Kurt Vonnegut Was Born on This Day in 1922

 

Bust of Kurt Vonnegut

One of my favorite authors is Kurt Vonnegut.

He had a unique style of writing. It was deceptively simple, yet there was no shortage of very serious thoughts and questions that he worked in there. He was very humorous, but within that humor often were piercing questions.

Vonnegut was born on this day in 1922. on November 11th. It was a date that he acknowledged was better known as the anniversary of when the guns fell silent in 1918, as the so-called "Great War", also known as World War I, finally ended, exactly four years before he was born.

He grew up in Indiana of a family of German extraction, at a time when many such families were trying to distance themselves from Germany, as hostilities with that nation had made anything German rather unpopular. He wrote some about his background in some of his books and interviews, although he was ultimately best known for his works of fiction. He is most famous for the breakout novel, "Slaughterhouse-5", although that was not his first novel.

Vonnegut had fought in World War II, and been taken prisoner by the Germans early in 1945. He was taken to Dresden, which at the time, was considered an open city. That is to say, that it had not been bombed, because it did not possess military value.

But while Vonnegut and the other POW's were staying in Dresden, all of that changed. The city was not only bombed, but firebombed to such a degree that, for all intents and purposed, it was destroyed. Vonnegut and the other POW's, as well as those Germans that were guarding, managed to survive because there temporary abode, Slaughterhouse-5, was underground, and provided them surprisingly strong shelter. So, they survived a firebombing that killed well over 100,000 people, which Vonnegut mentioned was the single biggest overnight massacre in human history - even bigger than Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

This incident obviously haunted him, and influenced the duration of his life. That is not surprising, since it was such a huge event in world history. There were a lot of question marks left off after this incident. Yes, Germany had done some horrific things in the lead-up to, and obviously during, the Second World War. But were indiscriminate mass bombings like these on the part of the Allies justified as a result? Among those killed in Dresden on that February day in 1945, as Germany was clearly losing the war, and the end was in site, were women, children, and the elderly. Americans and the British traditionally waved any criticism off, claiming that these were necessary for saving the lives of Allied troops. Also, again, given the nature of the crimes committed by Germans during the war, these kinds of bombings (which were also common in Japan) were seen as more or less just retribution for the excesses that the Germans and Japanese were responsible for. Yet, some people question such bombings to this day, and there are questions lingering that may suggest that examination of these incidents, and the moral dilemmas that they seem to create, will surely be reexamined in the future.

For Vonnegut, it took many years for him to even attempt to make sense of these things. This particular bombing in Dresden, and the aftermath, which saw Vonnegut and the other POW's forced to try and clean up the destruction, including pulling corpses from the bombed out city, would become a major influence in his writings - particularly in his breakout book, and the one that he remains best known for - Slaughterhouse-5, which was named after the shelter that he and the other POW's were housed in, and which ultimately saved their lives when an entire city all around them burned.

Vonnegut wrote some other incredible, and highly influential books, some of which became movies. His first book was Player Piano, which was published in 1952. That was the work about a not so distant future, where technological inventions had so impressed people, that they hardly cared about their own deteriorating quality of life. Then, he wrote Sirens of Titan, which was about time travel through space. Some of his other well known works include Cat's Cradle, which had both a made up religion (Bokonism) as well as a fictional ultimate weapon that would be irresponsibly used as a political football and would irreversibly change the world. Vonnegut also wrote God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, and Mother Night, which was made into a powerful movie starring Nick Nolte, where he played an American spy who posed as a rabid anti-Semite broadcasting in Nazi Germany. But only a few people knew who he actually was, and these people died off or disappeared following the war, making him question just how much of his actions were just an act, and how much he may personally have been responsible for the crimes committed in the name of anti-Semitism during the Holocaust.

Ironically, this anniversary of his birthday also happens to coincide with the anniversary of his most famous work, Slaughterhouse-5, being burned in North Dakota.

It was on this day in 1922 that Kurt Vonnegut was born, and today, I honor him, and his contributions in the literary field, and to humanity in general!

Since I am posting something about the occasion of his birthday, it seems fitting to share some links that I ran into concerning Kurt Vonnegut that were interesting enough to share here.

