Born On This Day:

• Pope Nicholas V, 1397
• Catherine of Braganza, 1638
• William Pitt (the elder), 1708
• Sir William Herschel, 1738
• Franklin P. Adams, 1881
• Felix Frankfurter, 1882
• Marianne Moore, 1887
• Georgia O'Keeffe, 1887
• King Manuel II Portugal, 1889
• Averell Harriman, 1891
• Erwin Rommel, 1891
• Aneurin Bevan, 1897
• Montovani, 1905
• Curtis LeMay, 1906
• Veronica Lake, 1919
• Howard Baker, 1925
• Ed Asner, 1929
• J. G. Ballard, 1930
• Petula Clark, 1932
• Sam Waterston, 1940
• Daniel Barenboim, 1942
• Beverly D'Angelo, 1953

Died On This Day:

• Johannes Kepler, 1630
• King Frederik VII Denmark, 1863
• Lionel Barrymore, 1954
• Tyrone Power, 1958
• Fritz Reiner, 1963
• Jean Gabin, 1976
• Margaret Mead, 1978
• Alger Hiss, 1996
• Stokely Carmichael, 1998
• Laurence Tisch, 2003

Today's Events:

• 1492 - Columbus observes native Americans drying and smoking something - first reference of tobacco.
• 1777 - Congress adopts Articles of Confederation calling for union-United States of America.
• 1806 - Explorer Zebulon Pike gets first sight of the famous mountain, Pike's Peak, now in Colorado.
• 1837 - First shorthand book published by Isaac Pitman.
• 1881 - Federation of Organized Trades & Labor Unions, later named the AFofL, formed in Pittsburgh, PA.
• 1889 - Brazil becomes a republic on Dom Pedro II's dethronement.
• 1899 - S.S. St. Paul becomes the first ship to receive radio messages (transmitted from Isle of Wight).
• 1901 - Battery driven hearing aid patented by Miller Reese of New York.
• 1926 - NBC radio begins broadcasting; 25 stations pick up network from New York to Kansas City.
• 1935 - Commonwealth of the Philippines is inaugurated.
• 1969 - 250,000 protestors stage peaceful demonstration in Washington DC against Vietnam War.
• 1971 - Date credited as 30th birthday of Intel's first microprocessor 4004 built by Hoff, Mazor & Faggin.
• 1976 - New species of giant shark discovered near Oahu; US Navy lands sea monster called 'megamouth.'
• 2005 - 2005-Movie poster for 1920's Fritz Lang film "Metropolis" sells for record $690,000 in London to California collector.

Feast Day of Saint:

• Albert the Great
• Fintan of Rheinau
• Leopold of Austria
• Malo

Holiday:

• Day of Bodhidharma founder of Zen Buddhism
• Shichigosan (7-5-3) Festival in Japan
• Republic Day in Brazil
• Dynasty Day in Belgium

Non-Specific Holiday:

• THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.) last Thursday of November.
• TUNG CHICH, Feast of the Winter Solstice in China (sometime during the eleventh moon on the shortest day of the year)
• DIVALI (India) five day autumn festival.
• BHRATRI DWITYA, Hindu Festival of Brothers
• TUNG CHICH, Feast of the Winter Solstice in China (sometime during the eleventh moon on the shortest day of the year)
• ADVENT SUNDAY, Sunday nearest to feast of Saint Andrew (Nov. 30) whether before or after.
• HANUKKA also spelled CHANUKAH (Jewish Feast of Lights), eight day holiday beginning on 25th of lunar month Kislev.
• TSAO CHÜN, Festival of the Kitchen God in China (23rd day of the twelfth moon (or 24th in Kwantung)
• CH'U HSI, Night of the Thirtieth (29th day of the twelfth moon)
• ELEPHANT ROUNDUP AT SURIN, THAILAND celebrated third Sunday in November
• ON-MATSURI, Yamato region harvest festival in Nara, Japan
• CHICHIBU NO YO-MATSURI, Kabuki and fireworks in Japan