On This Day November 11

1992
The 1987 National Teacher of the Year, Eliot Wigginton, pleads guilty to child molestation and is sentenced to one year in prison. He founded the Foxfire program (1966) to help students get interested in education.

1988
World's loudest scream is recorded, Simon Robinson of South Australia, at 128 dB. This is almost as loud as a jet aircraft 50 feet away. (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1982
Vietnam Memorial: The monument is dedicated. Engraved on a black granite wall are the names of more than 58,000 Americans killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War.

1944
The Execution of Private Slovik: U.S. Army private Eddie Slovik is court-martialed for desertion. He later became the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion during World War II, and the first since the Civil War.

1923
Adolf Hitler - Beer Hall Putsch: The future German leader is arrested and imprisoned after a revolt, he organized in Munich three days earlier, fails.

1889
Washington becomes the 42nd state. It was the first state named for a native-born American.

1865
First woman to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor: Mary Edwards Walker is awarded the medal, although it was revoked in 1916 and then reinstated in 1977.

1800
U.S. Presidents: Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tie for president. The House of Representatives later decided the vote in favor of Jefferson.

1971
Hedi and Heather Burge, American twins. They are the world's tallest female identical twins (6 ft. 4 3/4 in). (source: Guinness Book of World Records)

1962
Demi Moore (Demi Guynes), American actress. Film: St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and Ghost (1990). TV: General Hospital (Jackie Templeton).

1952
Paul Cowsill, American keyboardist, member of the singing family The Cowsills. Music: The Rain The Park And Other Things (1967, #2). They were the basis for TV's The Partridge Family.

1939
Denise Alexander, American actress. TV: General Hospital (Dr. Lesley Weber).

1925
Jonathan Winters, American comedian. TV: Mork & Mindy (their son Mearth).

1922
Kurt Vonnegut Jr., American author. Writings: Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).

1915 d. 1989
George Case, American baseball player, led the American League in stolen bases six times.

1899 d. 1983
Pat O'Brien, American actor. Film: Angels With Dirty Faces (1938, Father Connolly) and Knute Rockne - All American (1940, title role).

1885 d. 1945
George Smith Patton Jr., American four-star general, called "Old Blood and Guts." He led the 3rd Army during World War II.

1821 d. 1881
Fëodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Russian author. Writings: Crime and Punishment (1866) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880).

1771 d. 1830
Ephraim McDowell, American surgeon. He was the first to perform the removal of an ovarian tumor (1809).

1748 d. 1819
Charles IV, King of Spain (1788-1808). His loss of Trinidad to England (1797) and destruction of the Spanish fleet in the battle of Trafalgar (1805) made him unpopular.

2004 b. 1929
Yasser Arafat, Palestian political leader. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969-2004), President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) (1993-2004), and a co-recipient of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize.

2003 b. 1921
Robert Brown, British actor, 'M' in the James Bond movies starting with Octopussy (1983) till License to Kill (1989).

1976 b. 1898
Alexander Calder, American sculptor, painter. He invented the mobile (1931). He is one of the most famous artists of the 20th century.

1945 b. 1885
Jerome David Kern, American composer. Music: Show Boat (1927, which included Ol' Man River) and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (1933).

1942 b. 1890
Billy De Beck (William Morgan De Beck), American cartoonist, created Barney Google (1919) and Snuffy Smith (1934).

1930 b. 1863
Thomas Coleman du Pont, American industrialist, president (1902-15) of E.I. du Pont Company, and U.S. Senator (1921-28).

1917 b. 1838
Lydia Kamehameha Liliuokalani (Lydia Kalakahua), Hawaiian Queen (1891-93). She was the last Hawaiian monarch. She also wrote the song Aloha Oe (Farewell to Thee)

November 11

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