November 25

Birthdays:

1986 ~ Amber Hagerman (d. Jan. 15, 1996), American kidnapping and murder victim.  The crimes against her inspired the Amber Alert System.

1968 ~ Jill Hennessy, Canadian actress best known for her role on the television series, Law and Order.

1960 ~ John F. Kennedy, Jr. (d. July 16, 1999) and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (1966 ~ 1999) were killed when the plane Kennedy was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.  Carolyn was 33 years old; John was 38.

1953 ~ Jeffrey Skilling, American businessman and former president of Enron.  He was convicted of multiple charges relating to Enron’s financial collapse.

1952 ~ John Lynch, American politician and 80^th Governor of New Hampshire.  He served as Governor from January 2005 until January 2013.

1947 ~ John Larroquette, American actor from Louisiana.

1944 ~ Ben Stein, American actor, lawyer and political commentator.

1943 ~ Gerald Alfons August, Baron Mortier (d. Mar. 8, 2014), Belgium opera director who defied the elite.  He died of pancreatic cancer at age 70.

1940 ~ Percy Sledge (d. Apr. 14, 2015), American balladeer who recorded the defining love song, When a Man Loves a Woman.  Although born in Alabama, he lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for over 40 years.  He died at age 74.

1920 ~ Ricardo Montalbán (d. Jan. 14, 2009), Mexican-American actor who exuded foreign charisma.  He is best known for his role as Mr. Roarke on the television series, Fantasy Island.  He died of congestive heart failure at age 88.

1920 ~ Noel Neill (d. July 3, 2016), American actress and journalist’s daughter who became Lois Lane in the early film series.  She died at age 95.

1915 ~ Augusto Pinochet (d. Dec. 10, 2006), President of Chile.  He ruled as a dictator from December 1874 until March 1990.  He died 15 days after his 91^st birthday.

1915 ~ Armando Villanueva (d. Apr. 14, 2013), 121^st Prime Minister of Peru.  He served as President from May 1988 until May 1989.  He died at age 97.

1914 ~ Joe DiMaggio (né Joseph Paul DiMaggio, d. Mar. 8, 1999), American baseball player and husband of Marilyn Monroe.  He died at age 84.

1913 ~ Lewis Thomas (d. Dec. 3, 1993), American physician and etymologist.  He died 8 days after his 80^th birthday.

1895 ~ Helen Hooven Santmyer (d. Feb. 21, 1986), American novelist, best known for her novel, … And the Ladies of the Club.  She was 88 years old when this novel was published.  She died at age 90.

1881 ~ Pope John XXIII (né Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, d. June 3, 1963).  He was known for the institution of Vatican II.  He was Pope from October 1958 until his death on this date 4.5 years later.  He was canonized as a Saint in April 2014.  He died at age 81.

1846 ~ Carrie Nation (d. June 9, 1911), American temperance advocate.  She died at age 64.

1844 ~ Karl Benz (d. Apr. 4, 1929), German engineer and businessman.  He is generally considered to be the inventor of the gas-powered automobile.  Along with his wife, Bertha (1849 ~ 1944), they founded the Mercedes-Benz car manufacturing company.  He died at age 84.

1841 ~ Ernest Schröder (d. June 16, 1902), German mathematician.  He died at age 60.

1835 ~ Andrew Carnegie (d. Aug. 11, 1919), Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist.   He was a steel manufacturer and used much of his fortune to establish many cultural, educational and scientific institutions.  He died at age 83 in Lenox, Massachusetts.

1778 ~ Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck (d. Aug. 29, 1856), British writer and activist in the anti-slavery movement.  She died at age 77.

1758 ~ John Armstrong. Jr. (d. Apr. 1, 1843), 7^th United States Secretary of War.  He served under President James Madison.  He served in that office from January 13, 1813 through September 27, 1814.  He died at age 84.

1757 ~ Henry Brockholst Livingston (d. Mar. 18, 1823), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  He was appointed to the High Court by President Thomas Jefferson.  He served on the Court from November 1806 until his death on this date 17 years later.  He died at age 65.

1638 ~ Catherine of Braganza (d. Dec. 31, 1705), Queen consort of King Charles II of England.  She died at age 67.

Events that Changed the World:

2010 ~ Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

2009 ~ A freak rain storm flooded the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage.  Over 120 people were killed in the flooding and 350 missing.

2008 ~ Cyclone Nisha hit northern Sri Lanka, killing 15 people and leaving over 90,000 people homeless.

2004 ~ Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

2000 ~ A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Baku, Azerbaijan killed 26 people and was one of the strongest earthquakes in the region in over 150 years.

1999 ~ Elián Gonzáles (b. 1993) was rescued by fisherman while floating in an inner tube off the coast of Florida.  He and his mother had attempted an escape from Cuba.  His mother drowned during the trip.  After a lengthy legal battle, Elian was deported to Cuba to live with his father.

1987 ~ Typhoon Nina hit the Philippines with Category 5 winds of 165 miles per hour.  Over 1,000 people were killed in the storm.

1975 ~ Suriname gained its independence from the Netherlands.

