This day in history

[November 24, 2009]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Nov. 24, the 328th day of 2009. There are 37 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Nov. 24, 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

On this date:

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

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

In 1939, British Overseas Airways Corp. was formally established.

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

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

In 1971, hijacker "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a Northwest Orient 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: Some 280 people were killed when a ferry caught fire and foundered off the coast of eastern China's Shandong province.

Five years ago: Ukraine's election officials declared that Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had won Ukraine's bitterly disputed presidential runoff balloting; thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated in Kiev. Popular author Arthur Hailey died in New Providence, Bahamas, at age 84.

One year ago: A Muslim charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, and five of its former leaders were convicted by a federal jury in Dallas of funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Pakistan won final approval for a $7.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help stave off a possible economic meltdown. Former West Virginia Gov. Cecil H. Underwood -- elected to the job in 1956 and in 1996 -- died at age 86.

Today's birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson is 71. Country singer Johnny Carver is 69. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is 69. Rock drummer Pete Best is 68. Rock musician Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T. & the MG's) is 68. Actor-comedian Billy Connolly is 67. Former White House news secretary Marlin Fitzwater is 67. Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman is 65. Singer Lee Michaels is 64. Actor Dwight Schultz is 62. Actor Stanley Livingston is 59. Rock musician Clem Burke (Blondie; The Romantics) is 54. Record producer Terry Lewis is 53. Actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is 53. Actress Denise Crosby is 52. Actress Shae D'Lyn is 47. Rock musician John Squire (The Stone Roses) is 47. Rock musician Gary Stonadge (Big Audio) is 47. Actor Garret Dillahunt is 45. Rock musician Chad Taylor (Live) is 39. Actress Lola Glaudini is 38. Actress Danielle Nicolet is 36. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Chen Lu is 33. Actor Colin Hanks is 32. Actress Katherine Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy") is 31. Actress Sarah Hyland ("Modern Family") is 19.

Thought for today: "Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold." -- Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, American writer (1900-1948)

[Associated Press]

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