Nov 20, 2020

Today in History -- Nov. 20

Posted Nov 20, 2020 1:00 PM
Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>
Photo of old book courtesy shutterstock

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Friday, Nov. 20, the 325th day of 2020. There are 41 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 20, 2000, lawyers for Al Gore and George W. Bush battled before the Florida Supreme Court over whether the presidential election recount should be allowed to continue.

On this date:

In 1620, Peregrine White was born aboard the Mayflower in Massachusetts Bay; he was the first child born of English parents in present-day New England.

In 1945, 22 former Nazi officials went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany. (Almost a year later, the International Military Tribune sentenced 12 of the defendants to death; seven received prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life; three were acquitted.)

In 1947, Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy held a news conference in which he announced the end of the naval quarantine of Cuba imposed during the missile crisis, and the signing of an executive order prohibiting discrimination in federal housing facilities.

In 1967, the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Clock at the Commerce Department ticked past 200 million.

In 1969, the Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phaseout. A group of American Indian activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

In 1975, after nearly four decades of absolute rule, Spain's Generalissimo Francisco Franco died, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.

In 1984, pop star Michael Jackson was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the unveiling of his star in front of a horde of screaming fans.

In 1985, the first version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows 1.0, was officially released.

In 2003, Michael Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Jackson was later acquitted at trial.) Record producer Phil Spector was charged with murder in the shooting death of an actor, Lana Clarkson, at his home in Alhambra, California. (Spector's first trial ended with a hung jury in 2007; he was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.)

In 2009, holding back tears, Oprah Winfrey told her studio audience that she would end her talk show in 2011 after a quarter-century on the air.

In 2012, former boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho was shot while sitting in a car in his hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. (Camacho died four days later after doctors removed him from life support.)

Ten years ago: In comments released by the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI opened the door on the previously taboo subject of condoms as a way to fight HIV, saying male prostitutes who used condoms might be beginning to assume moral responsibility. Notre Dame returned to the Bronx for the first time in 41 years and sent the subway alumni home happy as the Irish beat Army 27-3 in the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium. Former Milwaukee police officer and onetime Playboy Club bunny Laurie "Bambi" Bembenek, who escaped from prison after she was convicted of murder, died at a hospice in Portland, Oregon, at age 52.

Five years ago: Islamic extremists shot up a luxury hotel in Mali's capital frequented by diplomats and businessman, killing 20 people in an attack blamed on Islamic extremists. A week after the deadliest attacks on France in decades, shell-shocked Parisians honored the 130 victims with candles and songs. Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, was released from prison after 30 years behind bars for spying for Israel. Actor Keith Michell, remembered for his portrayals of England's King Henry VIII, died in London at age 88.

One year ago: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, told House impeachment investigators that President Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani explicitly sought a "quid pro quo" with Ukraine, leveraging an Oval Office visit for political investigations of Democrats; he said it was his understanding that the president was holding up nearly $400 million in military aid. Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh was charged with fraud and tax evasion involving sales of her self-published children's books to groups that did business with the government. (Pugh pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges and was sentenced to three years in prison.) Singer-rapper Lizzo scored eight Grammy nominations; other new artists, including Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X, also dominated the list of nominees. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made history by becoming Japan's longest-serving political leader; he marked his 2,887th day in office.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Estelle Parsons is 93. Comedian Dick Smothers is 82. President-elect Joe Biden is 78. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 78. Actor Veronica Hamel is 77. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 74. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 74. Singer Joe Walsh is 73. Actor Richard Masur is 72. Opera singer Barbara Hendricks is 72. Former national security adviser John Bolton is 72. Actor Bo Derek is 64. Former NFL player Mark Gastineau is 64. Reggae musician Jimmy Brown (UB40) is 63. Actor Sean Young is 61. Pianist Jim Brickman is 59. Actor Ming-Na is 57. Actor Ned Vaughn is 56. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 55. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 55. Actor Callie Thorne is 51. Actor Sabrina Lloyd is 50. Actor Joel McHale is 49. Actor Marisa Ryan is 46. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 45. Actor Joshua Gomez is 45. Actor Laura Harris is 44. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes is 44. Country singer Josh Turner is 43. Actor Nadine Velazquez is 42. Actor Jacob Pitts is 41. Actor Andrea Riseborough is 39. Actor Jeremy Jordan is 36. Actor Dan Byrd is 35. Actor Ashley Fink is 34. Rock musician Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) is 34. Actor Jaina Lee Ortiz is 34. Actor Cody Linley is 31. Pop musician Michael Clifford (5 Seconds to Summer) is 25.