Today's Puzzle
What is the best key to a great Thanksgiving dinner?
Holidays
St. Catherine's Day
Patron saint of maidens, mechanics, philosophers, and those who work with wheels.
What Happened On
Planet of the Apes
November 25, 3978
The astronauts land on a mysterious planet ruled by apes - The calendar on their spacecraft, as seen in the movie read November 25, 3978 in the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes.
Iran-Contra Affair
November 25, 1986
U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese announces that $10 million of the $30 million from the sale of weapons to Iran had been illegally diverted to Nicaraguan contras, in what became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
Arab Oil Embargo
November 25, 1973
U.S. President Richard Nixon calls for a ban on the sale of gasoline on Sundays in response to the Arab Oil Embargo.
The crisis began the previous month when OAPEC (Arab members of OPEC plus Egypt and Syria) declared an oil embargo on the U.S., Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.K. for supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The embargo targeted the U.S. for resupplying the Israeli military during the war. By the time the embargo was lifted in March, the price of oil had risen nearly 400%, from US$3 per barrel to nearly $12.
U.S. President Richard Nixon declared a national energy crisis following the embargo.
Alice's Restaurant
November 25, 1965
Arlo Guthrie and a friend, after finding the local dump closed, dispose of a "½ ton" of Alice's garbage down a hillside. The garbage contained a divan and enough bottles, garbage, and paper to fill up their VW micro bus. The police searched through the trash and found an envelope that led them to the culprits. They were each fined $25 and ordered to clean up the trash. This incident was the basis for Guthrie's 1967 hit song Alice's Restaurant Massacree.
End of Network Radio Soap Operas
November 25, 1960
The end of network radio soap operas occurs when the last broadcasts of network radio soap operas Ma Perkins, Right to Happiness, The Second Mrs. Burton, and Young Doctor Malone broadcast their last episodes.
$1,000,000 Postage Stamp
November 25, 1847
A letter is mailed using a 5¢ U.S. 1847 Blue Alexandria postage stamp. In May 1981 this stamp was sold for $1,000,000. This is the only known example of this stamp.
Do They Know It's Christmas?
November 25, 1984
Under the direction of Irish singer Bob Geldof, numerous artists - including Sting, Phil Collins, Boy George, George Michael, and Bono - record the song to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. It became Britain's biggest-ever selling record.
USS Enterprise underway in 2004
USS Enterprise underway in 2004
First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier
November 25, 1961
The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is commissioned. At 1,123 feet (342 m), she was the longest naval vessel ever built and with eight nuclear propulsion reactors, the Enterprise is also the only aircraft carrier to have more than two nuclear reactors. She was decommissioned in 2017.
Bus Segregation Ruled Illegal
November 25, 1956
Segregation on interstate buses is ruled illegal by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Earlier that month, segregation on interstate buses was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
1936 YMCA boxing class
1936 YMCA boxing class
YMCA - Canada
November 25, 1851
The first YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) in Canada is established.
The YMCA was established by Sir George Williams in London, with the aim of putting Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy "body, mind, and spirit."
Birthdays
Joe DiMaggio (Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio, Jr.)
Born November 25, 1914 d. 1999
American Baseball Hall-of-Famer, and ex-husband of Marilyn Monroe. He is the only major league player selected for the All-Star Game in every season they played. His record-breaking 56-game hitting streak in the 1941 season still stands.
First African-American to Win an Individual Olympic Gold Medal
DeHart Hubbard
Born November 25, 1903 d. 1976
American Hall of Fame athlete. DeHart Hubbard was the first black to win an individual Olympic gold medal (1924, running long jump). In 1925, he set a long jump world record of 25 feet 10 3⁄4 inches (7.89 m). Hubbard served as president of the National Bowling Association during the 1950s and founded a professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Tigers of the Negro American League.
Carrie Nation
Born November 25, 1846 d. 1911
American prohibitionist. She was known for attacking saloons with a hatchet. She described herself as "a bulldog running along at the feet of Jesus, barking at what He doesn't like."
1885 Benz
1885 Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz
Born November 25, 1844 d. 1929
German automotive pioneer. Karl Benz built the first practical car powered by an internal combustion engine.
Christina Applegate
Born November 25, 1971
American actress. TV: Married… with Children (Kelly Bundy).
