The Mayflower sails from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World with
102 passengers. The ship was headed for Virginia, where the colonists–half religious dissenters and half entrepreneurs–had been authorized to settle by
the British crown. However, stormy weather and navigational errors forced
the Mayflower off course, and on November 21 the “Pilgrims” reached Massachusetts, where they built the first permanent European settlement
in New England in late December.

Depiction of the signing of a document that today is called the
Mayflower Compact. It was signed by 41 of the Pilgrim men and
John Carver was elected as the first governor of the colony.

John Carver (before 1584–1621)

From left: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, U.S. President Bill
Clinton, and Yasser Arafat at the agreement signing ceremony.   
    
 

After decades of bloody animosity, representatives of Israel and Palestine
meet on the South Lawn of the White House and sign a framework for
peace. The “Declaration of Principles” was the first agreement between
the Israelis and Palestinians towards ending their conflict and sharing
the holy land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea that
they both claim as their homeland.

Israel and Palestine signed their first major agreement. Palestine was
granted limited self-government in the Gaza Strip and in Jericho.

General Edmund Kirby Smith (5-16-1824 – 3-28-1893)

In an event that is generally regarded as marking the end of
the Civil War on this day in 1865, Confederate General
Edmund Kirby Smith (above), commander of Confederate
forces west of the Mississippi, signed the surrender terms
offered by Union negotiators and Major General Canby. With
Smith’s surrender, the last Confederate army ceased to exist,
bringing a formal end to the bloodiest four years in U.S.
history. The war began on April 12, 1861.

CARLATA BRADLEY

The Beirut barracks bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on 
this day in 1983, in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese Civil War. It
involved two truck bombs striking buildings housing Multinational
Force in Lebanon (MNF) peacekeepers, specifically against United
States and French service members, killing 241 U.S. and 58 French peacekeepers, 6 civilians and the 2 suicide attackers. A group
called Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombings
and said that the attacks were to get the MNF out of Lebanon.       

President Ronald Reagan, first lady Nancy Reagan and Marine Commandant P.X. Kelley honor those killed in Beirut during a
Nov. 5, 1983, memorial service.

On this day in 1973, President Richard M. Nixon agreed to turn over
the subpoenaed White House tapes concerning the Watergate affair
to Judge Sirica and the House Judiciary Committee.

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Richard Nixon leaves the White House following his resignation over
the Watergate scandal.

SANDY KOZEL

British Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) and Irish Taoiseach Bertie
Ahern sign the Good Friday Agreement (above). They reached a
peace accord on governing British ruled Northern Ireland on this
day in 1998. Britain’s direct rule was ended.

On this day in 1912, the Titanic set sail from Southampton, England
on it’s doomed voyage.

F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Great Gatsby" for the first time on
this day in 1925.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940)

Comedian Sam Kinison (above) was killed when a pickup truck ran
head-on into his car on a desert road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on this day in 1992.