Today is Tuesday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2006. There are 33 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Nov. 28, 1942, nearly 500 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston.
On this date:
In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.
In 1806, French forces led by Joachim Murat entered Warsaw.
In 1919, American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female member of the British Parliament.
In 1925, the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville's famed home of country music, made its radio debut on station WSM.
In 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began conferring in Tehran, Iran, during World War II.
In 1958, the African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.
In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course to Mars.
In 1975, President Ford nominated Federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.
In 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 en route to the South Pole crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all 257 people aboard.
In 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who conferred the premiership on John Major.
Ten years ago: Defense Secretary William Perry joined U.S. soldiers in the mud and freezing rain of Bosnia-Herzegovina to deliver a Thanksgiving message of discipline and patience for their still-unfinished peacekeeping mission. A stuck hatch on the space shuttle Columbia prevented two astronauts from going on a spacewalk (engineers later discovered a loose screw had jammed the hatch mechanism).
Five years ago: Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion deal to take it over. Officials recovered the body of CIA officer Johnny "Mike" Spann from a prison compound in Mazar-e-Sharif after northern alliance rebels backed by U.S. airstrikes and special forces quelled an uprising by Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners.
One year ago: Eight-term Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty to graft and tearfully resigned; the California Republican admitted he'd taken $2.4 million in bribes mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors. A corruption scandal brought down the minority government of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. The trial of Saddam Hussein resumed after a five-week break, but adjourned until Dec. 5, 2005.
Today's Birthdays: Recording executive Berry Gordy Jr. is 77. Former Sen. Gary Hart, D-Colo., is 70. Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel is 66. Singer Randy Newman is 63. Movie director Joe Dante is 60. CBS News correspondent Susan Spencer is 60. "Late Show" orchestra leader Paul Shaffer is 57. Actor Ed Harris is 56. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson is 54. Country singer Kristine Arnold (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 50. Actor Judd Nelson is 47. Movie director Alfonso Cuaron is 45. Rock musician Matt Cameron is 44. Comedian Jon Stewart is 44. Actress Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon is 40. TV personality Anna Nicole Smith is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Dawn Robinson is 38. Hip-hop musician apl.de.ap (Black Eyed Peas) is 32. Actress Aimee Garcia is 28. Rapper Chamillionaire is 27. Actress Scarlett Pomers ("Reba") is 18.
Thought for Today: "Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love." — Adela Rogers St. Johns, American journalist (1894-1988).
