Albanian Flag and Independence Day (celebrate the independence of Albania from Turkey in 1912, the first Albanian flag raise by Skanderbeg in 1443, and for the new parliamentary constitution in 1998)
1971 – Fred Quilt, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in First Nation suffers severe abdominal injuries allegedly caused by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers; he dies two days later.
1967 – The first pulsar known as PSR B1919+21 in the constellation of Vulpecula was discovered by two astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish.
1966 – Michel Micombero overthrows the monarchy of Burundi and makes himself the first president.
1919 – Lady Astor is elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. (Countess Markievicz, the first to be elected, refused to sit.)
1895 – The first American automobile race takes place over the 54 miles from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois. Frank Duryea wins in approximately 10 hours.
1862 – American Civil War: In the Battle of Cane Hill, Union troops under General James G. Blunt defeat General John Marmaduke's Confederates.
1814 – The Times of London becomes the first newspaper to be produced on a steam-powered printing press, built by the German team of Koenig & Bauer.
1785 – The first Treaty of Hopewell is signed.
936 – Shi Jingtang is enthroned as the first emperor of the Later Jin by Emperor Taizong of Liao, following a revolt against Emperor Fei of Later Tang.
Births
1995 – Chase Elliott, American race car driver. He is the only son of 1988 Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott.
1992 – Adam Hicks, American actor. Adam Paul Nielson Hicks (born November 28, 1992) is an American actor, rapper, singer, and songwriter.
1984 – Mary Elizabeth Winstead, American actress and producer. She went on to appear in such films as the superhero comedy Sky High (2005) and came to wider recognition as a scream queen for her roles in the supernatural horror series Wolf Lake (2001–2002), the monster film Monster Island (2004), the supernatural horror film Final Destination 3 (2006), the slasher film Black Christmas (2006), the exploitation horror film Death Proof (2007), the science fiction horror film The Thing (2011), the dark fantasy action horror film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), and the psychological horror-thriller film 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), among others.
1984 – Trey Songz, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. His follow-up album, Trey Day, spawned his first top 20 single, "Can't Help but Wait".
1983 – Summer Rae, American football player, wrestler, and actress. Danielle Louise Moinet (born November 28, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, model, actress, and former American football player.
1983 – Tyler Glenn, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player. He is known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the American rock band Neon Trees and as a solo artist.
1979 – Chamillionaire, American rapper, entrepreneur, and investor. He signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released The Sound of Revenge under Universal.
1978 – Brent Albright, American wrestler. Brent Albright (born November 28, 1978) is an American retired professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, during which he appeared on SmackDown! as Gunner Scott.
1978 – Freddie Mitchell, American football player. Freddie Lee Mitchell II (born November 28, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons.
1977 – DeMya Walker, American basketball player. DeMya Chakheia Walker (born November 28, 1977) is a professional basketball player from the United States.
1974 – apl.de.ap, Filipino-American singer and rapper. Allan Pineda Lindo (born November 28, 1974), known professionally as apl.de.ap (IPA: /ˌæpəldiˈæp/), is a Filipino-American rapper, singer and record producer best known as a member of the Grammy Award-winning hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas.
1973 – Jade Puget, American guitarist and producer. Jade Errol Puget (born November 28, 1973) is an American musician and producer, best known as the guitarist for the rock band AFI (joined in 1998), the guitarist/writer for the straight edge hardcore band XTRMST, and the keyboardist/synthesizer operator for the electronic duo Blaqk Audio.
1969 – Robb Nen, American baseball player and manager. Robert Allen Nen (born November 28, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher.
1967 – Anna Nicole Smith, American model, actress, and television personality (d. 2007). Smith first gained popularity in Playboy magazine when she won the title of 1993 Playmate of the Year.
1967 – Stephnie Weir, American actress and comedian. She is best known as a cast member on MADtv from 2000–2006.
1964 – John Burkett, American baseball player and bowler. John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
1964 – Michael Bennet, Indian-American lawyer and politician. Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician who has served as the senior United States Senator from Colorado since 2009.
