What Happened This Day In History - November 21

Today in History

November 21
1620		Leaders of the Mayflower expedition frame the "Mayflower Compact," designed to bolster unity among the settlers.
1783		Jean de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes make the first free-flight ascent in a balloon to over 500 feet in Paris.
1789		North Carolina ratifies the Constitution, becoming the 12th state to do it.
1855		Franklin Colman, a pro-slavery Missourian, guns down Charles Dow, a Free Stater from Ohio, near Lawrence, Kansas.
1864		From Georgia, Confederate General John B. Hood launches the Franklin-Nashville Campaign into Tennessee.
1904		Motorized omnibuses replace horse-drawn cars in Paris.
1906		In San Juan, President Theodore Roosevelt pledges citizenship for Puerto Rican people.
1907		Cunard liner Mauritania sets a new speed record for steamship travel, 624 nautical miles in a one day run.
1911		Suffragettes storm Parliament in London. All are arrested and all choose prison terms.
1917		German ace Rudolf von Eschwege is killed over Macedonia when he attacks a booby-trapped observation balloon packed with explosives.
1918		The last German troops leave Alsace-Lorraine, France.
1927		Police turn machine guns on striking Colorado mine workers, killing five and wounding 20.
1934		A New York court rules Gloria Vanderbilt unfit for custody of her daughter.
1934		Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes premieres at New York’s Alvin Theatre.
1949		The United Nations grants Libya its independence by 1952.
1967		President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the air quality act, allotting $428 million for the fight against pollution.
1970		U.S. planes conduct widespread bombing raids in North Vietnam.
1985		US Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard arrested for spying and passing classified information to Israel; he received a life sentence on Nov. 1, 1987.
1986		The Justice Department begins an inquiry into the National Security Council into what will become known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
1995		The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio; the agreement, formally ratified in Paris on Dec. 14, ends the three-and-a-half year war between Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2006		Anti-Syrian Lebanese Minister and MP Pierre Gemayel assassinated in Beirut.
Born on November 21
1694		Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet), French philosopher, historian, poet, dramatist and novelist.
1898		Rene Magritte, surrealist painter (Golconda).
1904		Coleman Hawkins, jazz saxophonist.
1908		Elizabeth G. Speare, writer of historical novels for children.
1920		Stan "The Man" Musial, Hall of Fame baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals.
1929		Marilyn French, novelist and critic (The Women’s Room).
1936		Victor Chang, Chinese Australian cardiac surgeon who pioneered the development of an artificial heart valve.
1944		Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, US Senate Majority Whip (2007 – ).
1944		Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, pro basketball player known for his flamboyant playing style.
1945		Goldie Hawn, actress, director, producer; gained public attention as part ofRowan & Martin’s Laugh-In TV series in the 1960s; won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Cactus Flower (1969).
1948		George Zimmer, businessman; founded Men’s Wearhouse.
1966		Troy Aikman, pro football quarterback; led Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories; member of Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.