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Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 19, 2014

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 19th, 2014

Today is the 323rd day of 2014 and the 59th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the military cemetery dedication ceremony in Pennsylvania.

In 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev held their first summit meeting.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James A. Garfield (1831-1881), 20th U.S. president; Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), Indian prime minister; Roy Campanella (1921-1993), baseball player; Larry King (1933- ), TV personality; Ted Turner (1938- ), media magnate; Calvin Klein (1942- ), fashion designer; Ann Curry (1956- ), TV journalist; Allison Janney (1959- ), actress; Meg Ryan (1961- ), actress; Jodie Foster (1962- ), actress; Ryan Howard (1979- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The number of sets of quintuplets, sextuplets and septuplets born in the United States increased from 13 in 1990 to 80 in 2009 with increased use of fertility drugs.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2001, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants became the first major-league baseball player to win four Most Valuable Player awards. He won again each of the following three years, finishing his career with a record seven MVP awards.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should not grow old." -- James A. Garfield

TODAY'S NUMBER: 13,609 -- words in the speech of Edward Everett, the keynote speaker of the Gettysburg dedication ceremony. Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address was fewer than 300 words.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Nov. 14) and new moon (Nov. 22).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 18, 2014

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 18th, 2014

Today is the 322nd day of 2014 and the 58th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1883, American and Canadian railroads instituted five standard continental time zones.

In 1928, the first cartoon with sound, Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," premiered.

In 1963, the first push-button telephones were test-marketed in Carnegie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1966, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops eliminated the rule against eating meat on Fridays.

In 1985, the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" made its first newspaper appearance.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Louis Daguerre (1787-1851), inventor; George Gallup (1901-1984), pollster; Klaus Mann (1906-1949), publicist/dramatist; Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), lyricist; Alan Shepard (1923-1998), astronaut; Margaret Atwood (1939- ), writer; Alan Dean Foster (1946- ), author; Alan Moore (1953- ), author; Elizabeth Perkins (1960- ), actress; Owen Wilson (1968- ), actor; Chloe Sevigny (1974- ), actress; David Ortiz (1975- ), baseball player.

TODAY'S FACT: The average American consumes 56 pounds of beef and 83 pounds of chicken every year.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1985, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann during a Monday Night Football game. Theissman suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg on the play, an injury that resulted in his retirement from football.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "If you're crazy, there's two things you can do to make yourself feel better: One is to get yourself cured. The other is to make everyone you have to deal with crazy." -- Alan Dean Foster

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- number of major league no-hitters pitched by Sandy Koufax during his career. Koufax, who retired on this day in 1966, is second only to Nolan Ryan (seven) on the all-time no-hitters list.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Nov. 14) and new moon (Nov. 22).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 17, 2014

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 17th, 2014

Today is the 321st day of 2014 and the 57th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1800, the United States Congress met for the first time in Washington, D.C., in the unfinished Capitol building.

In 1869, the Suez Canal was officially opened.

In 1871, the National Rifle Association was granted a charter by the state of New York.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy dedicated Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Shelby Foote (1916-2005), author/historian; Rock Hudson (1925-1985), actor; Martin Scorsese (1942- ), film director; Lauren Hutton (1943- ), actress; Danny DeVito (1944- ), actor; Lorne Michaels (1944- ), producer; Howard Dean (1948- ), politician; Stephen Root (1951- ), actor; Jeff Buckley (1966-1997), singer-songwriter; Sophie Marceau (1966- ), actress; Rachel McAdams (1978- ), actress; Reggie Wayne (1978- ), football player; Ryan Braun (1983- ), baseball player; Christopher Paolini (1983- ), writer.

TODAY'S FACT: Congress passed the Height of Buildings Act in 1899, stating that no building in Washington, D.C., could be built taller than 130 feet. (Contrary to popular myth, the Capitol is not mentioned in the legislation.) It was amended in 1910, allowing buildings to be as tall as the width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, with about a minute on the clock and the New York Jets leading the Oakland Raiders, 32-29, NBC switched to a scheduled broadcast of "Heidi." Oakland then scored two touchdowns in nine seconds, winning 43-32, as thousands of deprived fans overloaded NBC's switchboard.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears." -- Shelby Foote

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,900 -- average number of flight departures and landings at Washington Dulles International Airport on a given day.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Nov. 14) and new moon (Nov. 22).

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