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380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal entry, into Constantinople.

642 - Theodore succeeds John IV as Pope.

1190 - Isabella of Jerusalem marries Conrad of Montferrat at Acre, making him de jure King.

1639 - Jeremiah Horrocks observes the transit of Venus (November 24 in the Julian calendar, or December 4 in the Gregorian calendar).

1642 - Abel Tasman becomes the first European to discover the island Van Diemen's Land (later renamed Tasmania).

1859 - Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species.

1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Lookout Mountain - Near Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant capture Lookout Mountain and begin to break the Confederate siege of the city led by General Braxton Bragg.

1904 - The first successful caterpillar track is made.

1922 - Author and Irish Republican Army member Robert Erskine Childers is executed by an Irish Free State firing squad for illegally carrying a revolver.

1932 - In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.

1935 - The Senegalese Socialist Party holds its second congress.

1941 - World War II: The United States grants Lend-Lease to the Free French.

1944 - World War II: Bombing of Tokyo - The first bombing raid against the Japanese capital from the east and by land was made by 88 American aircraft.

1947 - Red Scare: After refusing to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of Communist influence in the movie industry, the United States House of Representatives votes 346 to 17 to approve citations of contempt of Congress against the so-called Hollywood 10.

1947 - Robert Schuman becomes Prime Minister of France

1951 - The Broadway play Gigi opens with little-known actress Audrey Hepburn in the title role.

1962 - The West Berlin branch of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany forms a separate party, the Socialist Unity Party of West Berlin.

1963 - John F. Kennedy assassination: Alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is mortally shot by Jack Ruby in Dallas, Texas on live national television.

1963 - Vietnam War: Newly sworn-in US President Lyndon B. Johnson confirms that the United States intends to continue supporting South Vietnam both militarily and economically.

1965 - Joseph Désiré Mobutu seizes power in the Congo and becomes President; he goes on to rule the country (which he renames Zaire in 1971) for over 30 years, until being overthrown by rebels in 1997.

1966 - The single smoggiest day on record in New York City's history.

1969 - Apollo program: The Apollo 12 spacecraft splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the second manned mission to the Moon.

1971 - During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (AKA D.B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with US$200,000 in ransom money - neither he nor the money are ever found.

1976 - The Band gives its last public performance, documented by Martin Scorsese in the film The Last Waltz.

1992 - In the People's Republic of China, a China Southern Airlines domestic flight crashes, killing all 141 people on-board.

1993 - In Liverpool, 11-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables are convicted of the murder of 2-year-old James Bulger.

1996 - Rusty Wallace wins the Suzuka NASCAR Thunder 100 racing event at Suzuka Circuitland in Suzuka City (this was the first NASCAR competition held in Japan).

1998 - America Online announces it will acquire Netscape Communications in a stock-for-stock transaction worth US$4.2 billion.

2000 - The PlayStation 2 is released in Europe, for around €449/£299.

2002 - Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on mission STS-113, the final successful shuttle flight before the ill-fated STS-107 Columbia mission.

2005 - The Licensing Act 2003 comes into force in England and Wales, introducing flexibility in the hours during which alcoholic beverages may be sold.

2005 - Conservative leader Stephen Harper, the leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament, introduced a motion of no confidence, which NDP leader Jack Layton seconded. The motion was passed on November 28 which led to the dissolution to the 38th Canadian Parliament.

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1273 - Alphonso, Earl of Chester, son of Edward I of England (d. 1284)

1394 - Charles, Duke of Orléans, French poet (d. 1465)

1420 - John Stafford, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English politician (d. 1473)

1583 - Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, Spanish poet (d. 1641)

1615 - Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (d. 1690)

1630 - Etienne Baluze, French scholar (d. 1718)

1632 - Baruch Spinoza, Dutch philosopher (d. 1677)

1655 - Charles XI of Sweden (d. 1697)

1690 - Charles Theodore Pachelbel, German composer (d. 1750)

1713 - Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary (d. 1784)

1713 - Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist (d. 1768)

1729 - Alexander Suvorov, Russian general (d. 1800)

1774 - Thomas Dick, a Scottish scientific teacher and writer (d. 1857).

1784 - Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States (d. 1850)

1787 - Franz Xaver Gruber, Austrian organist (d. 1863)

1801 - Ludwig Bechstein, German poet (d. 1860)

1806 - William Webb Ellis, credited with the invention of Rugby (d. 1872)

1811 - Ulrich Ochsenbein, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1890)

1815 - Grace Darling, English heroine (d. 1842)

1826 - Carlo Collodi, Italian author (d. 1890)

1849 - Frances Hodgson Burnett, British-born author (d. 1924)

1853 - Bat Masterson, American gunfighter (d. 1921)

1859 - Cass Gilbert, American architect (d. 1934)

1864 - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter (d. 1901)

1874 - Charles William Miller, Brazilian footballer (d. 1953)

1876 - Walter Burley Griffin, American architect (d. 1937)

1877 - Alben W. Barkley, Vice President of the United States (d. 1956)

1881 - Al Christie, Canadian-born film director and producer (d. 1951)

1884 - Itzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel (d. 1963)

1887 - Erich von Manstein, German military commander (d. 1973)

1888 - Dale Carnegie, American writer (d. 1955)

1888 - Fredrick Willius, American cardiologist (d. 1972)

1894 - Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer (d. 1978)

1895 - Ludvík Svoboda, President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1979)