So, without further ado, the links can be found below:



So It Goes: A Life of Guidance from Kurt Vonnegut in 11 Quotes By Meaghan Wagner, November 10, 2014:

http://www.biographile.com/so-it-goes-a-life-of-guidance-from-kurt-vonnegut-in-11-quotes/37704/?ref=fb_corp_bio_soc_vonnegutpg





15 Things Kurt Vonnegut Said Better Than Anyone Else Ever Has Or Will By Scott Gordon,  Josh Modell,  Noel Murray,  Tasha Robinson,   and Kyle Ryan, April 24, 2007:


http://www.avclub.com/article/15-things-kurt-vonnegut-said-better-than-anyone-el-1858






Fine Here Is Your Bloody Kurt Vonnegut, Armistice Day 2014 Edition by Doktor Zoom, November 11, 2014:


http://wonkette.com/566175/fine-here-is-your-bloody-kurt-vonnegut-armistice-day-2014-edition

Honoring Veteran's Day & the Historical Anniversary of the End of World War I (the Great War)

 

A war monument in Champlitte, France

It was on this day back in 1918 years ago that “The Great War,” now often known simply as World War I, officially came to a close. It ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month back in 1918, bringing to a close what was then the deadliest and most shockingly brutal war that humanity had ever known. 

I wrote this piece for Veteran's Day way back in 2012. However, it seemed worth reposting today. 

There is a little about the end of World War I for November 11th, and wrote a separate piece honoring Kurt Vonnegut. This actually touches on both, although it seems to go into more detail specifically about World War I.  

War is a tragedy. It should be a last resort, but it too often seems to be the first thing that some irresponsible types seem to see fit as a solution to any and all problems. Countless millions have lost their lives, and millions more have been affected in other ways. many have been maimed and permanently damaged, physically or mentally. Many of those are soldiers, but not all. Indeed, there is no shortage of civilians around the world, historically, who have been impacted by our stupid wars. We should remember them, as well. Far too often, innocent civilians have been the victims of war games.

However, we should also recognize the bravery of those who served, knowing that they were putting themselves in harm's way. Often times, indeed, they have defended their country with honor, and helped to keep their land free. Many gave the ultimate sacrifice, and many survivors lived with the scars of war, one way or the other, years and even decades after their time fighting the war was long over. We should honor our veterans, and when they come back home from the wars we collectively sent them to, we need to make sure that they are well taken care of.

In any case, here is the piece that I wrote and published from Veteran's Day years ago, and thought it would be worth sharing here again:    

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918, World War I ended when Germany signed an armistice, effectively ending the war. Often still referred to as "The Great War", France, Britain, Russia, and Germany all celebrated on the day that war broke out. All expected an easy and quick victory, and the war was thought to be an opportunity for men to prove their courage, their valor, their worth.  

Instead, it became a stalemate, as both sides were reduced to digging their heels in trenches, with a "No Man's Land" separating the fighting forces. Incompetent generals would send thousands to their deaths in order to small parcels of land. Millions of people died, and many, many more were wounded. With the improved technology, some lives were saved from injuries that would have ended lives beforehand. But when they returned back home, they often could not rejoin what had been normal society, and the people back home got to see the effects of the excesses of the war.  

Far from being a quick and easy triumph for any nation, the war dragged on and on and on, draining the resources and wills and the wallets of the nations participating. People began to have a different understanding of war. So much was this the case that, when Hitler started World War II, expecting the German people to celebrate the start of the war as they had back in 1914, he was dismayed to find that no one was celebrating.  

War is, of course, not a joke. It means death, suffering, confusion. It also means excesses like rape and murder. Nowadays, it also means bombs and missiles and air strikes, more often than not.  For those with the misfortune of having to see war up close and personal, it transforms their lives, and usually, for the worst.  

Those who fight wars have seen the worst that humanity has to offer. The rest of us may think that we see it in glossy history books or multimillion dollar blockbuster movies, but those who fight, and put their life and health at risk, who get attacked and have to literally fight to save their lives, have been there, and know war more intimately. They often join the war effort with a measure of idealism, and too often come out of it disillusioned. There is much death, and much suffering. That is an inevitable consequence of the chaos unleashed by war.  