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Born November 25, 1960 d. 1999
American lawyer, son of President John F. Kennedy. He, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The plane was piloted by Kennedy.
John Larroquette
Born November 25, 1947
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Night Court (Emmy, Dan Fielding) and The John Larroquette Show. Film: Stripes (1981) and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).
Percy Sledge
Born November 25, 1940 d. 2015
American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer. Music: When a Man Loves a Woman (1966, #1) which became the first gold record released by Atlantic Records.
Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike
Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike
First Commander of the Enterprise on Star Trek
Jeffrey Hunter (Henry H. McKinnies, Jr.)
Born November 25, 1926 d. 1969
American actor. Hunter played Christopher Pike, the first captain of the USS Enterprise, in the 1966 unaired pilot episode, The Cage, for the original Star Trek TV series. When the pilot was rejected, Hunter quit the show and was replaced by William Shatner as James T. Kirk. A later episode, The Menagerie, used footage from the pilot, but used actor Sean Kenney as the older, disabled Christopher Pike.
While filming Cry Chicago in Spain in November 1968, Hunter was injured when a car window, which had been rigged to explode outward, accidentally exploded inward, giving him a serious concussion. While he was flying back to the U.S. after filming, he went into shock on the plane and couldn't speak and could hardly move. After landing, the doctors could not find any serious injuries except for a displaced vertebra and a concussion. However the following May, Hunter suffered an intracranial hemorrhage causing him to fall, striking his head on a banister, and fracturing his skull. He was found unconscious by his wife and taken to the hospital where he underwent brain surgery. He died the following morning at the age of 42.
Film: King of Kings (1961, Christ) and The Searchers (1956). TV: Star Trek (1966, Capt. Christopher Pike).
Ricardo Montalbán (Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino)
Born November 25, 1920 d. 2009
Mexican Emmy-winning actor. Film: Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). TV: Fantasy Island (1977-84, Mr. Roarke), How the West Was Won (1978, Emmy), and pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba with its "rich Corinthian leather."
Lewis Thomas
Born November 25, 1913 d. 1993
American physician, "Poet Laureate of 20th Century Medical Science." Writings: The Lives of the Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher (1974, National Book Award) and The Medusa and the Snail (1979, American Book Award).
Harvey Spencer Lewis
Born November 25, 1883 d. 1939
American spiritualist. Founder of the Rosicrucian order Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (1915).
John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli)
Born November 25, 1881 d. 1963
261st Pope (1958-63). He was the first pope named Time magazine's Man of the Year and was canonized a saint in 2014.
Inventor of the Spitball
Frank J. "Fiddler" Corridon
Born November 25, 1880 d. 1941
American baseball pitcher. He is one of several players credited with inventing the spitball (1904). He claimed to have discovered the idea when he noticed that a ball that had landed in a puddle and was wet on one side had an unexpected flight when he threw it.
In the winter of 1919-1920, Major League Baseball managers voted to partially ban the spitball. Each team was allowed to designate up to two pitchers who were permitted to throw spitballs. After the 1920 season, the use of the spitball was banned with the exception of 17 existing spitball throwers, who were grandfathered in and allowed to throw spitballs until they retired.
Andrew Carnegie
Born November 25, 1835 d. 1919
American steel-magnate, philanthropist.
Silent-Night-Chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, where the song was first performed
Photo Credit: Gakuro
Silent-Night-Chapel in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, where the song was first performedPhoto Credit: Gakuro
Silent Night, Holy Night
Franz Xaver Gruber
Born November 25, 1787 d. 1863
Austrian church organist. He wrote the melody to Silent Night, Holy Night (1818).
The lyrics were written by Father Joseph Mohr. Mohr asked Gruber to compose the melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve Mass since a flood had destroyed their organ.
"Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace."
Deaths
Castro on visit to U.S. after becoming prime minister of Cuba
Castro on visit to U.S. after becoming prime minister of Cuba
Fidel Castro (Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz)
Died November 25, 2016 b. 1926
Cuban president. He was so opposed to capitalism that after conquering Cuba he ordered the destruction of all Monopoly games on the island.
Inventor of the Shopping Cart
Sylvan Nathan Goldman
Died November 25, 1984 b. 1898
American businessman. Inventor of the shopping cart (1937). He had noticed that customers quit shopping when their handheld baskets became full. His first cart was essentially a folding chair with wheels and baskets attached.
