November 30th

Pentagon leaders called for scrapping the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" ban after releasing a survey about the prospect of openly gay troops.

Ken Jennings' streak of 74 wins on the TV game show "Jeopardy!" came to an end.

The opening of a 135-nation trade gathering in Seattle was disrupted by at least 40,000 demonstrators, some of whom clashed with police.

President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.

President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, was released by Epic Records.

The album "The Wall" by Pink Floyd was released.

Most complete early human skeleton (Lucy, Australopithecus) discovered by Donald Johanson, Maurice Taieb, Yves Coppens and Tim White in the Middle Awash of Ethiopia's Afar Depression.

The former British colony of Barbados became independent.

U Thant of Burma was elected secretary-general of the United Nations, succeeding the late Dag Hammarskjold.

Civil War in Palestine. Also known as the Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, the conflict began the day after the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution that provided a partition plan for Palestine. The war was wracked by violence which began on November 30 after two buses full of Israeli passengers were attacked by Arab gunmen and snipers shot pedestrians in Tel Aviv. On May 14, Israel declared itself an independent state and on May 15, the Civil War turned into a regional war after a coalition of Arab states that included Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, joined the conflict.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were married.

The Winter War begins. The 4-month long war between Finland and the Soviet Union began after the USSR invaded Finland and bombed Helsinki. The conflict ended on March 30, 1940, with the two countries signing the Moscow Peace Treaty. In retaliation for its actions, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations.

Producer and "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Irish author Oscar Wilde died in Paris at age 46.

First international football (soccer) match. The match between England and Scotland was held at West of Scotland Cricket Club in Partick, Scotland. The game ended with a 0-0 draw.

Author Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Mo.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial, accused of political bias. (He was acquitted by the Senate.).

Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II promulgates a penal reform, making his the 1st state to abolish the death penalty. November 30 commemorated as Cities for Life Day.

The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.

Beijing hit by an earthquake. about 100,000 die

English Parliamentary army captures King Charles I.

Cnut the Great (Canute), King of Denmark, claims the English throne after the death of Edmund 'Ironside'.