Today in History: Nov. 28

Firemen inspect the ruins of the Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 28, 1942. A fire swept through the establishment at night, killing 492 persons. (AP Photo)
In 1942, nearly 500 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston. (AP Photo)
Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis talks with reporters on the steps of No. 10 Downing Street, Westminster on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1990 shortly before she made the short journey to Buckingham Palace to resign as Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth. Thatcher, 65, stepped down after 11? years as leader John Major; her Chancellor of the Exchequer will take office following her resignation. (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver)
In 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as British prime minister during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who then conferred the premiership on John Major.  (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver)
An unidentified person leaves Enron Corp. headquarters at the end of the day Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2002, in Houston. Former Enron Corp. chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay has been indicted on criminal charges related to the energy company's collapse, sources close to the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday, July 7, 2004. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
In 2001, Enron Corp., once the world’s largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal.  (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
In 1905, Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin. A Sinn Fein poster in West Belfast, Northern Ireland, Thursday, March 2, 2017. Voting has begun Thursday in the British province of Northern Ireland to elect a new Stormont Assembly after the power-sharing government collapsed in January. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
Ernie Davis, Syracuse University back, holds the Heisman Memorial Trophy which he receives Dec. 6, 1961 at a dinner in the Downtown Athletic club in New York City. The award is made annually to the nation's outstanding college football player. (AP Photo/Jack Harris)
In 1961, Ernie Davis of Syracuse University became the first African-American to be named winner of the Heisman Trophy. Ernie Davis, Syracuse University back, holds the Heisman Memorial Trophy which he receives Dec. 6, 1961 at a dinner in the Downtown Athletic club in New York City. The award is made annually to the nation’s outstanding college football player. (AP Photo/Jack Harris)
This is a view of Mariner 4 in flight attitude on July 13, 1965.  The 575-pound spacecraft climaxes an historic 228-day, 325-million-mile voyage to Mars tomorrow by capturing the first close-up photographs of another planet.  (AP Photo/NASA)
In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet. This is a view of Mariner 4 in flight attitude on July 13, 1965. The 575-pound spacecraft climaxes an historic 228-day, 325-million-mile voyage to Mars tomorrow by capturing the first close-up photographs of another planet. (AP Photo/NASA)
In 1975, President Ford nominated Federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U-S Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas. FILE – In this April 30, 2014, file photo, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens testifies on the ever-increasing amount of money spent on elections as he appears before the Senate Rules Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Stevens is calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment to allow for significant gun control legislation. The 97-year-old Stevens says in an essay on The New York Times website that repeal would weaken the National Rifle Association’s ability to “block constructive gun control legislation.” (AP Photo)
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Firemen inspect the ruins of the Cocoanut Grove Night Club in Boston, Mass., on Nov. 28, 1942. A fire swept through the establishment at night, killing 492 persons. (AP Photo)
Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis talks with reporters on the steps of No. 10 Downing Street, Westminster on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 1990 shortly before she made the short journey to Buckingham Palace to resign as Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth. Thatcher, 65, stepped down after 11? years as leader John Major; her Chancellor of the Exchequer will take office following her resignation. (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver)
An unidentified person leaves Enron Corp. headquarters at the end of the day Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2002, in Houston. Former Enron Corp. chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay has been indicted on criminal charges related to the energy company's collapse, sources close to the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday, July 7, 2004. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Ernie Davis, Syracuse University back, holds the Heisman Memorial Trophy which he receives Dec. 6, 1961 at a dinner in the Downtown Athletic club in New York City. The award is made annually to the nation's outstanding college football player. (AP Photo/Jack Harris)
This is a view of Mariner 4 in flight attitude on July 13, 1965.  The 575-pound spacecraft climaxes an historic 228-day, 325-million-mile voyage to Mars tomorrow by capturing the first close-up photographs of another planet.  (AP Photo/NASA)

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 28, the 332nd day of 2018.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Nov. 28, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began conferring in Tehran during World War II.

On this date:

In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.

In 1861, the Confederate Congress admitted Missouri as the 12th state of the Confederacy after Missouri’s disputed secession from the Union.

In 1905, Sinn Fein (shin fayn) was founded in Dublin.

In 1907, future movie producer Louis B. Mayer opened his first movie theater, in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

In 1909, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 had its world premiere in New York, with Rachmaninoff at the piano.

In 1942, fire engulfed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, killing 492 people in the deadliest nightclub blaze ever. (The cause of the rapidly-spreading fire, which began in the basement, is in dispute; one theory is that a busboy accidentally ignited an artificial palm tree while using a lighted match to fix a light bulb.)

In 1961, Ernie Davis of Syracuse University became the first African-American to be named winner of the Heisman Trophy.

In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet.

In 1975, President Ford nominated Federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U-S Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.

In 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 en route to the South Pole crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all 257 people aboard.

In 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as British prime minister during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who then conferred the premiership on John Major.

In 2001, Enron Corp., once the world’s largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal. (Enron filed for bankruptcy protection four days later.)

Ten years ago: Indian forces fired grenades at the landmark Taj Mahal hotel, the last stand of suspected Muslim militants, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish outreach center and found six hostages dead. (The 60-hour rampage in Mumbai came to an end the following day.) Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress (PLEK’-sih-koh BUR’-ihs) accidentally shot himself in the right thigh with a gun tucked into his waistband at a New York nightclub (Burress was later sentenced to two years in prison for a weapons conviction).

Five years ago: China said it had sent warplanes into its newly declared maritime air defense zone, days after the U.S., South Korea and Japan all sent flights through the airspace in defiance of rules Beijing said it had imposed in the East China Sea.

One year ago: A Libyan militant was convicted in federal court in Washington of terrorism charges stemming from the 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, but the jury found Ahmed Abu Khattala not guilty of murder. (Khattala was sentenced the following June to 22 years in prison.) Jay-Z led the 2018 Grammy Award nominations as the top four categories were heavily dominated by rap and R&B artists.

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