1963 ~ President John F. Kennedy (1917 ~ 1963) was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

1952 ~ Agatha Christie’s murder-mystery play, The Mousetrap, opened in London and became the longest continuously-running play in history.  The 25,000^th performance of the play occurred on November 18, 2012.

1926 ~ A deadly tornado outbreak struck the United States Midwest on Thanksgiving Day.  Over 125 people were killed and over 400 people were injured by the storms.

1874 ~ The United States Greenback Party was established as a political party.  It consisted primarily of farmers who were affected by the Panic of 1873.

1839 ~ A cyclone hit India and the storm surges that resulted killed an estimated 300,000 deaths.

1833 ~ A massive undersea earthquake caused a massive tsunami along the Indonesian coast.

1759 ~ An earthquake hit in the Mediterranean destroying Beirut and Damascus.  Between 30,000 and 40,000 people were killed.

1487 ~ Elizabeth of York (1466 ~ 1503) was crowned Queen of England.  She was the queen consort of King Henry VII of England.  She died on her 37^th birthday.

1343 ~ An earthquake in the Tyrrhenian Sea caused a tsunami that devastated Naples, Italy and other coastal communities.

1177 ~ Baldwin IV (1161 ~ 1185) of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon (1125 ~ 1187) defeated Saladin (1137 ~ 1193) at the Battle of Montgisard.

1120 ~ The White Ship, carrying William Adelin, son of King Henry I of England, sank in the English Channel.  William Adelin (1103 ~ 1120) was drowned.  Frederick Forsyth wrote about a historical novel about the events that transpired following the death of the heir to the throne in his novel, Pillars of the Earth.

Good-Byes:

2016 ~ Fidel Castro (b. Aug. 13, 1926), Cuban revolutionary and President of Cuba.  He died at age 90.

2012 ~ Lars Hörmander (b. Jan. 24, 1931), Swedish mathematician.  He died at age 81.

2011 ~ Tom Wicker (b. June 18, 1926), American journalist who witnessed JFK’s death.  He was 85 years old.

1998 ~ Flip Wilson (né Clerow Wilson, Jr., b. Dec. 8, 1933), American actor and comedian.  He died of liver cancer 13 days before his 65^th birthday.

1987 ~ Harold Washington (b. Apr. 15, 1922), 1^st African-American Mayor of Chicago.  He served as Mayor from April 1983 until November 1987.  He died in office at age 65.

1974 ~ U Thant (b. Jan. 22, 1909), Burmese diplomat and 3^rd United Nations Secretary-General.  He died of lung cancer at age 65.

1968 ~ Upton Sinclair (b. Sept. 20, 1878), American writer, best known for his muckracking novel, The Jungle, which described the deplorable conditions of the meat-packing industry.  The book was instrumental in the passage of laws requiring Federal standards for the distribution of food and drugs.  In 1927, he wrote a book entitled Oil!, which is about the petroleum industry.  That book is as significant today as it was when it was first written.  He died at age 90.

1958 ~ Charles F. Kettering (b. Aug. 29, 1876), American engineer and inventor and automobile pioneer.  He died at age 82.

1950 ~ Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (b. Jan. 20, 1873), Danish writer and recipient of the 1944 Nobel Prize in Literature.  He died at age 77.

1949 ~ Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (né Luther Robinson, b. May 25, 1878), American dancer and actor.  He died at age 71.

1944 ~ Kenesaw M. Landis (b. Nov. 20, 1866), American Federal judge and first commissioner of professional baseball.  He had also served as a federal district court judge for the United States District Court of Northern Illinois.  He is best remembered for his handling of the Black Sox scandal, which involved eight Chicago White Sox players who conspired to loose the 1919 World Series.  He died 5 days after his 78^th birthday.

1920 ~ Gaston Chevrolet (b. Oct. 4, 1892), French-born American race car driver.  He was killed at age 28 during a race.

1885 ~ Thomas A. Hendricks (b. Sept. 7, 1819), 21^st Vice President of the United States.  He served under President Grover Cleveland for only 8 months, from March 1885 until his death in Office at age 66 in November 1885.

1700 ~ Stephanus Van Cortlandt (b. May 7, 1643), 10^th and 17^th Mayor of New York City.  He initially served from 1677 to 1678.  His second term in office was from 1686 to 1688.  He died at age 57.

1694 ~ Ismaël Bullialdus (b. Sept. 28, 1605), French mathematician and astronomer.  He died at age 89.

1560 ~ Andrea Doria (b. Nov. 30, 1466), Italian admiral and naval leader.  He died 5 days before his 94^th birthday.

1185 ~ Pope Lucius III (né Ubaldo Allucingoli, b. 1097).  He was Pope from September 1181 until his death 4 years later.  The date of his birth is not known.

1120 ~ William Adelin (b. Aug. 5, 1104), son of King Henry I of England.  He died in the White Ship tragedy.  He was 17 at the time of his death.

1034 ~ King Malcolm II of Scotland.  He ruled as the King of Scots from 1005 until his death.  The date of his birth is not known.

311 ~ Pope Peter of Alexandria.  The date of his birth is not known.