1964 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (d. 2015), was an American professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1988.
1963 – Johnny Newman, American basketball player. In his 16 seasons (1986–2002) in the NBA, he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks.
1963 – Walt Weiss, American baseball player and manager. Walter William Weiss (born November 28, 1963) is an American former professional baseball shortstop and manager and coach for the Atlanta Braves.
1962 – Jon Stewart, American comedian, actor, and television host. Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host.
1962 – Matt Cameron, American drummer and songwriter. In 1998, Cameron was invited to play on Pearl Jam's U.S.
1959 – Judd Nelson, American actor and screenwriter. Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor best known for his roles as John Bender in The Breakfast Club, Alec Newbury in St.
1958 – Dave Righetti, American baseball player and coach. He served as the pitching coach for the Giants from 2000 through 2017.
1953 – Helen De Michiel, American director and producer. Helen De Michiel (born November 28, 1953) is an American director, producer, media arts advocate, strategist and author whose work includes film, television, multimedia installation and digital transmedia.
1953 – Sixto Lezcano, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach. Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras (born November 28, 1953 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico) is a retired baseball player who played for 12 seasons as an outfielder in the Major Leagues between 1974 and 1985.
1952 – S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress. Merkerson is also the recipient of 4 honorary doctorate degrees.
1951 – Barbara Morgan, American educator and astronaut. She then trained as a Mission Specialist, and flew on STS-118 in August 2007.
1950 – Ed Harris, American actor and producer. Harris has appeared in several leading and supporting roles, such as in The Right Stuff (1983), The Abyss (1989), State of Grace (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Nixon (1995), The Rock (1996), Stepmom (1998), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Enemy at the Gates (2001), A History of Violence (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Snowpiercer (2013), and mother! (2017).
1950 – Russell Alan Hulse, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate. Russell Alan Hulse (born November 28, 1950) is an American physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with his thesis advisor Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., "for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation".
1949 – Alexander Godunov, Russian-American actor and dancer (d. 1995), was a Russian-American ballet dancer and film actor. He was a member of the Bolshoi Ballet and became the troupe's Premier danseur.
1949 – Paul Shaffer, Canadian-American singer, keyboard player, and bandleader (CBS Orchestra). Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader and sidekick on the entire run of both Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993–2015).
1948 – Alan Lightman, American physicist, novelist, and academician. He was one of the first people at MIT to have a joint faculty position in both the sciences and the humanities.
1948 – Dick Morris, American political consultant, journalist, and author. Richard Samuel "Dick" Morris (born November 28, 1946) is an American political author and commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant.
1946 – Joe Dante, American director and producer. His films—notably Gremlins (1984)—often mix fantastical storylines with comedic elements.
1944 – R. B. Greaves, Guyanese-American singer-songwriter (d. 2012). B." Greaves III (November 28, 1943 – September 27, 2012) was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single "Take a Letter Maria".
1944 – Rita Mae Brown, American novelist, poet, and screenwriter. Rita Mae Brown (born November 28, 1944) is an American writer, activist, and feminist.
1943 – Randy Newman, American singer-songwriter and pianist. Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer and pianist who is known for his distinctive voice, mordant (and often satirical) pop songs and film scores.
1942 – Paul Warfield, American football player and sportscaster, was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1977 for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, except for a year in the World Football League (WFL) with the Memphis Southmen. He was known for his speed, fluid moves, grace, and jumping ability.
1940 – Bruce Channel, American singer-songwriter. Bruce Channel (/ʃəˈnɛl/, shə-NEL; born November 28, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his 1962 million-selling number-one hit record, "Hey! Baby".
1936 – Gary Hart, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Gary Warren Hart (born Gary Warren Hartpence; November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer.
1933 – Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003), was an American film, stage, and television actress.
1933 – Joe Knollenberg, American soldier and politician, was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S.
