30 November

1667     Jonathan Swift (born), Irish author (died 1745)

1707     The second Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the British to capture Pensacola, Florida.

1803     In New Orleans, Louisiana, Spanish representatives officially transferred the Louisiana Territory to a French representative. Just 20 days later, France transferred the same land to the United States as the Louisiana Purchase.

1804     The United States Senate begins an impeachment trial against Federalist-partisan, Supreme Court of the United States Justice, Samuel Chase.

1810     Oliver Winchester (born), American businessman, founded the Winchester Repeating Arms Company (died 1880)

1835     Mark Twain (born), American author (died 1910)

1836     Lord Frederick Cavendish (born), English politician (died 1882)

1840     Henry Birks (born), Canadian businessman, founded Birks & Mayors (died 1928)

1874     Winston Churchill (born), English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1965)

1886     The Folies Bergère stages its first revue.

1900     Oscar Wilde (died), Irish author and poet (born 1854)

1902      Second-in-command of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch gang, Kid Curry Logan, is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor.

1907     Jacques Barzun (born), French-American historian and author (died 2012)

1915     Brownie McGhee (born), American singer and guitarist (died 1996)

1915     Henry Taube (born) Canadian-American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2005)

1918     Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (born), American actor

1929     Dick Clark (born), American television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions (died 2012)

1934     The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman becomes the first locomotive to officially exceed 100mph.

1936     Abbie Hoffman (born), American activist, co-founded the Youth International Party (died 1989)

1936     In London, the Crystal Palace is destroyed by fire.

1937     Ridley Scott (born), English director and producer

1940     Lucille Ball marries Desi Arnaz in Greenwich, Connecticut.

1952     Mandy Patinkin (born), American actor and singer

1954     Lawrence Summers (born), American economist and academic, 27th President of Harvard University

1979     Zeppo Marx (died), American actor and comedian (born 1901)

1982     Michael Jackson’s second solo album, Thriller, with producer Quincy Jones was released worldwide and became the biggest-selling album worldwide and still is to this day.

1993     U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (the Brady Bill) into law.

1995     Official end of Operation Desert Storm.

1996     Tiny Tim (died), American singer and ukulele player (born 1932)

1998     Exxon and Mobil sign a $73.7 billion USD agreement to merge, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world’s largest company.

2001     In Renton, Washington, Gary Ridgway aka The Green River Killer is arrested.

2004    Longtime Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah finally loses, leaving him with US$2,520,700, television’s biggest game show winnings.

2007    Evel Knievel (died), American motorcycle rider and stuntman (born 1938)

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EO Smith

Interests include biological anthropology, evolution, social behavior, and human behavior. Conducted field research in the Tana River National Primate Reserve, Kenya and on Angaur, Palau, Micronesia, as well as research with captive nonhuman primates at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Institute for Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya.
EO Smith
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