Updated Jan. 28, 2001, 11:00 a.m. ET
November 30

1993. President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Gun Control Bill establishing a five-day waiting period and background check before the purchase of a handgun. The bill was named after James Brady, the press secretary who was wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

November 29

1996. President Lyndon Johnson names a commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. On December 9, the Warren Commission is notified by the FBI that Lee Harvey Oswald is the sole assassin.

November 28

1987. Tawana Brawley is found near her home in Upstate New York covered with feces and racial slurs. She claims she was raped by several white men, but a grand jury later determined that her story was a lie. Click here to read the Grand Jury report.

1994. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is murdered by a fellow prison inmate in Wisconsin. Dahmer was serving fifteen consecutive life terms for the murders of 15 men and boys. Click here for full trial coverage.

November 27

1970. Pope Paul VI is wounded by a dagger-wielding, would-be assassin, a Bolivian painter disguised as a priest. It happened during a visit to the Philippines.

1978. San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk are shot to death inside City Hall by another supervisor, Dan White. White successfully used the "Twinkie defense" and was convicted of a lesser defense. During his trial, lawyers argued that White suffered from depression. White's psychiatrist testified that his patient was addicted to junk food, which was evidence of depression.

2000. Al Gore challenges certification of the presidential votes in several Florida counties. His challenge came one day after Florida Secretary of State Kathleen Harris certified the election results and declared George W. Bush the winner. The Florida Supreme Court later allowed a manual recount of the vote to continue, but the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount, making Bush the victor. For full coverage, click here.

November 26

1975. Lynette "Squeaky: Fromme, a Manson family member, is found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, Calif. Fromme approached President Ford bearing a loaded pistol, but her attempt was thwarted when the gun misfired at close range. Fromme was later convicted and was sentenced to life in prison. For information about other Manson Family members click here.

1983. Six gunmen steal $40 million in gold from a warehouse near London's Heathrow airport. Only a fraction of the gold was recovered, and only two men were convicted of the crime.

2000. Florida Secretary of State Kathleen Harris certifies the presidential election results declaring George W. Bush the winner over Al Gore. This took place after the Florida Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling that manual recounts in the election be included in the final tally, with the provision that the counting of the ballots must be done in five days and accepted by state election officials.

November 25

1963. President John F. Kennedy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery three days after his assassination in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder on November 22 and was shot and killed by Jack Ruby on November 24.

1998. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is charged with murder and the death of Thomas Youk after injecting him with lethal drugs and videotaping it. After three acquittals and a mistrial, Kevorkian was found guilty of second-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison. Click here for full trial coverage.

1999. 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez is rescued off the coast of Florida, touching off an international legal custody battle between U.S. relatives and Elian's father in Cuba. After a tumultuous legal battle, Elian was returned to Cuba with his father on June 28, 2000.

November 24

1947. The "Hollywood Ten," a group of writers and producers, are cited for contempt for refusing questions before the Un-American Activities Committee about alleged Communist infiltration in the entertainment industry.

1963. Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner and fan of President John F. Kennedy, shoots and kills Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy's accused assassin. Police were transferring Oswald to a different jail when Ruby shot Oswald in front of a crowd and millions around the world watching on TV.

2000. The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear presidential candidate George W. Bush's appeal of a Florida Supreme Court's ruling to recount presidential ballots, but denies to hear his request for a temporary restraining order and injunction prohibiting any state-ordered manual recount of presidential ballots based on a decision by the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court in Miami. On December 12, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Florida Supreme Court's decision and Gore conceded on the following day, making Bush the new president-elect.

November 23

1959. The "Birdman of Alcatraz," Robert Stroud, a committed murderer, is released from solitary confinement after 43 years. During his years in solitary at Leavenworth, another prison, Stroud developed an interest in birds and wrote two books about diseases in canaries. Guards later found that contraband items were stashed in the birds cages. Stroud was incarcerated at Alcatraz in 1942 and later transferred to the Medical Center for Federal prisoners in Springfield, Mo. He died on Nov. 21, 1963.

1996. Actor Woody Harrelson is arrested during an environmental protest on the Golden Gate Bridge, demanding that the redwood forest be protected. Harrelson and eight other people hung from the giant cables of the bridge for five hours.

November 21

1990. Junk-bond financier Michael Milken is sentenced to 10 years in federal prison but only serves 22 months. In 1989, Milken faced indictments on 98 felony counts, including stock manipulation, insider trading and racketeering. Milken agreed to plead guilty to six lesser securities, including fraud, and paid a $200 million fine.

