered in Ethiopia. She is named after the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, which was being played repeatedly and loudly on a tape recorder in the archeologists' camp.