November 24th

Today's Highlight in History:
On November 24th, 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

On this date:
In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, was born in Orange County, Virginia.

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution.

In 1863, the Civil War battle for Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee; Union forces took the mountain two days later.

In 1871, the National Rifle Association was incorporated.

In 1947, a group of writers, producers and directors that became known as the "Hollywood Ten" was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry.

In 1947, John Steinbeck's novel "The Pearl" was first published.

In 1969, "Apollo 12" splashed down safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, hijacker "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom -- his fate remains unknown.

In 1985, the hijacking of an Egyptair jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently as Egyptian commandos stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers.

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to scrap shorter- and medium-range missiles.

Ten years ago: President Bush returned home from an eight-day tour of Europe and the Middle East, during which he'd lobbied foreign leaders on behalf of his Persian Gulf policy.

Five years ago: Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic promised during a televised address to accept a U-S-brokered peace plan. Voters in Ireland narrowly approved a constitutional amendment legalizing divorce.

One year ago: 280 people were killed when a ferry caught fire and foundered off the coast of eastern China's Shandong province.

"Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their earthly pedestals."

-- Agnes Repplier, American essayist (1858-1950).