Let us remember the sacrifice of those veterans who have been through so much - far more than we will ever know, because they have had to live it, and often with the consequences, every minute of their lives. Some lose their lives on the battlefield, still many more come back home, but never the same. It is not enough to slap a bumper sticker on our SUV's to show we support our troops. They need our support now, once the war is finally over, more than ever. Let us welcome them home, and help them to adapt in any way that we can.  

I did not agree with some of the recent wars - particularly in Iraq. I cannot lie about that. But these are men, these are fellow human beings, and we should welcome them home, and help them to get through whatever ordeals they have to deal with now. We need to understand what happened, so that we can be more knowledgeable, and perhaps prevent it from happening again in the future.  

Today, I write in recognition of veterans, what they have done, and what they have been through.  

Here in the United States, we recognized Veteran's Day on Monday. it is a holiday, but since it fell on a weekend, it was recognized on this Monday. I would like to thank many veterans that I have known, some of whom are the most decent and thoughtful people that I know, period. I hope that they receive the warmth that they so richly deserve.  

On a slightly lighter note, yet in keeping with the spirit of Veteran's Day, November 11th also was the birthday of the late Kurt Vonnegut (one of my favorite authors), who also was a veteran. He served during World War II in Europe, and was captured by the Germans early in 1945. Taken to Dresden as a POW, he wrote of the city as a wonder almost as if it looked like the living embodiment of a fairy tale. He was there when the city was destroyed overnight by the Allied firebombing, in what became the single biggest overnight massacre in history. There is still some uncertainty about the numbers of people killed, although Vonnegut suggests that it was well over 100,000. The city was completely destroyed,. Prior to the firebombing (which came less than three months before Germany surrendered), Dresden had been one of the very few cities considered an "open city" meaning that it had no military value. Thus, it had escaped bombing, up until that night. The experience of being there for that had a huge impact on Vonnegut, and his traditionally anti-war stance was a major theme in his writing. He wrote with eloquence, yet with a strong measure of humor, about this, and many other subjects. He is missed

November 11th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

The Congress of Carnuntum took place today in an attempt to keep peace within the Roman Empire. The leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius and Licinius to be Augusti, while rival contender Constantine I was declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul on this day in the year 308. Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa declared himself ruler of North Italy on this day in 1158. In 1805 on this day during the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Dürenstein was fought. In the battle, 8000 French troops attempted to slow the retreat of a vastly superior Russian and Austrian force. Bechuanaland (modern day Botswana) became a part of the Cape Colony in 1895 on this day. On this day in 1911, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918, World War I officially ended. In 1941 on this day, Czechoslovakian Premier General Eliasj was arrested by Nazis. In 1965 on this day, heavyweight Cassius Clay KO'd Floyd Patterson in Las Vegas, Nevada. On this day in 2004, Yasser Arafat was confirmed dead by the Palestine Liberation Organization, of unidentified causes. Mahmoud Abbas was elected chairman of the PLO shortly thereafter.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius and Licinius to be Augusti, while rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul.

• 887 - Parliament in Tribur: King Charles III resigns

• 1158 - Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa declares himself ruler of North Italy

• 1208 - Otto van Wittelsbach chosen German king

• 1215 - 4th Lateran Council (12th ecumenical council) opens in Rome

• 1417 - Oddo Colonna elected as Pope Martinus V

• 1493 - Explorer Christopher Columbus discovers Saba

• 1500 - Treaty of Granada: France & Aragon divide Naples

• 1503 - Pope Julius II elected

• 1572 - Duke of Alva's son Don Fredrik begins siege for Haarlem

• 1606 - Turkey & Austria sign Treaty of Zsitva-Torok

• 1634 - Following pressure from Anglican bishop John Atherton, the Irish House of Commons passes "An Act for the Punishment for the Vice of Buggery".

• 1640 - Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, impeached by the House of Lords on the evidence of John Pym, and imprisoned in the Tower of London; he was later executed.

• 1647 - Massachusetts passes 1st US compulsory school attendance law

• 1648 - Dutch & French agree to divide St Maarten, Leeward Islands

• 1671 - Dutch States-General forbids importation of French wine

• 1673 - Second Battle of Khotyn in the Ukraine, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under the command of Jan Sobieski. defeat the Ottoman army. In this battle, rockets of Kazimierz Siemienowicz were successfully used.

• 1675 - Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of y = f(x) function.

