What Happened On
D.B. Cooper Hijacking
November 24, 1971
An unidentified bandit hijacks a 727 jet by claiming to have a bomb and demands $200,000 ransom and four parachutes. After receiving the ransom demands he parachuted out of the plane with the money and was never heard from again.
He had purchased his airline ticket using the alias Dan Cooper but, a reporter mistakenly called him "D. B. Cooper" and after others repeated the error, the mistaken name stuck.
In 1980 an eight-year-old boy found three packets of the ransom cash on the Columbia River about 9 miles (14 km) downstream from Vancouver, Washington.
Ruby about to shoot Oswald
Ruby about to shoot Oswald
Oswald Shot
November 24, 1963
John F. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald is shot and mortally wounded by Jack Ruby as he was being led through the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters. Oswald had shot and killed U.S. President John F. Kennedy two days earlier.
Black Beauty
November 24, 1877
Anna Sewell's classic book is published. It has sold over 50 million copies and has been made into numerous movies.
First Practical Barbed Wire
November 24, 1874
Joseph Glidden patents his barbed wire. His barbed wire changed ranching and made him one of the wealthiest men in the U.S.
Barbed wire fences were cheaper than their alternatives making it more affordable to fence in larger areas, thus making large scale animal husbandry more practical.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution
November 24, 1859
Charles Darwin's On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection is published. It established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors. He developed his theory from observations he made while traveling through the Galapagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle.
The Black Codes
November 24, 1865
The black codes are established in Mississippi. They composed of discriminatory laws against the newly freed blacks.
Electromagnetic Induction
November 24, 1831
The principle of electromagnetic induction is demonstrated by English scientist Michael Faraday to a group of scientists.
Tasmania
November 24, 1642
The island of Tasmania is discovered, by Dutch navigator Abel Janszoon Tasman.
Birthdays
Ted Bundy (Theodore Robert Cowell)
Born November 24, 1946 d. 1989
American serial killer and rapist. He confessed murdering over 30 women across seven states between 1974 and 1978. Bundy would revisit the corpses of his victims and perform sex acts with them. He also decapitated some of his victims, keeping their severed heads in his apartment as mementos.
One of his own defense lawyers wrote he was "the very definition of heartless evil."
In 1979, he was convicted of two Florida sorority house murders and in 1980 he was convicted for the killing of a 12-year-old girl. Bundy was executed by electric chair in 1989.
Bundy was raised by his grandparents, who raised him as their child and he was told that his mother was his older sister. He did not find out the truth until he was an adult. At about the time he started committing his murders, he worked as Assistant Director of the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Commission, where he wrote a pamphlet for women on rape prevention.
The Fifth and Forgotten Beatle
Pete Best
Born November 24, 1941
English musician, early drummer for the Beatles (1960-62). He is sometimes referred to as "The Fifth Beatle." He toured with the Beatles in their formative years, only to be sacked when their band started to take off. He was also involved in the Beatles arson incident. He was replaced in 1962 by Ringo Starr. Best was popular with the fans, with many of them protesting after he was removed from the group.
Natural Born Killers
Charles Starkweather (Charles Raymond "Charlie" Starkweather)
Born November 24, 1938 d. 1959
America spree killer. In 1958, 19-year-old Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate went on a killing spree after Starkweather killed Fugate's mother and stepfather and their two-year-old daughter.
On January 21, 1958, Fugate's parents had expressed disapproval of her relationship with Starkweather and told him to stay away from her. Starkweather then fatally shot them and strangled their two-year-old daughter. Starkweather later claimed Fugate was present for the murders, but she claimed she arrived later and Starkweather told her he was holding them hostage and she believed they were still alive. They stayed at the home until January 27, leaving shortly before the police arrived after having been alerted by Fugate's suspicious grandmother. They then began a killing spree, killing seven other people before they were apprehended on January 29th. Starkweather had also killed a gas station attendant the previous November.
Starkweather claimed Fugate participated in the murders, while she claimed she was a hostage and didn't kill anyone. Starkweather was executed in 1959 and Fugate was sentenced to life in prison, but released in 1976 after serving 17½ years.
Their murder spree inspired the film Natural Born Killers (1994).
Photo Credit: Eric Shaiman
Photo Credit: Eric Shaiman
Survivor of "The Day the Music Died"
Tommy Allsup
Born November 24, 1931 d. 2017
American musician. Survivor of "The Day the Music Died" (1959). He was touring with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson when he lost a coin toss with Valens for a seat on the plane. The plane crashed, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot. Allsup was originally one of the five people reported dead in the crash. Holly had Allsup's wallet on him at the time of the crash because Holly agreed to retrieve Allsup's mail at the post office.
Allsup was the lead guitarist in Buddy Holly and the Crickets and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.
