November 14 ...

In 1765 engineer and inventor of the first commercial steamship Robert Fulton was born in Lancaster County, PA. In 1840 impressionist painter Claude Monet was born in Paris, France. In 1851 Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick was first published. In 1881 Charles J. Guiteau's trial began for the assassination of President James Garfield. Guiteau was convicted and hanged the following year. In 1889 inspired by Jules Verne, New York World reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) set out to travel around the world in less than 80 days. (She made the trip in 72 days.) In 1900 composer Aaron Copland was born in New York City. In 1922 the British Broadcasting Corporation began its domestic radio service. In 1935 President Roosevelt proclaimed the Philippine Islands a free commonwealth. In 1940 German planes destroyed most of the English town of Coventry. In 1943 an American torpedo was mistakenly fired at the battleship USS Iowa, which was carrying President Roosevelt and his joint chiefs to the Tehran conference; the torpedo exploded harmlessly in the Iowa's wake. In 1947 political satirist P.J. O'Rourke was born in Toledo, OH. In 1968 Yale University announced it was going co-educational. In 1969 Apollo 12 blasted off for the moon. In 1972 the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 1,000 level for the first time, ending the day at 1,003.16. In 2000 Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified George W. Bush's 300-vote lead over Al Gore, hours after a judge refused to lift a 5PM deadline; however, the judge gave Harris the authority to accept or reject follow-up manual recount totals.