• 1688 - Prince Willem III's invasion fleet sails to England

The Warrior Pope Julius IIThe Warrior Pope Julius II 

• 1714 - A highway in Bronx is laid out, later renamed East 233rd Street

1724 - Joseph Blake, alias Blueskin, a highwayman known for attacking "Thief-Taker General" (and thief) Jonathan Wild at the Old Bailey, is hanged in London. (b. c. 1700)

1725 - Georg F Handel's opera "Tamerlano," premieres in London

1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's army enters England

1750 - The F.H.C. Society, also known as the Flat Hat Club, was formed at Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the first college fraternity.

1752 - Theresianische Military Academy opens in Vienna

1778 - Iroquois Indians in NY kill 40 in Cherry Valley Massacre

1790 - Chrysanthemums are introduced to England from China

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

• 1805 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Dürenstein - 8000 French troops attempted to slow the retreat of a vastly superior Russian and Austrian force.

1811 - Cartagena Colombia declares independence from Spain

1813 - Dresden surrenders to allied armies

Flag of Chile

• 1836 - Chile declared war on Bolivia & Peru

1839 - The Virginia Military Institute is founded in Lexington, Virginia.

• 1851 - Alvan Clark patents telescope

1862 - Opera "La Forza Del Destino" is produced (St Petersburg Russia)

Composer George Friedrich HandelComposer George Friedrich Handel 

• 1864 - Sherman's troops destroy Rome, Georgia

1864 - Skirmish at Shoal Creek, AL

• 1865 - Mary Edward Walker, 1st Army female surgeon, awarded Medal of Honor

1865 - Thomas Robertsons "Society," premieres in London

1865 - Treaty of Sinchula is signed in which Bhutan ceded the areas east of the Teesta River to the British East India Company.

1868 - 1st American amateur track & field meet (NYC)

Flag of Australia

• 1880 - Australian Bushranger Ned Kelly is hanged at Melbourne Gaol 1880 - Australian outlaw and bank robber Ned Kelly was hanged at the Melbourne jail at age 25.  

1887 - Anarchist Haymarket Martyrs August Spies (b. 1855), Albert Parsons (b. 1848), Adolph Fischer (b. 1858) and George Engel (b. 1836) are executed.

1887 - Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal starts at Eastham.

• 1889 - Washington admitted as 42nd state of the Union

1890 - D McCree patents portable fire escape

• 1895 - Bechuanaland becomes part of Cape Colony

1896 - Jules Vandenpeereboom becomes Belgium's minister of War

1899 - Stuart/Rubens/Boyd-Jones' "Floradora," premieres in London

1901 - Maurice Ravel composition "Jeux d'eau" premieres

1906 - Ethel Smyth's "Standrecht" premieres in Leipzig

1909 - Construction of US navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, begins

1909 - J M Synge's "Tinker's Wedding," premieres in London

1911 - Many cities in the U.S. Midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolls through. (see The 11/11/11 cold wave).

1918 - Dutch SDAP leader Troelstra announces revolution

1918 - Emperor Charles I of Austria abdicates

• 1918 - Poland declared independence

A war monument in Champlitte, France

• On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice which had been signed by the Allies (Great Britain, France, and the United States) and Germany came into effect. The last official fighting of the Great War, which has since come to be known as World War I, ended at 11.00 am on this day in 1918.

1919 - Pope Benedictus XV states Roman Catholics political/business views

1921 - President Harding dedicates Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery

1922 - Largest US flag displayed (150' X 90') expanded in 1939 (270' X 90')

1923 - Eternal flame lit for tomb of unknown solder, Arc de Triumph

1924 - Martin Beck Theater opens at 302 W 45th St NYC

1924 - Palace of Legion of Honor dedicated (SF)

1925 - Earnest Thalmann becomes chairman of German KPD

Jazz Musician Louis ArmstrongJazz Musician Louis Armstrong 1925 - Louis Armstrong records 1st of Hot Five & Hot Seven recordings

1925 - Night of Kersten - Colijn Dutch government falls by SGP-amendement

1925 - Robert A. Millikan announces discovery of cosmic rays

1926 - Eddie Collins is released as White Sox manager

Various pictures of the historical Route 66 taken over the years:

Route 66 Signs near (or in) Flagstaff, Arizona:

Route 66 Signs near (or in) Barstow, California:

Route 66 Signs near (or in) Holbrook, Arizona:

Route 66 Signs near in Santa Monica, California:

• In 1926 on this day, the now historical U.S. Route 66 was established.