First Lady of Radio Chatter
Pegeen Fitzgerald (Margaret Worrall)
Born November 24, 1910 d. 1989
American radio personality. "First Lady of Radio Chatter." She and her husband Ed hosted their radio program for 42 years. During the '40s, at $160,000 a year, they were the highest-paid couple in radio.
King of Ragtime
Scott Joplin
Born November 24, 1868 d. 1917
American musician, composer, rag time piano player. Known as the "King of Ragtime".
Music: Maple Leaf Rag (1899) and The Entertainer (1902).
Zachary Taylor
Born November 24, 1784 d. 1850
American politician. 12th U.S. President (1849-50). He was the father-in-law of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He died in office making Vice-President Millard Fillmore president.
Clem Burke (Clement Anthony Bozewski)
Born November 24, 1954
American Grammy-winning Hall of Fame drummer with Blondie. Music: Heart of Glass (1979, #1), Call Me (1980, #1), and Rapture (1981, #1).
Stanley Livingston
Born November 24, 1950
American actor. TV: My Three Sons (1960-72, Chip Douglas). His real-life younger brother Barry Livingston played his adopted brother "Ernie" in later seasons of My Three Sons (1963-72).
William F. Buckley Jr.
Born November 24, 1925 d. 2008
American journalist. Founder of National Review magazine (1955) and host of TV's Firing Line (1966-99).
Quote: "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said."
Quote: "Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes prohibitive."
Garson Kanin
Born November 24, 1912 d. 1999
American director, playwright. Broadway: Born Yesterday (1946, film versions 1950, 1993). He was married to actress Ruth Gordon.
Dale Carnegie
Born November 24, 1888 d. 1955
American author. Writings: How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936).
Alben W. Barkley (Alben William Barkley)
Born November 24, 1877 d. 1956
American politician. 35th U.S. Vice-President (1949-53, under President Harry S. Truman), U.S. Senator (1955-56, Kentucky), and U.S. House of Representatives (1913-27, Kentucky).
Harry Thurston Peck
Born November 24, 1856 d. 1914
American educator, magazine editor, coined the word "Bestseller" (1895).
Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
Born November 24, 1849 d. 1924
English-born American novelist. Writings: Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886) and The Secret Garden (1911).
First U.S. Governor Removed from Office by Impeachment
William Woods Holden
Born November 24, 1818 d. 1892
American politician, governor of North Carolina (1865, 1868-71). He was the first U.S. governor to be removed from office by impeachment (1871). Although before the Civil War he favored expanding slavery, after the war his attempts to control the Ku Klux Klan using military force lead to his impeachment.
Deaths
Photo Credit: Carl Lender
Photo Credit: Carl Lender
Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara)
Died November 24, 1991 b. 1946
British Hall of Fame musician. Lead singer of Queen, known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. He died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.
Ruby about to shoot Oswald
Ruby about to shoot Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Died November 24, 1963 b. 1939
American assassin. Shot and killed U.S. President John F. Kennedy from the Texas School Book depository where he worked (1963). Oswald was shot and killed by night-club operator Jack Ruby.
Earlier in 1963, Oswald had attempted to assassinate retired U.S. Major General Ted Walker while he was at home. However, the bullet struck the window pane and shattered and Walker was not seriously injured. It was not discovered that Oswald was the shooter until the Warren Commission's investigation into Kennedy assassination, when Oswald's widow told authorities about the incident.
Florence Henderson
Died November 24, 2016 b. 1934
American singer, actress. TV: The Brady Bunch (1969-74, Mrs. Brady).
Pat Morita (Noriyuki Morita)
Died November 24, 2005 b. 1932
American actor. He was billed as the Hip Nip for his stand-up performances. Film: Karate Kid (1984, Sensei Kesuke Miyagi), for which he was the first Asian-American nominated for an acting Oscar. TV: Happy Days (1975-83, Arnold).
Morita developed spinal tuberculosis (Pott disease) at the age of two and spent most of the next nine years hospitalized in California. He was released from the hospital when he was 11 years old and transferred to a WWII internment camp in Arizona where his family was interned.
Arthur Hailey
Died November 24, 2004 b. 1920
British-born author. Writings: Hotel (1965) and Airport (1968).
Warren Spahn
Died November 24, 2003 b. 1921
American Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, Cy Young winner (1957). He was the winningest left-handed pitcher, with 363 wins.
George Raft
Died November 24, 1980 b. 1895
American actor. Film: Scarface (1932, Guido Rinaldo). He was reputed to be the world's fastest Charleston dancer.
August Belmont, Sr.
Died November 24, 1890 b. 1816
Chairman Democratic National Committee (1860-72). He established the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown series of American thoroughbred horse racing.
Andrew Bradford
Died November 24, 1742 b. 1686
English-born American publisher. He published the first magazine in America (1741, American Magazine).