Today In History, Nov. 18: "Calvin and Hobbes"
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Today's Highlight in History:
1985: "Calvin and Hobbes"
In 1985, the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," created by Bill Watterson, was first published. (The strip ran for 10 years.)
1865: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
On Nov. 18, 1865, Mark Twain's first literary success, the original version of his short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," was first published in the New York Saturday Press under the title "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog."
1886: Chester A. Arthur
In 1886, the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, died in New York.
1928: "Steamboat Willie"
In 1928, Walt Disney's first sound-synchronized animated cartoon, "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.
1936: Francisco Franco
In 1936, Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.
1942: "The Skin of Our Teeth"
In 1942, "The Skin of Our Teeth," Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning allegory about the history of humankind, opened on Broadway.
1959: "Ben-Hur"
In 1959, "Ben-Hur," the Biblical-era spectacle starring Charlton Heston, had its world premiere in New York.
1964: Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1964, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as "the most notorious liar in the country" for allegedly accusing FBI agents in Georgia of failing to act on complaints filed by blacks; King denied making such a claim.
1965: Henry A. Wallace
In 1965, Henry A. Wallace, who had served as vice president during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term of office, died in Danbury, Connecticut, at age 77.
1978: Jonestown, Guyana
In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo J. Ryan, D-Calif., and four others were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by more than 900 cult members.
1999: Shawn Allen Berry
In 1999, a jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted Shawn Allen Berry of murder for his role in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., but spared him the death penalty.
1999: Texas A&M University
In 1999, 12 people were killed when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M University collapsed.
2000: Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones
In 2000, actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married in an extravagant wedding at The Plaza hotel in New York City.
2005: Robert Blake
Ten years ago: Eight months after Robert Blake was acquitted at a criminal trial of murdering his wife, a civil jury decided the actor was behind the slaying and ordered him to pay Bonny Lee Bakley's children $30 million.
2005: Tropical Storm Gamma
Ten years ago: Tropical Storm Gamma formed off the coast of Central America.
2010: Cy Young Award
Five years ago: Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners was chosen the AL Cy Young Award winner.
2010: General Motors
Five years ago: General Motors stock resumed trading on Wall Street, signaling the rebirth of an American corporate icon that had collapsed into bankruptcy and was rescued with a $50 billion infusion from taxpayers.
2010: Nuclear Weapons Deal
Five years ago: President Barack Obama rallied former diplomatic and military chiefs from both parties to pressure reluctant Republican senators into ratifying a nuclear weapons deal with Russia. (The Senate ratified the treaty the following month.)
2014: Buffalo, New York
One year ago: Several feet of lake-effect snow paralyzed the Buffalo, New York, area on a wintry day when temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 states.
2014: Jerusalem
One year ago: Israel vowed harsh retaliation for a Palestinian attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem that left five people dead.
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