GMT 11/30//2017

1782-- The British sign a preliminary agreement in Paris, recognizing American independence.

1838-- Mexico declares war on France.

1861-- The British Parliament sends to Queen Victoria an ultimatum for the United States, demanding the release of two Confederate diplomats who were seized on the British ship Trent.

1864-- The Union wins the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.

1900-- The French government denounces British actions in South Africa, declaring sympathy for the Boers.

1900-- Oscar Wilde dies in a Paris hotel room after saying of the room's wallpaper: "One of us had to go."

1906-- President Theodore Roosevelt publicly denounces segregation of Japanese schoolchildren in San Francisco.

1919-- Women cast votes for the first time in French legislative elections.

1935-- Non-belief in Nazism is proclaimed grounds for divorce in Germany.

1945-- Russian forces take Danzig in Poland and invade Austria.

1948-- The Soviet Union complete the division of Berlin, installing the government in the Soviet sector.

1950-- President Truman declares that the United States will use the A-bomb to get peace in Korea.

1956-- The United States offers emergency oil to Europe to counter the Arab ban.

1961-- The Soviet Union vetoes a UN seat for Kuwait, pleasing Iraq.

1974-- India and Pakistan decide to end a 10-year trade ban.

1974-- Pioneer II sends photos back to NASA as it nears Jupiter.

1979-- Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope in 1,000 years to attend an Orthodox mass.

1981-- Representatives of the US and USSR meet in Geneva, Switzerland, to begin negotiations on reducing the number of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.

1982-- Thriller, Michael Jackson's second solo album, released; the album, produced by Quincy Jones, became the best-selling album in history.

1993-- US President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (better known as the Brady Bill) into law.

1994-- MS Achille Lauro, a ship with long history of problems including a 1985 terrorist hijacking, catches fire off the coast of Somalia.

1995-- Operation Desert Storm officially comes to an end.

1998-- Exxon and Mobil oil companies agree to a $73.7 billion merge, creating the world's largest company, Exxon-Mobil.

2004-- On the game show Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings loses after 74 consecutive victories. It is the longest winning streak in game-show history, earning him a total of over $3 million.

2005-- John Sentamu becomes Archbishop of York, making him the Church of England's first black archbishop.


Born on November 30


1835-- Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), American writer best remembered for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

1874-- Winston Churchill, British prime minister during and after World War II.

1929-- Dick Clark, television host; (American Bandstand, 1957-87; Pyramid game show); beginning in 1972 and continuing into the 21st century he hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on television.

1930-- G. Gordon Liddy, chief operative for the "White House Plumbers" (July-September 1971) during Richard Nixon's administration, he organized and oversaw the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. He served nearly 52 months in federal prison.

1955-- Billy Idol (William Broad), punk rock musician; member of Generation X band.



Joke of the day

Why are hurricanes usually named after women?
When they first come their wild and wet, and when they leave they take your house and car with them.