Today is Saturday, Nov. 21, the 325th day of 2009. There are 40 days left in the year.
On this date:
* In 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
* In 1922, Rebecca L. Felton, of Georgia, was sworn in as the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
* In 1927, picketing strikers at the Columbine Mine in Colorado were fired on by state police; six miners were killed.
* In 1959, former heavyweight champion boxer and actor Max Baer died at age 50.
* In 1969, the Senate voted down the Supreme Court nomination of Clement F. Haynsworth, 55-45, the first such rejection since 1930.
* In 1973, President Richard Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the existence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.
* In 1979, a mob attacked the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing two Americans.
* In 1980, 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas.
* In 1989, the proceedings of Britain's House of Commons were televised live for the first time.
Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial is 89. Actor Joseph Campanella is 82. Country singer Jean Shepard is 76. Actor Laurence Luckinbill is 75. Actress Marlo Thomas is 72. Actor Rick Lenz is 70. Singer Dr. John is 69. Actress Juliet Mills is 68. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen is 66. Basketball Hall of Famer Earl Monroe is 65. Comedian-director Harold Ramis is 65. Television producer Marcy Carsey is 65. Actress Goldie Hawn is 64. Movie director Andrew Davis is 63. Rock musician Lonnie Jordan (War) is 61. Singer Livingston Taylor is 59. Actress-singer Lorna Luft is 57. Actress Cherry Jones is 53. Rock musician Brian Ritchie (The Violent Femmes) is 49. Gospel singer Steven Curtis Chapman is 47. Actress Nicollette Sheridan is 46. Singer-actress Bjork is 44. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman is 43. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chauncey Hannibal (BLACKstreet) is 41. Rock musician Alex James (Blur) is 41. MLB All-Star player Ken Griffey, Jr. is 40. Rapper Pretty Lou (Lost Boyz) is 38. Actor/former football player Michael Strahan is 38. Country singer Kelsi Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 35. Singer-actress Lindsey Haun is 25. Actress Jena Malone is 25.
Thought for Today: "We are always doing, says he, something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us." -- Joseph Addison, English essayist and poet (1672-1719).
