November 21st

Debt-struck Ireland applied for a massive EU-IMF loan to stem the flight of capital from its banks.

Officials announced the recall of more than a half-million pieces of Chinese-made children's jewelry contaminated with lead.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon broke away from the hardline Likud with the intention of forming a new party.

The NBA suspended Indiana's Ron Artest for the rest of the season following a brawl in the stands during a game against the Detroit Pistons.

NATO invited seven former communist countries to join the alliance: Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria.

A 94-year-old Connecticut woman died of inhalation anthrax, the last of five people killed in the anthrax attacks.

The Florida Supreme Court granted Democrat Al Gore's request to keep the presidential election recount going.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 5,000 for the first time.

Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali was chosen to become secretary-general by the UN Security Council.

The proceedings of Britain's House of Commons were televised live for the first time.

Former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard was arrested, accused of spying for Israel. (He later pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.).

A fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas killed 87 people.

Mob burns down US embassy in Pakistan. The mob was allegedly incensed by a rumor that the United States was involved in an attack on a mosque in the holy city of Mecca.

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.

Battle of Garibpur: Indian troops aided by Mukti Bahini (Bengali guerrillas) defeat the Pakistan army.

For the first time since 1930, the U.S. Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee, Clement Haynsworth.

Verrazano Narrows Bridge opens in NYC. The suspension bridge connects Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City and at the time of its opening, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge, until the Humber Bridge in the UK opened in 1981.

War between China and India ends. The month long war began over a border dispute between the two countries and ended with a unilateral ceasefire by the Chinese.

Tweety Bird makes its debut. The fictional cartoon canary also just called Tweety made his first appearance in A Tale of Two Kitties, a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon. Tweety was created by animator Bob Clampett who worked on Loony Tunes cartoons.

Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes opened in New York City.

Georgia's Rebecca Felton was sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman U.S. Senator.

Bloody Sunday in Ireland. A key event in the Irish War of Independence, which was a conflict between the British government and Irish revolutionaries in Ireland, Bloody Sunday began with the killings of 14 people by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) under the leadership of Michael Collins. Two other violent incidents against civilian and IRA members during the day added to the death count, which was over 30 by the end of the day.

China prohibits the opium trade.

Tom Edison announces his "talking machine" invention (phonograph) - first machine to play and record sound.

Russia's Tsar Alexander I petitions for a Jewish state in Palestine.

Colonel Napoléon Bonaparte is promoted to General and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the French Republic.

North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

With the Marquis d'Arlandes, Pilâtre de Rozier made the first free flight in a balloon, reaching a peak altitude of about 3,000 ft and traveling about 5 1/2 mi in 20 min.

During Maccabbean revolt Judas Maccabaeus recaptures Jersusalem and rededicates the Second Temple, commemorated since as Jewish festival Hanukkah.

Mayflower Compact signed by Pilgrims at Cape Cod, [O.S. Nov 11].