St. Catherine's Day

Patron saint of maidens, mechanics, philosophers, and those who work with wheels.

Planet of the Apes

November 25, 3978

The astronauts land on a mysterious planet ruled by apes - The calendar on their spacecraft, as seen in the movie read November 25, 3978 in the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes.

Iran-Contra Affair

November 25, 1986

U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese announces that $10 million of the $30 million from the sale of weapons to Iran had been illegally diverted to Nicaraguan contras, in what became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.

Do They Know It's Christmas?

November 25, 1984

Under the direction of Irish singer Bob Geldof, numerous artists - including Sting, Phil Collins, Boy George, George Michael, and Bono - record the song to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. It became Britain's biggest-ever selling record.

First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier

November 25, 1961

The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is commissioned. At 1,123 feet (342 m), she was the longest naval vessel ever built and with eight nuclear propulsion reactors, the Enterprise is also the only aircraft carrier to have more than two nuclear reactors. She was decommissioned in 2017.

Bus Segregation Ruled Illegal

November 25, 1956

Segregation on interstate buses is ruled illegal by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Earlier that month, segregation on interstate buses was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

George Meany

November 25, 1952

George Meany becomes president of the American Federation of Labor.

YMCA - Canada

November 25, 1851

The first YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) in Canada is established.
The YMCA was established by Sir George Williams in London, with the aim of putting Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy "body, mind, and spirit."

Christina Applegate

Born November 25, 1971

American actress. TV: Married… with Children (Kelly Bundy).

John F. Kennedy, Jr.

Born November 25, 1960 d. 1999

American lawyer, son of President John F. Kennedy. He, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The plane was piloted by Kennedy.

John Larroquette

Born November 25, 1947

American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Night Court (Emmy, Dan Fielding) and The John Larroquette Show. Film: Stripes (1981) and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).

Percy Sledge

Born November 25, 1940 d. 2015

American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer. Music: When a Man Loves a Woman (1966, #1) which became the first gold record released by Atlantic Records.

First Commander of the Enterprise on Star Trek

Jeffrey Hunter (Henry H. McKinnies, Jr.)

Born November 25, 1926 d. 1969

American actor. Hunter played Christopher Pike, the first captain of the USS Enterprise, in the 1966 unaired pilot episode, The Cage, for the original Star Trek TV series. When the pilot was rejected, Hunter quit the show and was replaced by William Shatner as James T. Kirk. A later episode, The Menagerie, used footage from the pilot, but used actor Sean Kenney as the older, disabled Christopher Pike.
While filming Cry Chicago in Spain in November 1968, Hunter was injured when a car window, which had been rigged to explode outward, accidentally exploded inward, giving him a serious concussion. While he was flying back to the U.S. after filming, he went into shock on the plane and couldn't speak and could hardly move. After landing, the doctors could not find any serious injuries except for a displaced vertebra and a concussion. However the following May, Hunter suffered an intracranial hemorrhage causing him to fall, striking his head on a banister, and fracturing his skull. He was found unconscious by his wife and taken to the hospital where he underwent brain surgery. He died the following morning at the age of 42.
Film: King of Kings (1961, Christ) and The Searchers (1956). TV: Star Trek (1966, Capt. Christopher Pike).

Ricardo Montalbán (Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino)

Born November 25, 1920 d. 2009

Mexican Emmy-winning actor. Film: Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). TV: Fantasy Island (1977-84, Mr. Roarke), How the West Was Won (1978, Emmy), and pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba with its "rich Corinthian leather."

Lewis Thomas

Born November 25, 1913 d. 1993

American physician, "Poet Laureate of 20th Century Medical Science." Writings: The Lives of the Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher (1974, National Book Award) and The Medusa and the Snail (1979, American Book Award).

Harvey Spencer Lewis

Born November 25, 1883 d. 1939

American spiritualist. Founder of the Rosicrucian order Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (1915).

John XXIII (Angelo Roncalli)

Born November 25, 1881 d. 1963

261st Pope (1958-63). He was the first pope named Time magazine's Man of the Year and was canonized a saint in 2014.

Inventor of the Spitball

Frank J. "Fiddler" Corridon

Born November 25, 1880 d. 1941

American baseball pitcher. He is one of several players credited with inventing the spitball (1904). He claimed to have discovered the idea when he noticed that a ball that had landed in a puddle and was wet on one side had an unexpected flight when he threw it.
In the winter of 1919-1920, Major League Baseball managers voted to partially ban the spitball. Each team was allowed to designate up to two pitchers who were permitted to throw spitballs. After the 1920 season, the use of the spitball was banned with the exception of 17 existing spitball throwers, who were grandfathered in and allowed to throw spitballs until they retired.

Andrew Carnegie

Born November 25, 1835 d. 1919

American steel-magnate, philanthropist.

