Flashback
Today is Saturday, Nov. 19, the 323rd day of 2005. There are 42 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history: On Nov. 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.
Ten years ago: The Clinton administration and Republican congressional leaders reached a deal to end a six-day budget standoff and resulting partial government shutdown. Polish President Lech Walesa was defeated in his bid for re-election.
Five years ago: President Clinton ended a historic visit to Vietnam. Attorney Charles Ruff, who represented President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and his impeachment trial, died in Washington, D.C., at age 61.
One year ago: In one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the Indiana Pacers charged into the stands and fought with Detroit Pistons fans, forcing officials to end the Pacers’ 97-82 win with 45.9 seconds left.
On this date:
In 1794, the United States and Britain signed Jay’s Treaty, which resolved some issues left over from the Revolutionary War.
In 1831, the 20th president of the United States, James Garfield, was born in Orange, Ohio.
In 1905, bandleader Tommy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pa.
In 1919, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 in favor, 39 against, short of the two-thirds majority needed for ratification.
In 1942, during World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.
In 1949, Monaco held a coronation for its new ruler, Prince Rainier III, six months after he succeeded his grandfather, Prince Louis II.
In 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean made man’s second landing on the moon.
In 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel.
In 1984, nearly 500 people died in a firestorm set off by a series of explosions at a petroleum storage plant on the edge of Mexico City.
In 1985, President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.