Today’s Highlight in History:
On Nov. 15, 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh (teh-KUM’-seh) Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah on Dec. 21.
On this date:
In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.
In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado.
In 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established as its new president, Manuel L. Quezon (KAY’-zahn), took office.
In 1937, at the U.S. Capitol, members of the House and Senate met in air-conditioned chambers for the first time.
In 1942, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U.S. victory over Japanese forces.
In 1958, actor Tyrone Power, 44, died in Madrid, Spain, while filming “Solomon and Sheba.” (Power’s part was recast with Yul Brynner.)
In 1959, four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, were found murdered in their home. (Ex-convicts Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were later convicted of the killings and hanged in a case made famous by the Truman Capote book “In Cold Blood.”)
In 1966, the flight of Gemini 12, the final mission of the Gemini program, ended successfully as astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. splashed down safely in the Atlantic after spending four days in orbit.
In 1969, a quarter of a million protesters staged a peaceful demonstration in Washington against the Vietnam War.
In 1974, the disaster movie “Earthquake” was released by Universal Pictures in “Sensurround,” which bombarded the audience with low-frequency sound waves during the quake scenes.
In 1984, Stephanie Fae Beauclair, the infant publicly known as “Baby Fae” who had received a baboon’s heart to replace her own congenitally deformed one, died at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California three weeks after the transplant.
In 2007, baseball player Barry Bonds was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. (Bonds was later convicted on the obstruction of justice count; the conviction was overturned in 2015.)
Ten years ago: A House ethics committee panel began closed-door deliberations on 13 counts of alleged financial and fundraising misconduct by U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who walked out of the proceeding after pleading unsuccessfully for more time to raise money for a lawyer. (Rangel was convicted the next day of 11 rules violations.) San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz were voted the Rookies of the Year.
Five years ago: World leaders vowed a vigorous response to the Islamic State group’s terror rampage in Paris as they opened a two-day meeting in Turkey, with President Barack Obama calling the violence an “attack on the civilized world” and Russian President Vladimir Putin urging “global efforts” to confront the threat. P.F. Sloan, 70, the troubled songwriter behind such classic 1960s tunes as Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” and Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction,” died in Los Angeles.
One year ago: The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, testified to House impeachment investigators about her removal from the post amid criticism from President Donald Trump’s allies; as she testified, Trump tweeted fresh attacks on her, saying that things “turned bad” everywhere she served before he fired her. Roger Stone, a longtime Trump friend and ally, was convicted of all seven counts in a federal indictment accusing him of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation of whether Trump coordinated with Russia during the 2016 campaign. (As Stone was about to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence, Trump commuted the sentence.) Members of the United Auto Workers union voted to approve a new contract with Ford. The NFL suspended Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns for at least the rest of the season, after Garrett ripped off the helmet of Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph and struck him in the head with it.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ed Asner is 91. Singer Petula Clark is 88. Actor Joanna Barnes is 86. Actor Yaphet Kotto is 81. Actor Sam Waterston is 80. Classical conductor Daniel Barenboim is 78.
Pop singer Frida (ABBA) is 75. Actor Bob Gunton is 75. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is 73. Actor Beverly D’Angelo is 69. Director-actor James Widdoes is 67. Rock singer-producer Mitch Easter is 66. News correspondent John Roberts is 64. Former “Jay Leno Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 63. Comedian Judy Gold is 58. Actor Rachel True is 54. Rapper E-40 is 53. Country singer Jack Ingram is 50. Actor Jay Harrington is 49. Actor Jonny Lee Miller is 48. Actor Sydney Tamiia (tuh-MY’-yuh) Poitier-Heartsong is 47. Rock singer-musician Chad Kroeger is 46. Rock musician Jesse Sandoval is 46. Actor Virginie Ledoyen is 44. Actor Sean Murray is 43. Pop singer Ace Young (TV: “American Idol”) is 40. Golfer Lorena Ochoa (lohr-AY’-nah oh-CHOH’-uh) is 39. Hip-hop artist B.o.B is 32. Actor Shailene Woodley is 29. Actor-dancer Emma Dumont is 26.