Silent Night, Holy Night

Franz Xaver Gruber

Born November 25, 1787 d. 1863

Austrian church organist. He wrote the melody to Silent Night, Holy Night (1818).
The lyrics were written by Father Joseph Mohr. Mohr asked Gruber to compose the melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve Mass since a flood had destroyed their organ.
"Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace."

Fidel Castro (Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz)

Died November 25, 2016 b. 1926

Cuban president. He was so opposed to capitalism that after conquering Cuba he ordered the destruction of all Monopoly games on the island.

Inventor of the Shopping Cart

Sylvan Nathan Goldman

Died November 25, 1984 b. 1898

American businessman. Inventor of the shopping cart (1937). He had noticed that customers quit shopping when their handheld baskets became full. His first cart was essentially a folding chair with wheels and baskets attached.
The carts were initially a flop, as shoppers were reluctant to use them. Men found them effeminate and women thought them too much like a baby carriage. So, Goldman hired both male and female models to shop with them.
Eventually, folding carts became extremely popular and Goldman became a multimillionaire by collecting a royalty on every folding design shopping cart in the United States.
He also invented "nested" shopping carts, where the carts are pushed inside of each other for storage.

First Jet Pilot

Henri Marie Coandă

Died November 25, 1972 b. 1886

Romanian inventor. He built and piloted the first jet-powered aircraft (1910) which crashed on its only run. While watching the crashed jet burn, he noticed that burning gases hugged the sides of the aircraft. This effect, which he researched, became known as the Coandă effect.

Irene Cara (Irene Cara Escalera)

Died November 25, 2022 b. 1959

Oscar-Grammy-winning singer, actress. Film: Fame (1980, Coco Hernandez and sang title song). Music: Flashdance… What a Feeling (1983, Oscar, Grammy). TV: The Electric Company (1971-72, member of the show's band Short Circus), Roots: The Next Generations (1979) and Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980).

Ron Glass

Died November 25, 2016 b. 1945

American actor. TV: Barney Miller (1975-82, Det. Ron Harris) and Firefly (2002, spiritual Shepherd Derrial Book).

Flip Wilson (Clerow Wilson, Jr.)

Died November 25, 1998 b. 1933

American Grammy and Golden Globe-winning comedian. Known for his catchphrase: "The Devil made me do it!" and his character Geraldine Jones. Time magazine named him "TV's first black superstar" (1972). Albums: The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress (1970, Grammy). TV: The Flip Wilson Show (1970-74, which was the first successful network variety series starring an African American).

First Black Mayor of Chicago

Harold Washington

Died November 25, 1987 b. 1922

American politician, first black mayor of Chicago (1983).

Jack Albertson

Died November 25, 1981 b. 1907

American Oscar-Tony-Emmy-winning actor. TV: Chico and the Man (Ed Brown - the Man).

Laurence Harvey (L. Mischa Skikne)

Died November 25, 1973 b. 1928

Lithuanian-born American actor. Film: Room at the Top (1958, Joe Lampton), The Manchurian Candidate (1962, the assassin).

Boston Strangler

Albert DeSalvo

Died November 25, 1973 b. 1931

American criminal. He confessed to being the "Boston Strangler" and murdering 13 women in the Boston area from 1962-64, although he was never tried due to lack of evidence, with many doubting his confessions. He was convicted on rape charges unrelated to the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, and was stabbed to death in prison. However, in 2013, 40 years after his death, DNA evidence linked DeSalvo to the 1964 rape and the murder 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, who was the last-known victim of the Boston Strangler.

Upton Sinclair

Died November 25, 1968 b. 1878

American author. Writings: The Jungle (1906).

Bojangles (Luther Bill Robinson)

Died November 25, 1949 b. 1877

American tap dancer. Known as the Mayor of Harlem.

Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Died November 25, 1944 b. 1866

American federal judge. He served as the first baseball commissioner (1921-44), during which he barred eight Chicago players from baseball in the famous "Black Sox Scandal."

Thomas Andrews Hendricks

Died November 25, 1885 b. 1819

American politician. 21st U.S. Vice-President (1885), Governor of Indiana (1873-77), U.S. Senator (1863-69, Indiana), and U.S. House of Representatives (1851-53, Indiana). He died eight months into his term as vice president. Hendricks is the only vice president who did not serve as president whose portrait appears on U.S. paper currency. He appears on a $10 silver certificate of 1886.

Alfonso XII

Died November 25, 1885 b. 1857

King of Spain (1874-85).

Joy to the World

Isaac Watts

Died November 25, 1748 b. 1674

English clergyman. Founder of modern English hymnody and author of the hymn Joy to the World (1719).
Joy to the World is a Christian interpretation of the Bible's Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The carol is usually sung to an 1848 arrangement by the American composer Lowell Mason. Since the 20th century, it has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.
"Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing"

Lucius III

Died November 25, 1185 b. circa 1100

religious leader, 171st Pope (1181-85).