This day in history

[November 25, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Nov. 25, the 330th day of 2008. There are 36 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

One hundred years ago, on Nov. 25, 1908, the first issue of The Christian Science Monitor was published.

On this date:

In 1758, during the French and Indian War, the British captured Fort Duquesne in present-day Pittsburgh.

In 1783, the British evacuated New York, their last military position in the United States during the Revolutionary War.

In 1881, Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli near Bergamo, Italy.

In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the "Hollywood Ten" who'd been cited for contempt of Congress the day before.

In 1957, President Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke.

In 1963, the body of President Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1973, Greek President George Papadopoulos was ousted in a bloodless military coup.

In 1974, former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant died in New York at age 65.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 2002, President Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.

Ten years ago: Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Tokyo for the first visit by a Chinese head of state to Japan since World War II. Comedian Flip Wilson died in Malibu, Calif., at age 64.

Five years ago: The Senate gave final congressional approval to historic Medicare legislation combining a new prescription drug benefit with measures to control costs before the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. Yemen arrested Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal, a top al-Qaida member suspected of masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen's coast. (Al-Ahdal was later sentenced to three years for the French tanker attack, but was not charged in the Cole case.) Gail Knisley, 62, was shot and killed while riding in a car on a highway in Columbus, Ohio; it was the only fatality in a series of shootings that terrified area drivers. (Charles A. McCoy Jr. later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and 10 other charges, and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.)

One year ago: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned from exile to an ecstatic welcome from thousands of supporters and immediately stepped up the pressure on U.S.-backed military ruler Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule. Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in a Las Vegas home; he was 52.

Today's birthdays: Actor Ricardo Montalban is 88. Actress Noel Neill is 88. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 75. Actor Matt Clark is 72. Singer Percy Sledge is 68. Author, actor and game show host Ben Stein is 64. Singer Bob Lind is 64. Actor John Larroquette is 61. Actor Tracey Walter is 61. Movie director Jonathan Kaplan is 61. Singer Amy Grant is 48. Rock musician Eric Grossman (K's Choice) is 44. Rock singer Mark Lanegan is 44. Rock singer-musician Tim Armstrong is 43. Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 42. Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 42. Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 40. Actress Jill Hennessy is 39. Actress Christina Applegate is 37. Actor Eddie Steeples ("My Name Is Earl") is 35.

Thought for today: "Reject hatred without hating." -- Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and founder of The Christian Science Monitor (1821-1910)

[Associated Press]

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