1928 - France's 5th government of Poincaré forms

Bust of Albert Einstein in Princeton, New Jersey, where he lived his final years.

• 1930 - Patent number US1781541 was awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator.

• 1931 - Cornerstones laid for Opera House & Veteran's Building

• 1933 - "Great Black Blizzard" 1st great dust storm in Great Plains

1934 - 1st penalty shot vs Toronto Maple Leafs, Mondou (Mont) unsuccessful

1934 - WOC-AM in Davenport Iowa splits from WHO-WOC & becomes KICK-AM

Theoretical Physicist Albert EinsteinTheoretical Physicist Albert Einstein 1935 - Explorer 2 balloon sets altitude record of 72,000 feet over SD

1937 - Messerschmidt ME-109V13 flies world record 610.4 kph

Nobel Prize

• 1937 - Nobel prize for physics awarded to C J Davisson & GP Thomson

1938 - German & Austrian Jewish suffer 1 billion Mark damage in nazi

1938 - Kristallnacht; Jews forced to wear Star of David

1939 - Kate Smith 1st sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"

• 1940 - Thousands of Paris students lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier

1940 - Blizzard strikes midwestern US killing over 100

1940 - British air attack destroys half of Italian fleet

1940 - Willys unveiled its General Purpose vehicle ("Jeep")

1941 - Czech premier general Eliasjarrested by nazis

1942 - -12] last German offensive in Stalingrad

1942 - 745 French Jews deported to Auschwitz

• 1942 - During WW II Germany completes their occupation of France

• 1942 - Jews in Free Zone of France ordered to wear yellow star of David

1942 - Lt-general Kumakashi Harada becomes Japanese commander on Java

1942 - Transport nr 45 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany

1943 - Spud Chandler wins AL MVP; Stan Musial wins NL MVP

• 1943 - US air raid on Rabaul

1944 - NY Rangers set NHL record of 25 games without a win (0-21-4)

1946 - NY Knicks' 1st game at Madison Sq Garden loses 78-68 to Chic Stags

1949 - WTTV TV channel 4 in Bloomington-Indianapol, IN (IND) 1st broadcast

1953 - Jimmy Dykes succeeds Marty Marion as Baltimore Orioles manager

1957 - Demolition begins on cable car barn at California& amp; Hyde (SF)

1958 - "La Plume de Ma Tante" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 835 perfs

1958 - AL announces Kansas City will play AL record 52 night games in 1959

1959 - 1st episode of "Rocky & His Friends" airs

1959 - Seals Stadium in San Francisco, demolished

1960 - Largest NY Knick 49th St Madison Square Garden crowd-18,499

1961 - Adulterous couple up mestkar through Staphorst riding

1961 - Congolese soldiers murder 13 Italian UN pilots

1961 - Molotov, Malenkov & Kaganovitsj expelled from USSR's communist party

• 1961 - Stalingrad renamed Volgograd

• 1962 - Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait.

    

• 1963 - Brian Epstein & Ed Sullivan sign a 3 show contract for Beatles

1963 - Gordie Howe ties Rocket Richard's lifetime 544 goal record

1964 - Murray Schisgal's "Luv," premieres in NYC

1965 - Heavyweight Cassius Clay KOs Floyd Patterson in Las Vegas

• 1965 - Rhodesia proclaimed independence from Britain by PM Ian Smith

1965 - William Alfred's "Hogan's Goat," premieres in NYC

1966 - Gemini 12 (Lovell & Aldrin) launched on 4-day flight

1966 - Methodist Church & Evangelical United Brethren Church unite as United Methodist Church (USA)

1966 - NASA launches spaceship Gemini 12.

Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 1968 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono appear nude on cover of "2 Virgins" album

• 1968 - Maldives (in Indian Ocean) becomes a republic

1968 - Ron Hill sets record 10-mile run (46:44) at Leicester England

1969 - Beatles with Billy Preston release "Get Back" in UK

1969 - Jim Morrison arrested on an airplane by FBI for drunkeness

1970 - Balt Oriole Boog Powell wins AL MVP

1971 - Man-made earthslide at Kawasaki Japan, kills 15

1971 - Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second Avenue" premieres in NYC

1972 - Dow Jones Index moves above 1,000 for 1st time

1972 - US Army turns over Long Bihn base to South Vietnamese army

1975 - Angola gains independence from Portugal (National Day)

1975 - Australian PM Gough Whitlam removed from office by Governor General Sir John Kerr (1st elected PM removed in 200 yrs)

1977 - Wings release "Mull of Kintyre" & "Girl's School"

1978 - Maumoon Abdul Gayoom becomes president of Maldives

1979 - Boston Court issues occupancy permit for Cambridge Buddhist Center

• 1980 - Crew of Soyuz 35 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 37

1980 - Islanders' Mike Bossy scores 4 goals against North Stars

1981 - "Oh, Brother!" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 3 performances

1981 - Fernando Valenzuela is 1st rookie ever to win a Cy Young Award

1982 - 30th time Islanders shut-out-2-0 vs North Stars

1982 - 5th space shuttle mission-Columbia 5-launched 1st coml flight

1982 - Gas explosion in Israeli army headquarters near Tyre; kills 60

1982 - Joe Altobelli succeeds retiring Earl Weaver as Oriole manager

1983 - 1st US cruise missiles arrive in Great Britain

• 1983 - President Reagan became 1st US president to address Japanese legislature

1983 - Wayne Phillips scores 159 on Test Cricket debut, v Pakistan at WACA

1984 - "Three Musketeers" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 9 performances

1985 - 1st AIDS theme TV movie - "An Early Frost"

Picture of the space shuttle at Expo Park in Los Angeles, California

• 1985 - Challenger flies back to Kennedy Space Center via Davis-Monthan AFB

1985 - Yonkers is found guilty of segregating schools & housing

1986 - Houston's Astro Mike Scott (18-10) wins NL Cy Young Award

• 1986 - Suriname government proclaims gold purification

1987 - "Roza" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 12 performances

1987 - Judge Anthony M Kennedy nominated to Supreme Court

1987 - Moscow party secretary Boris Jerusalem resigns

1987 - Roger Clemens wins consecutive Cy Young Awards

1987 - Van Gogh's "Irises" sells for record $53.6 M at auction

1988 - Oldest known insect fossils (390 million yrs) reported in Science

1989 - "Prince of Central Park" closes at Belasco Theater NYC after 4 perfs

1989 - Sam's Town Bowling Invitational won by Tish Johnson

1990 - "Shadowlands" opens at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC for 169 perfs

1990 - Calif's Chuck Finley & Seattle's Randy Johnson combine to pitch a no-hitter in exhibition game between US & Japanese all-star teams

1992 - Anglican Church & Church of England OK female priests

264th Pope John Paul II264th Pope John Paul II 1993 - Pope John Paul II hospitalized for 2 days for fractured shoulder

1994 - Bill Gates buys Leonardo da Vinci's "Codex" for $30,800,000

1994 - Progress M-25 launched to space station Mir

1996 - Braves' John Smoltz wins NL Cy Young Award

1997 - CBS News anchor Dan Rather renews his contract to 2002

1997 - Roger Clemens wins his 4th AL Cy Young Award

1997 - WNBA expands to Detroit & Washington DC

1999 - Last upside down date until January 1, 6000

2000 - In Kaprun, Austria, 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel.

2001 - Journalists Pierre Billaud, Johanne Sutton and Volker Handloik are killed in Afghanistan during an attack on the convoy they were traveling on top off.

The flag of New Zealand

• 2004 - New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior dedicated at the National War Memorial, Wellington.

• 2004 - Yasser Arafat is confirmed dead by the Palestine Liberation Organization, of unidentified causes. Mahmoud Abbas is elected chairman of the PLO minutes later.

• 2006 - The New Zealand war memorial monument was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London, United Kingdom, commemorating the loss of soldiers from the New Zealand Army and the British Army.

2008 - The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) set sail on her final voyage to Dubai.

