This Date in History - November 14

Happy birthday, Jimmy Piersall.  Back in his day, he was considered insane.  Now he'd be a broadcaster on Fox.

1533:  CONQUISTADORS FROM SPAIN UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF FRANCISCO PIZZARO ARRIVE IN CAJAMARCA. 

Francisco Pizzaro?  Wasn't he a lefthander with the Chicago White Sox?

1770:  JAMES BRUCE DISCOVERS WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Turns out it was a leak underneath his bathroom sink.

1862:  PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN APPROVES GENERAL AMBROSE BURNSIDE'S PLAN TO CAPTURE THE CONFEDERATE CAPITAL AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

And whatever Abe says, goes.

1889:  FEMALE JOURNALIST NELLIE BEGINS A SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD IN LESS THAN 80 DAYS.  SHE COMPLETES THE TRIP IN 72 DAYS.

And misses a chance to be in a movie with David Niven and Cantinflas.

1889:  INDIAN PRIME MINISTER JAWAHARIAL NEHRU IS BORN.

Wardrober to Sammy Davis Jr.

1896:  FIRST LADY MAMIE EISENHOWER IS BORN.

And probably looked old in the crib.

1904:  ACTOR DICK POWELL IS BORN.

Probably was smoking in his crib.

1908:  SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY IS BORN.

Should have died in his crib.

1910:  AVAITOR EUGENE BLY PREFORMS THE FIRST TAKE OFF FROM A SHIP IN VIRGINIA.

Those Blys are crafty.

1915:  ACTIVIST BOOKER T. WASHINGTON DIES.

And that makes for some sad MGs.

1916:  TV PRODUCER SHERWOOD SCHWARTZ IS BORN.

Creator of the two crappiest TV shows in history.

1918:  CZECHOSLOVAKIA BECOMES A REPUBLIC.

Czech, please.

1921:  THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SPAIN IS FOUNDED.

So that explains why the cape they wave in front of the bull is red.

1921:  ACTOR BRIAN KEITH IS BORN.

Uncle Bill!

1922:  THE BBC BEGINS RADIO SERVICE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Their first show?  Lord Amos and Duke Andy.

1927:  ACTOR MCLEAN STEVENSON IS BORN.

Hello, Larry.

1929:  BASEBALL PLAYER JIMMY PIERSALL IS BORN.

When he was on the Mets, he hit his 100th homerun and ran the bases backwards.   Since it was the Mets, nobody noticed.

1940:  IN ENGLAND, THE CITY OF COVENTRY IS HEAVILY BOMBED BY GERMAN LUFTWAFFE BOMBERS.

Show of hands, please, for those of you who have also been heavily bombed.

1957:  THE APALACHIN MEETING IN BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, IS RAIDED AND MANY HIGH LEVEL MAFIA FIGURES ARE ARRESTED.

Sounds like an episode of the Sopranos from Season 3.

1969:  NASA LAUNCHES APOLLO 12, THE SECOND MANNED MISSION TO THE MOON.

Nobody remembers who was on this one.

1979:  US PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER 12170, FREEZING ALL IRANIAN ASSETS IN RESPONSE TO THE HOSTAGE CRISIS.

Yeah, he was really on top of this situation.

1982:  LECH WALESA, THE LEADER OF POLAND'S SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT, IS RELEASED AFTER ELEVEN MONTHS OF INTERNMENT.

For 11 years, there was a lot Less Walesa.

1991:  IN ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN, A FIRED US POSTAL SERVICE EMPLOYEE GOES ON A SHOOTING RAMPAGE, KILLING FOUR AND WOUNDING FIVE.

Do you need that certified?

1997:  JOCKEY EDDIE ARCARO DIES.

Finishing out of the money.

2000:  JOURNALIST ROBERT TROUT DIES.

Trout out of the water and into the ground.

2002:  ACTOR EDDIE BRACKEN DIES.

It was all downhill after Preston Sturges died anyway.

Dinner last night:  Had a big lunch on the plane so nothing really.