1897 - Lucky Luciano, American gangster (d. 1962)

1905 - Irwin Allen, American film producer (d. 1991)

1911 - Joe Medwick, baseball player (d. 1975)

1912 - Garson Kanin, American writer (d. 1999)

1912 - Teddy Wilson, American jazz pianist (d. 1986)

1913 - Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-born actress (d. 2005)

1916 - Forrest J. Ackerman, American writer

1917 - Howard Duff, American actor

1921 - John Lindsay, American politician (d. 2000)

1924 - Victor Grinich, Croatian-American businessman (d. 2000)

1925 - William F. Buckley Jr., American writer

1925 - Simon van der Meer, Nobel Prize laureate

1926 - Tsung-Dao Lee, Nobel Prize laureate

1927 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Ivorian writer (d. 2003)

1927 - Alfredo Kraus, Spanish tenor (d. 1999)

1930 - Bob Friend, baseball player

1934 - Alfred Schnittke, German composer (d. 1998)

1935 - Ronald Vernie Dellums, U.S. Representative from California

1938 - Oscar Robertson, American basketball player

1940 - Paul Tagliabue, commissioner of the National Football League

1940 - Don Metz, American architect

1941 - Pete Best, British musician

1941 - Donald "Duck" Dunn, American musician, Booker T. and the M.G.'s

1942 - Billy Connolly, Scottish comedian

1942 - Marlin Fitzwater, White House Press Secretary

1943 - Dave Bing, American basketball player

1944 - Ibrahim Gambari, Nigerian scholar

1946 - Ted Bundy, American serial killer (d. 1989)

1947 - Dwight Schultz, American actor

1948 - Steve Yeager, baseball player

1951 - Chet Edwards, American politician

1955 - Ian Botham, England test cricketer

1955 - Elvis Ramone, American drummer (The Ramones)

1955 - Takashi Yuasa, Japanese lawyer

1957 - Denise Crosby, American actress

1957 - Edward Stourton, British radio presenter

1960 - Amanda Wyss, American actress

1960 - Edgar Meyer, American bassist and composer

1962 - John Squire, British guitarist (The Stone Roses)

1964 - Brad Sherwood, American comedian

1966 - Russell Watson, British singer

1967 - Cal Eldred, baseball player

1968 - Bülent Korkmaz, Turkish footballer

1969 - Rob Nicholson, American musician

1971 - Cosmas Ndeti, three time Boston Marathon winner.

1971 - Keith Primeau, Canadian hockey player

1974 - Stephen Merchant, British comedian

1976 - Lu Chen, Chinese figure skater

1976 - Dave Aizer, American Television Host

1977 - Colin Hanks, American actor

1978 - Katherine Heigl, American actress

1980 - Beth Phoenix, American professional wrestler

1983 - Dean Ashton, English footballer

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654 - Emperor Kōtoku of Japan

1468 - Jean de Dunois, French soldier (b. 1402)

1531 - Johannes Oecolampadius, German religious reformer (b. 1482)

1541 - Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV of Scotland (b. 1489)

1572 - John Knox, Scottish reformer

1583 - René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (b. 1506)

1615 - Sethus Calvisius, German calendar reformer (b. 1556)

1650 - Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese composer (b. 1566)

1722 - Johann Adam Reinken, German organist (b. 1623)

1741 - Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (b. 1688)

1770 - Charles-Jean-François Hénault, French historian (b. 1685)

1775 - Lorenzo Ricci, Italian Jesuit leader (b. 1703)

1781 - James Caldwell, American revolutionary (b. 1734)

1793 - Clément Charles François de Laverdy, French statesman (b. 1723)

1801 - Franz Moritz Graf von Lacy, Austrian field marshal (b. 1725)

1807 - Joseph Brant, Mohawk leader (b. 1742)

1848 - William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1779)

1870 - Comte de Lautréamont, French writer (b. 1846)

1890 - August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born financier (b. 1816)

1916 - Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, American-born gunsmith (b. 1840)

1922 - Robert Erskine Childers, Irish nationalist (executed) (b. 1870)

1929 - Georges Clemenceau, Premier of France (b. 1841)

1943 - Doris Miller, American navy cook (b. 1919)

1956 - Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (b. 1920)

1957 - Diego Rivera, Mexican painter (b. 1886)

1958 - Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, British politician, Nobel laureate (b. 1864)

1959 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league player (b. 1883)

1960 - Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (b. 1882)

1965 - Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1895)

1973 - John Neihardt, American writer (b. 1881)

1980 - George Raft, American actor (b. 1895)

1985 - Big Joe Turner, American singer (b. 1911)

1991 - Freddie Mercury, Zanzibar-born singer (Queen) (b. 1946)

1991 - Eric Carr, American drummer (KISS) (b. 1950)

1996 - Sorley MacLean, British poet (b. 1911)

2002 - John Rawls, Political philosopher (b. 1921)

2003 - Floquet de Neu, Ecuato Guinean albino gorilla (b. 1964)

2004 - Wong Jim, Hong Kong songwriter (b. 1940)

2004 - Arthur Hailey, British-born author (b. 1920)

2005 - Pat Morita, American actor (b. 1932)

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Roman festivals - in the Byzantine empire the Brumalia (a wine festival) were celebrated from this day until the winter solstice

R.C. Saints - Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and other Vietnamese martyrs

Also see November 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Feast Day of Saint Colman of Cloyne - Cobh, Ireland

Teacher's Day in Turkey