1929 – Berry Gordy, Jr., American songwriter and producer, founded Motown Records. Berry Gordy III (known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., born November 28, 1929) is an American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer.
1928 – Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist and academic (d. 1980). He served as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers between 1968 and 1969.
1925 – Gigi Gryce, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983), was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator.
1923 – Gloria Grahame, American actress (d. 1981), was an American stage, film, and television actress and singer. She began her acting career in theatre and in 1944 made her first film for MGM.
1923 – Helen Delich Bentley, American politician (d. 2016), was an American politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland from 1985 to 1995. Before entering politics, she had been a leading maritime reporter and journalist.
1912 – Morris Louis, American painter (d. 1962). During the 1950s he became one of the earliest exponents of Color Field painting.
1910 – Elsie Quarterman, American ecologist and academic (d. 2014), was a prominent plant ecologist. She was a Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University.
1907 – Henry Picard, American golfer (d. 1997), was an American professional golfer.
1907 – Rose Bampton, American soprano and educator (d. 2007), was a celebrated American opera singer who had an active international career during the 1930s and 1940s. She began her professional career performing mostly minor roles from the mezzo-soprano repertoire in 1929 but later switched to singing primarily leading soprano roles in 1937 until her retirement from the opera stage in 1963.
1904 – James Eastland, American planter and politician (d. 1986), was an American politician from the state of Mississippi who served in the United States Senate as a Senator in 1941; and again from 1943 until his resignation on December 27, 1978. He has been called the "Voice of the White South" and the "Godfather of Mississippi Politics." A Democrat, Eastland was known as the symbol of Southern resistance to racial integration during the civil rights era, often speaking of blacks as "an inferior race."
1896 – Dawn Powell, American author and playwright (d. 1965), was an American writer of novels and stories.
1896 – Lilia Skala, Austrian-American actress (d. 1994). She is perhaps best known for her role in the film Lilies of the Field (1963), for which she received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination.
1894 – Brooks Atkinson, American theatre critic (d. 1984). He worked for The New York Times from 1922 to 1960.
1894 – Henry Hazlitt, American economist and philosopher (d. 1993), was an American journalist who wrote about business and economics for such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, The American Mercury, Newsweek, and The New York Times. He is widely cited in both libertarian and conservative circles.
1866 – Henry Bacon, American architect, designed the Lincoln Memorial (d. 1924), was an American Beaux-Arts architect who is best remembered for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (built 1915–22), which was his final project.
1864 – Lindley Miller Garrison, American lawyer and politician, 46th United States Secretary of War (d. 1932), was an American lawyer from New Jersey who served as Secretary of War under U.S. President Woodrow Wilson between 1913 and 1916.
1853 – Helen Magill White, American academic (d. 1944), was an American academic and instructor. She holds the distinction as the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in the United States.
1837 – John Wesley Hyatt, American engineer (d. 1920), was an American inventor. He is mainly known for simplifying the production of celluloid, the first industrial plastic.
1805 – John Lloyd Stephens, American archeologist and explorer (d. 1852), was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America and in the planning of the Panama railroad.
Deaths
2015 – Marjorie Lord, American actress (b. 1918)
2015 – Olene Walker, American lawyer and politician, 15th Governor of Utah (b. 1930)
2013 – Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Austrian-American poet and songwriter (b. 1920)
2012 – Franco Ventriglia, American opera singer (b. 1922)
2012 – Spain Rodriguez, American illustrator (b. 1940)
2012 – Zig Ziglar, American soldier and author (b. 1926)
2011 – Lloyd J. Old, American immunologist and academic (b. 1933)
2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (b. 1926)
2005 – Jack Concannon, American football player and actor (b. 1943)
2005 – Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1910)
2001 – Kal Mann, American songwriter (b. 1917)
1998 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, American soldier and author (b. 1938)
1994 – Jerry Rubin, American businessman and activist (b. 1938)
1993 – Garry Moore, American comedian, television personality, and game show host (b. 1915)
1993 – Jerry Edmonton, Canadian-American drummer (b. 1946)