The carts were initially a flop, as shoppers were reluctant to use them. Men found them effeminate and women thought them too much like a baby carriage. So, Goldman hired both male and female models to shop with them.
Eventually, folding carts became extremely popular and Goldman became a multimillionaire by collecting a royalty on every folding design shopping cart in the United States.
He also invented "nested" shopping carts, where the carts are pushed inside of each other for storage.
Coandă's 1910 Jet Aircraft
Coandă's 1910 Jet Aircraft
First Jet Pilot
Henri Marie Coandă
Died November 25, 1972 b. 1886
Romanian inventor. He built and piloted the first jet-powered aircraft (1910) which crashed on its only run. While watching the crashed jet burn, he noticed that burning gases hugged the sides of the aircraft. This effect, which he researched, became known as the Coandă effect.
Irene Cara (Irene Cara Escalera)
Died November 25, 2022 b. 1959
Oscar-Grammy-winning singer, actress. Film: Fame (1980, Coco Hernandez and sang title song). Music: Flashdance… What a Feeling (1983, Oscar, Grammy). TV: The Electric Company (1971-72, member of the show's band Short Circus), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980).
Ron Glass
Died November 25, 2016 b. 1945
American actor. TV: Barney Miller (1975-82, Det. Ron Harris) and Firefly (2002, spiritual Shepherd Derrial Book).
Flip Wilson (Clerow Wilson, Jr.)
Died November 25, 1998 b. 1933
American Grammy and Golden Globe-winning comedian. Known for his catchphrase: "The Devil made me do it!" and his character Geraldine Jones. Time magazine named him "TV's first black superstar" (1972). Albums: The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress (1970, Grammy). TV: The Flip Wilson Show (1970-74, which was the first successful network variety series starring an African American).
First Black Mayor of Chicago
Harold Washington
Died November 25, 1987 b. 1922
American politician, first black mayor of Chicago (1983).
Jack Albertson
Died November 25, 1981 b. 1907
American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actor. TV: Chico and the Man (Ed Brown - the Man).
Laurence Harvey (L. Mischa Skikne)
Died November 25, 1973 b. 1928
Lithuanian-born American actor. Film: Room at the Top (1958, Joe Lampton), The Manchurian Candidate (1962, the assassin).
Boston Strangler
Albert DeSalvo
Died November 25, 1973 b. 1931
American criminal. He confessed to being the "Boston Strangler" and murdering 13 women in the Boston area from 1962-64, although he was never tried due to lack of evidence, with many doubting his confessions. He was convicted on rape charges unrelated to the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, and was stabbed to death in prison. However, in 2013, 40 years after his death, DNA evidence linked DeSalvo to the 1964 rape and the murder 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, who was the last-known victim of the Boston Strangler.
Upton Sinclair
Died November 25, 1968 b. 1878
American author. Writings: The Jungle (1906).
Bojangles (Luther Bill Robinson)
Died November 25, 1949 b. 1877
American tap dancer. Known as the Mayor of Harlem.
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Died November 25, 1944 b. 1866
American federal judge. He served as the first baseball commissioner (1921-44), during which he barred eight Chicago players from baseball in the famous "Black Sox Scandal".
Thomas Andrews Hendricks
Died November 25, 1885 b. 1819
American politician. 21st U.S. Vice-President (1885), Governor of Indiana (1873-77), U.S. Senator (1863-69, Indiana), and U.S. House of Representatives (1851-53, Indiana). He died eight months into his term as vice president. Hendricks is the only vice president who did not serve as president whose portrait appears on U.S. paper currency. He appears on a $10 silver certificate of 1886.
Alfonso XII
Died November 25, 1885 b. 1857
King of Spain (1874-85).
Joy to the World
Isaac Watts
Died November 25, 1748 b. 1674
English clergyman. Founder of modern English hymnody and author of the hymn Joy to the World (1719).
Joy to the World is a Christian interpretation of the Bible's Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The carol is usually sung to an 1848 arrangement by the American composer Lowell Mason. Since the 20th century, it has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.
"Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing"
Lucius III
Died November 25, 1185 b. circa 1100
religious leader, 171st Pope (1181-85).