This Day In History

On November 18
1820
Captain Nathaniel Palmer became the first American to sight the continent of Antarctica.
1865
Samuel L. Clemens published, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," under the pen name "Mark Twain" in the New York Saturday Press.
1883
The U.S. and Canada adopted a system of standard time zones.
1928
The first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon premiered in New York. It was Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse.
1942
"The Skin of Our Teeth," by Thornton Wilder opened on Broadway.
1966
U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays.
1978
In Jonestown, Guyana, the Reverend Jim Jones persuaded his followers to drink a death potion. 914 cult members were left dead including 214 children.
1987
The U.S. Congress issued the Iran-Contra Affair report. The report said that President Ronald Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.
1997
The FBI officially pulled out of the probe into the TWA Flight 800 disaster. They said the explosion that destroyed the Boeing 747 was not caused by a criminal act. 230 people were killed.
1999
12 people were killed and 28 injured when a huge bonfire under construction collapsed at Texas A&M in College Station, TX.
1999
In Jasper, TX, Shawn Allen Berry was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the racial murder of James Byrd Jr. John William King and Lawrence Russell Brewer both received the death penalty earlier in the year for their roles in the crime.
2001
Nintendo released the GameCube home video game console in the United States.