2000. The Florida Supreme Court issues a unanimous ruling that manual recounts in the presidential election between candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush Jr. must be included in the final tally, with the provision that the counting of the ballots must be done in five days and accepted by state election officials. The U.S. Supreme Court later stopped the recount and Bush won the election. For full coverage of Decision 2000, click here.

November 20

1945. Nazi leaders go on trial before a war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg. The international military tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, found 22 Nazis guilty of war crimes committed during the Holocaust. Ten were hanged for their crimes. For more information on the Nuremberg trials, click here.

2000. Pro-football player Rae Carruth goes on trial for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. Adams was shot in her car and died several weeks later. Carruth was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her. Click here for full trial coverage.

November 19

1998. President Clinton's impeachment hearings begin in the House Judiciary Committee. After the 21-day trial, Clinton was acquitted by the Senate of perjury and obstruction of justice after he lied about his sexual relations with former White House Intern Monica Lewinsky by trying to cover up the affair.

November 18

1999. A judge rules the rap duo Outkast did not violate the rights of civil rights activist Rosa Parks when they used her name in the title of a song. The judge ruled that the use of the name was protected under the First Amendment. Parks had sued the group for $25,000 in damages.

1999. Shawn Allen Berry, a white man, becomes the third person convicted in the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr., a black man. He escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison for the dragging death of Byrd. Click here for full trial coverage.

November 17

1800. The United States Congress convenes in Washington for the first time, meeting in the partially completed Capitol Building, after meeting in Philadelphia for 10 years.

November 16

1966. In his second trial, Dr. Sam Sheppard of "The Fugitive" fame is acquitted of murdering his wife Marilyn in 1954. Sheppard was released from prison when the Supreme Court ruled that "massive, pervasive and prejudicial publicity" prevented him from receiving a fair trial 12 years before. Though free, Sheppard was still the prosecutor's prime suspect and faced a second trial which he won with the help of defense attorney F. Lee Bailey.

1999. Nathaniel Abraham, who was only 11 years old when he killed a teenager, is convicted of second-degree murder. One of the youngest murder defendants in the nation, Abraham was sentenced under a controversial 1997 Michigan law that tried children under 17 as adults if they committed serious crimes. Click here for full trial coverage.

2000. Cherica Adams, the pregnant girlfriend of pro football player Rae Carruth, is shot in her car. She died several weeks later. Carruth was tried and convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her. Click here for full trial coverage.

November 15

1777. The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, an early version of what was to become the Constitution of the United States. The Articles were put in place to safeguard the sovereignty of the then 13 states of the fledgling nation from the influence or abuses of a central government. The subsequent shortcomings of the Articles led to the adoption of the Constitution.

1993. Joey Buttafuco is sentenced to six months in jail for the statutory rape of "Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher. Buttafuco's affair with the sixteen-year-old Fisher made national headlines when Fisher fatally shot her lover's wife in the head. Fisher, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was granted parole after spending nearly seven years in prison.

2000. A verdict is delivered in the stabbing of former Beatle, George Harrison. Michael Abram is acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity but is indefinitely confined to a mental hospital. Abram broke into Harrison's mansion in England and stabbed Harrison in the chest several times and physically assaulted the former Beatle's wife. Harrison survived the attack.

November 14

1881. President Garfield's assassin, Charles Guiteau, goes on trial. His insanity plea rejected, he is later convicted and hanged. Guiteau, a delusional spendthrift, had grand political ambitions despite a criminal record flush with petty thieveries and cons. He wrote to Garfield seeking a political appointment, and skulked around the White House in hopes of an audience with the president. When a coveted post went to another man, Guiteau took the rejection badly and shot Garfield months later.

November 13

1956. The U.S. Supreme Court rules segregation on buses is unconstitutional, ending the year-long Montgomery Bus boycott. Prior to the ruling, the black citizens of Montgomery, Ala., rode in the back of city buses. When Rosa Parks, a young black seamstress, was arrested for refusing to give up a seat to a white passenger, black leaders saw the incident as an opportunity to protest segregation laws. They convinced their communities to boycott the city's transportation system.

November 12

1948. A war crimes tribunal sentences former Japanese premiere Hideki Tojo to death for crimes committed during World War II. Tojo was Japan's army chief of staff in 1937, the minister of war in 1940 and became prime minister in 1941. His reign resulted in a government that was run by the military. Tojo resigned from the armed forces in 1944 and was arrested in 1945 for war crimes. He was hanged on December 22, 1948.

