This day in history

[November 24, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Monday, Nov. 24, the 329th day of 2008. There are 37 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Nov. 24, 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

On this date:

In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, was born in Orange County, Va.

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution.

In 1863, the Civil War battle for Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee; Union forces succeeded in taking the mountain from the Confederates.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. bombers based on Saipan attacked Tokyo in the first raid against the Japanese capital by land-based planes.

In 1947, a group of writers, producers and directors that became known as the "Hollywood Ten" was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry.

In 1947, John Steinbeck's novel "The Pearl" was first published.

In 1950, the musical "Guys and Dolls," based on the writings of Damon Runyon and featuring songs by Frank Loesser, opened on Broadway.

In 1969, Apollo 12 splashed down safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, hijacker "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom. His fate remains unknown.

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed on terms to scrap shorter- and medium-range missiles.

Ten years ago: America Online confirmed it was buying Netscape Communications in a dramatic $4.21 billion deal. The first Palestine Airlines flight touched down at Gaza International Airport. A funeral was held in St. Petersburg for liberal Russian lawmaker Galina Starovoitova, who had been assassinated four days earlier.

Five years ago: President Bush signed a $401.3 billion defense authorization bill. The president then traveled to Fort Carson, Colo., where he paid tribute to the sacrifices of U.S. troops in Iraq. A jury in Virginia Beach, Va., sentenced John Allen Muhammad to death for the Washington-area sniper shootings. A fire at a Moscow dormitory for foreign students killed 43 people. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn died in Broken Arrow, Okla., at age 82.

One year ago: A fast-moving wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds raced through the canyons and mountains of Malibu, Calif., for the second time in little more than a month, destroying some 50 homes. In Australia's election, conservative Prime Minister John Howard suffered defeat at the hands of Labor Party head Kevin Rudd.

Today's birthdays: Country singer Johnny Carver is 68. Rock-and-roll drummer Pete Best is 67. Rock musician Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T. & the MG's) is 67. Actor-comedian Billy Connolly is 66. Former White House news secretary Marlin Fitzwater is 66. Motion Picture Association of America President Dan Glickman is 64. Singer Lee Michaels is 63. Actor Dwight Schultz is 61. Actor Stanley Livingston is 58. Rock musician Clem Burke (Blondie; The Romantics) is 53. Record producer Terry Lewis is 52. Actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is 52. Actress Denise Crosby is 51. Actress Shae D'Lyn is 46. Rock musician John Squire (The Stone Roses) is 46. Rock musician Gary Stonadge (Big Audio) is 46. Actor Garret Dillahunt is 44. Rock musician Chad Taylor (Live) is 38. Actress Lola Glaudini is 37. Actor Colin Hanks is 31. Actress Katherine Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy") is 30.

Thought for today: "Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt." -- Minna Antrim, American writer (1861-1950)

[Associated Press]

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