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 Today's highlight in history:
On Nov. 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
On this date:
In 1775, during the American Revolution, the Continental Army captured Montreal.
In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote in a letter to a friend, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
In 1927, the Holland Tunnel opened to the public, providing access between lower Manhattan and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River.
In 1937, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, formed exclusively for radio broadcasting, made its debut.
In 1942, President Roosevelt signed a measure lowering the minimum draft age from 21 to 18.
In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws calling for racial segregation on public city and state buses.
In 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars.
In 1974, Karen Silkwood, a technician and union activist at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron plutonium plant near Crescent, Okla., died in a car crash while on her way to meet a reporter.
In 1977, Al Capp's comic strip "Li'l Abner" appeared in newspapers for the last time.
In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, died when a gigantic mudslide buried the city.
Ten years ago: The United Nations decided to withdraw all weapons inspectors from Iraq after Saddam Hussein ordered Americans on the U.N. team out. A stage musical adaptation of the Disney film "The Lion King" opened on Broadway.
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 Five years ago: Claiming Iraq was seeking the "path of peace," Saddam Hussein's government agreed to the return of international weapons inspectors. U.S. Roman Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved a compromise sex abuse policy after the Vatican demanded they make changes to balance fairness to priests with compassion for victims. Jewish Defense League leader Irv Rubin died nine days after what federal authorities said was a suicide attempt in jail; he was 57.
One year ago: President Bush met with the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and promised to work with the incoming Democratic majority toward "common objectives." At the same time, Bush renewed his opposition to any timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. Bush led a ceremonial groundbreaking on the National Mall for a memorial dedicated to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Today's birthdays: Actress Madeleine Sherwood is 85. Journalist-author Peter Arnett is 73. Producer-director Garry Marshall is 73. Country singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard is 61. Actor Joe Mantegna is 60. Actress Sheila Frazier is 59. Actress Frances Conroy is 54. Musician Andrew Ranken (The Pogues) is 54. Actress Tracy Scoggins is 54. Actress-comedian Whoopi Goldberg is 52. Actor Chris Noth is 51. Actor Rex Linn ("CSI: Miami") is 51. Actress Caroline Goodall is 48. Actor Neil Flynn ("Scrubs") is 47. Rock musician Walter Kibby (Fishbone) is 43. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is 40. Actor Steve Zahn is 39. Rock musician Nikolai Fraiture is 29. Actress Monique Coleman is 27.
Thought for today: "Don't be a pal to your son. Be his father. What child needs a 40-year-old for a friend?"
-- Al Capp, American cartoonist (1909-1979).
[Associated Press]
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