November 26th

Today in 1716,the first lion to be exhibited in America went on display in Boston, Massachusetts.

Today in 1789,a day of thanksgiving was set aside by President Washington to observe the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, the first national celebration of Thanksgiving.

Today in 1861,West Virginia seceded from Virginia in a dispute over slavery(West Virginia was against slavery).

Today in 1863,capping a 40-year effort begun by Boston journalist Sarah Hale,President Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday,falling on the last Thursday in November.

Today in 1916,President Woodrow Wilson declared “the business of neutrality is over” when addressing the Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati, noting “the nature of modern war leaves no state untouched.”

Today in 1941,President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

Today in 1943,bearing US ground troops bound for Italy, the HMS Rohna became the first shipsunk by air to surface missiles. With 1,015 casualties – most of them Americans – the Rohna event was the worst American Naval loss in a single attack of WW II.

Today in 1973,Rose Mary Woods,told a federal court that she was responsible for the 18-1/2 minute gap in a key Watergate tape. She was President Nixon's personal secretary. She said she had inadvertently kept her left foot on the pedal of a tape recorder while stretching behind her to answer a telephone call, at the same time mistakenly pushing the "record" button on the machine, and thus erased perhaps five minutes of the taped conversation. Asked to re-enact it in court, Ms. Woods reached for an imaginary phone -- and lifted her left foot.

Today in 1975,Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was found guilty by a federal jury in Sacramento, California for trying to assassinate President Ford on September 5th. Shewas sentenced to life in prisonthe following December…and ultimately released in 2009.

Today in 1985,Random House acquired the rights to Ronald Reagan’s autobiography for $3-million– the highest advance ever paid for such a book. By contrast, Barack and Michelle Obama sealed a combined deal for a reported $65-millionfor their respective memoirs in 2017.

Today in 1986,President Reagan appointed a commission headed by former Sen. John Towerto investigate his National Security Council staff after the Iran-Contra affair.

Today in 1988,the United States denied an entry visa to PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, who was seeking permission to travel to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly.

Today in 1990,Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz at the Kremlin to demand that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait.

Today in 1998,Hulk Hogan announced he was retiring from pro wrestling and would run for president in 2000. Making the big announcement on NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” he offered, “It's something that's not out of the question, because with everybody having a different agenda and everybody owing everybody something in the political arena, it would be nice to have somebody that could put America first. ... The way I look at it, if Jesse Ventura could become governor of Minnesota, I mean I basically beat Jesse at everything he's done anyway in his life, so I might as well run for the president.”

Today in 2000,Florida's secretary of state certified George W. Bush the winner over Al Gorein the state's near-deadlocked presidential vote– but court contests left in doubt which man would be the victor and 43rd president of the United States. Ultimately, President Bush was declared the winner on the basis of the electoral vote, although he lost the popular vote.

Today in 2011,the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Mars rover Curiosity landed on the floor of Gale Crater on August 6th, 2012.

Today in 2013,due to a homophobic street tirade captured on video, Alec Baldwin’s show “Up Late with Alec Baldwin” was cancelled after only five episodes. He blamed GLAAD and “the fundamentalist wing of gay advocacy” for the cancellation. It remains one of many “incidents” Baldwin has had.

Today in 2018,Chinese scientist He Jiankui claimed to have made the first genetically edited baby. In the wake of international outrage, He’s research was shut down, and the children reportedly born from his process are being monitored.

Mike Trivisonno

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