1975. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas retires from the bench, ending a record breaking 36-and-a-half year term. He succeeded Justice Louis Brandeis and was replaced by John Paul Stevens, who was nominated by President Gerald R. Ford.

November 11

2000. George W. Bush and several Florida voters file a federal lawsuit to halt manual recounts of Presidential election ballots. Four days into the electoral standoff between Bush and Democratic candidate Al Gore, Gore's campaign team requested a hand recount of the Florida votes after a machine recount gave Bush a slim lead by 327 votes. The Bush team responded with a lawsuit to block the hand recount. Read more on Decision 2000.

November 10

1997. Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney settle a $250 million breach of contract suit. Disney agrees to pay Katzenberg an undisclosed amount of profits Disney earned from films produced during Katzenberg's tenure. The entertainment executive oversaw the production of notable adult and family-oriented Disney hits such as "Pretty Woman" and "The Lion King". On leaving Disney, Katzenberg teamed up with noted director Steven Spielberg and media mogul David Geffen to found Dreamworks SKG.

November 9

2000. Two days after the presidential election between Democrat nominee Al Gore and Republican counterpart, George W. Bush, manual recounts are requested on behalf of the Gore campaign in several Florida counties, touching off an eventful legal battle over the presidency. Read more on Decision 2000.

November 8

1974. Federal charges are dropped against the eight Ohio National Guardsmen in the deaths of four anti-war protesters at Kent State University. In 1970, four students were killed and nine others injured when guardsmen sent in to quell anti-war protests opened fire on demonstrators protesting America's involvement in Vietnam. The shootings stunned the nation and further galvanized the anti-war movement.

November 7

1985. Boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is freed after twenty years in prison for the murders of three people. The judge ruled that his conviction was based on racial prejudice and not facts. A second trial had failed to exonerate Carter of the crime and he was sent back to prison until a group of Canadians renewed the movement to free him.

1995. Three American sailors plead guilty to raping a Japanese schoolgirl. They are later convicted and given sentences ranging from six and a half to seven years. A year earlier, another American soldier had been arrested for breaking into a young girl's bedroom and molesting her. In response, the military had imposed a late-night curfew and a drinking ban. The second assault sparked the biggest anti-American protest in decades as local Okinawans demanded a reduction in American military bases on their island.

November 6

1990. An arson fire destroys parts of Universal Studios' California back lot. Several sets from the "Back to the Future" films are destroyed. Described as one of the biggest fires in Los Angeles history, six helicopters and 400 firefighters are called from around Los Angeles and neighboring counties to put out the intense flames.

November 5

1872. Suffragist Susan B. Anthony is tried and later fined $100 for attempting to vote in the presidential election. She never paid the fine.


1990. American born Israeli extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane is shot to death in New York City. The gunman is acquitted of murder in state court but later convicted in federal court.

November 4

1881. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday are arrested for murdering three people during the famous shoot out at the OK Corral in Tombstone Arizona.

1995. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. The gunman is immediatly arrested by security forces.

November 3

1994. Susan Smith confesses to murdering her two young sons. Smith had told police her children were abducted by a car jacker.

November 2

1999. Xerox repairman, Byran Uyesugi opens fire on his co-workers in Hawaii, killing seven people. He is convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Uyesugi's defense team argued that their client suffered from a delusional disorder that prevented him from distinguishing between right and wrong. Prosecutors asserted that the 40-year-old Uyesugi was a hostile individual who did not get along with his coworkers.

1959. Charles Van Doren, the central figure in the Quiz Show scandals, admits producers of the TV quiz game "Twenty-One" fixed the show by providing him with questions and answers. When the scandal erupted, Van Doren, the son of Pulitzer-winning poet Mark Van Doren, denied being aware of or participating in any deception. He later confessed to the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce that the show's producer, Albert Freedman, had told him that "fixing" was a common game show practice meant to heighten the entertainment quotient.

November 1

1966. 16 days short of his first trial 12 years before, Dr. Sam Sheppard, later featured in "The Fugitive," goes on trial for the second time for the murder of his wife. He was acquitted. The presiding judge laid down strict rules concerning jury and witness conduct and press coverage of the trial. During the trial, Defense Attorney F. Lee Bailey argued that perhaps a left-handed woman had killed Marilyn Sheppard, though he would later admit to not having any real thoughts about the victim's killer.

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