• 2012 - 12 people are killed by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Burma

   1831 - Nat Turner, a slave and educated minister, was hanged in Jerusalem, VA, after inciting a violent slave uprising.   1851 - The telescope was patented by Alvan Clark.   1868 - The first indoor amateur track and field meet was held by the New York Athletic Club.   1880 - Australian outlaw and bank robber Ned Kelly was hanged at the Melbourne jail at age 25.   1887 - Labor Activists were hanged in Illinois after being convicted of being connected to a bombing that killed eight police officers.   1889 - Washington became the 42nd state of the United States.   1918 - World War I came to an end when the Allies and Germany signed an armistice. This day became recognized as Veteran's Day in the United States.   1918 - Poland was reestablished shortly after the surrender of Germany.   1920 - The body of an unknown British soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey. The service was recorded with the first electronic recording process developed by Lionel Guest and H.O. Merriman.   1921 - The Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia by U.S. President Harding.   1938 - Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on network radio.   1940 - The Jeep made its debut.   1942 - During World War II, Germany completed its occupation of France.   1946 - The New York Knickerbockers (now the Knicks) played their first game at Madison Square Garden.   1952 - The first video recorder was demonstrated by John Mullin and Wayne Johnson in Beverly Hills, CA.   1965 - The government of Rhodesia declared its independence from Britain. The country later became known as Zimbabwe.   1965 - Walt Disney announced a project in Florida.  Disney movies, music and books   1966 - The U.S. launched Gemini 12 from Cape Kennedy, FL. The craft circled the Earth 59 times before returning.   1972 - The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Bihn to the South Vietnamese army. The event symbolized the end of direct involvement in the Vietnam War by the U.S. military.   1975 - Civil war broke out when Angola gained independence from Portugal.   1981 - Stuntman Dan Goodwin scaled the outside of the 100-story John Hancock Center in Chicago in about six hours.   1981 - The U.S.S. Ohio was commissioned at the Electric Boat Division in Groton, CT. It was the first Trident class submarine.   1984 - The Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. died in Atlanta at age 84.   1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan accepted the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a gift to the nation from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.   1984 - Gary Coleman, at age 13, underwent his second kidney transplant in Los Angeles. He had his first transplant at age 5.   1986 - Sperry Rand and Burroughs merged to form "Unisys," becoming the second largest computer company.   1987 - Vincent Van Gogh's "Irises" was sold for a then record 53.9 million dollars in New York.   1988 - Police in Sacramento, CA, found the first of seven bodies buried on the grounds of a boardinghouse. Dorothea Puente was later charged in the deaths of nine people, convicted of three murders and sentenced to life in prison.   1990 - Stormie Jones, the world's first heart-liver transplant recipient, died at a Pittsburgh hospital at age 13.   1991 - The U.S. stationed its first diplomat in Cambodia in 16 years to help the nation arrange democratic elections.   1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin told U.S. senators in a letter that Americans had been held in prison camps after World War II. Some were "summarily executed," but others were still living in his country voluntarily.   1992 - The Church of England voted to ordain women as priests.   1993 - Walt Disney Co. announced plans to build a U.S. history theme park in a Virginia suburb of Washington. The plan was halted later due to local opposition.  Disney movies, music and books   1993 - In Washington, DC, the Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated to honor the more than 11,000 women who had served in the Vietnam War.   1994 - In Gaza, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at an Israeli military checkpoint killing three soldiers.   1996 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund unveiled "The Wall That Heals." The work was a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that would tour communities throughout the United States.   1997 - The Eastman Kodak Company announced that they were laying off 10,000 employees.   1997 - Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) became the third major league player to win the Cy Young Award four times.   1998 - Jay Cochrane set a record for the longest blindfolded skywalk. He walked on a tightrope between the towers of the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, NV. The towers are 600 feet apart.   1998 - Vincente Fernandez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1998 - Israel's Cabinet ratified a land-for-peace agreement with the Palestinians.   2002 - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates pledged $100 million to fight AIDS in India.

1620 The Mayflower Compact was signed by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. It would provide the basis for all governments of the American colonies. 1831 Former slave Nat Turner was executed. 1889 Washington became the 42nd state. 1918 The Allies and Germany signed an armistice ending World War I. 1921 The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated in Arlington National Cemetery. 1965 Rhodesia proclaimed its independence from Britain. 1992 The Church of England voted to ordain women as priests. 2004 Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, died in Paris. Mahmoud Abbas was elected to take his place.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/nov11.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory