November 25th
Today in 1715,Sybilla Thomas Masters became the first American to be granted an English patent for cleaning and curing Indian corn.
Today in 1783,during the Revolutionary War,the British evacuated New York. New York was their last military position in the U.S.
Today in 1792,Benjamin Banneker first published his Farmer's Almanac.
Today in 1817,the first sword swallower to perform in America gave a show in New York City. Senaa Samma, from Madras, India, was obliged to use an American sword "as a substitute for the one lately stolen from him by some villain."
Today in 1837,William Crompton patented the silk power loom.
Today in 1850,Texas relinquished one-third of its territory in exchange for $10-million from the U.S. to pay its public debts and settle border disputes. It’s known as the Compromise of 1850.
Today in 1867,Alfred Nobel patented dynamite, which made him a rich man. In his will, he established a fund for the Nobel Prizes, which were first given out in 1901.
Today in 1867,a Congressional commission began looking into the "impeachment" of President Andrew Johnson.
Today in 1920,the first play-by-play broadcast of a football game was aired in College Station, Texas. The game was between the University of Texas and Texas A&M.
Today in 1940,the cartoon character of “Woody Woodpecker,”made his debut in the film, “Knock Knock” by Walter Lantz.
Today in 1944,CBS Radio presented "The FBI in Peace and War" for the first time. It became one of the longest-running crime shows on radio - lasting 14 years.
Today in 1947,movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the "Hollywood 10,"who were cited a day earlier and jailed for contempt of Congress when they failed to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Today in 1949,"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"appeared on the music charts this day and became THE musical hit of the Christmas season. Although Gene Autry's rendition is the most popular, 80 different versions of the song have been recorded, with nearly 20,000,000 copies sold.
Today in 1949,tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson died. He was 71. His life inspired the song "Mr. Bojangles" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Today in 1952,Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap,"listed by the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the world's longest running play, opened in London.
Today in 1955,the Interstate Commerce Commission banned racial segregation on interstate trains and buses.
Today in 1957,President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a stroke.
Today in 1961,the Everly Brothers were inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves as they reported to Camp Pendelton, California for duty.
Today in 1963,over a million people gathered in Washington D.C.for the funeral of slain President John F. Kennedy.
Today in 1970,Japanese author Yukio Mishima committed ritual suicide after giving a speech attacking Japan's post-war constitution.
Today in 1973,the United States cut the maximum speed limit cut to 55-mph as an energy conservation measure.
Today in 1976,NASA’s Viking 1 radio signaled from Mars, helping to prove the general theory of relativity.
Today in 1979,Pat Summerall and John Madden broadcast a game together for the first time, a pairing that would last 22 years and become one of the most well-known partnerships in TV sportscasting history.
Today in 1982,the Minneapolis Thanksgiving Day Fire destroyed an entire city block, including the Northwestern National Bank building and the recently closed Donaldson's Department Store.
Today in 1984,William J. Schroeder of Jasper, Indiana,became the second man to receive a Jarvik-7 artificial heart during a six-hour operation at Humana Hospital Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky. He lived 620 days on the device.
Today in 1986,the Iran-Contra scandal erupted as Oliver North's secretary, Fawn Hill, smuggled related documents out of his office upon being fired.
Today in 1987,Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago,died at the age of 65 after suffering a heart attack in his City Hall office.
Today in 1987,the movie "Three Men And A Baby," starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson,opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1987,Super typhoon Nina pummelled the Philippines with category 5 winds of 165-mph and a surge that swallowed entire villages. In the end, at least 1,036 deaths attributed to the storm.
Today in 1992,the film, "The Crying Game," starring Jaye Davidson, Stephen Rea, Forest Whitaker and Miranda Richardson opened in limited release, while Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard"opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1998,legendary funnyman Flip Wilson died of liver cancer in Malibu, California, at the age of 64. A groundbreaking comic on a number of levels, he was also the first black to host a successful weekly variety series for a network.
Today in 1998,the movie,"Babe: Pig in the City;”and the animated movie,"A Bug's Life"opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1999,five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida. Elian was one of three survivors from a boat carrying 14 Cubans that had sunk two days earlier in the Atlantic Ocean; his rescue set off an international custody battle between relatives in Miami and Elian's father in Cuba.
Today in 2001,as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week,CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif, becoming America’s first combat casualty of the conflict.
Today in 2002,President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.
Today in 2008,President-elect Barack Obama said economic recovery efforts would trump deficit concerns after he took office in January; at the same time, Obamapledged a “page-by-page, line-by-line” budget review to root out unneeded spending.
Today in 2008,former NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to a Virginia dogfighting charge, receiving a three-year suspended sentence.
Today in 2014,Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered hundreds more US National Guard troops to the town of Ferguson to prevent a second night of rioting and looting.
Today in 2014,Lionel Messi became the UEFA Champions League all-time top scorer.
Today in 2015,pushing back against critics, President Barack Obama forcefully defended the temporary agreement to freeze Iran’s disputed nuclear program, declaring that the United States “cannot close the door on diplomacy.”
Today in 2015,prosecutors closed their yearlong investigation into the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooter claimed the lives of 26 victims.
Today in 2016,Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba,died at age 90.
Today in 2018,EU leaders approve an agreement for Britain to leave the EU (Brexit).
Today in 2018,historic north Californian Camp Fire was declared 100% contained with 85 dead, 249 missing, covering 153,000 acres with 14,000 homes burnt.