Updated November 17, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Nov. 18, 1976, Spain’s parliament approved a bill to establish a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship.
On Nov. 18, 1923, Alan B. Shepard, the first American astronaut to travel in space, was born. Following his death on July 21, 1998, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1883 The United States and Canada adopted a system of standard time zones. 1886 Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president of the United States, died in New York at age 56. 1923 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., the first American in space, was born in East Derry, N.H. 1928 The first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon, Walt Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York. 1936 Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco. 1966 U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays. 1969 Financier and diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy died in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 81. 1976 Spain’s parliament approved a bill to establish a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship. 1987 The congressional Iran-Contra committees issued their final report, saying President Ronald Reagan bore “ultimate responsibility” for wrongdoing by his aides. 1988 President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a Cabinet-level drug czar and providing the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill. 2002 U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq after a four-year hiatus, calling on Saddam Hussein’s government to cooperate with their search for weapons of mass destruction. 2003 The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled 4-3 that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry. 2006 Actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes were married in Italy. (The couple divorced in 2012.) 2009 Two days before turning 92, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., became the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history, at 56 years, 320 days. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz turns 37 years old today.
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Actor-comedian Kevin Nealon (“Weeds,” “Saturday Night Live”) turns 59 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
1939 Brenda Vaccaro, Actress, turns 73 1942 Linda Evans, Actress (“Dynasty”), turns 70 1950 Graham Parker, Singer, turns 62 1956 Warren Moon, Football Hall of Famer, turns 56 1960 Elizabeth Perkins, Actress (“Weeds”), turns 52 1960 Kim Wilde, Rock singer, turns 52 1968 Gary Sheffield, Baseball player, turns 44 1968 Owen Wilson, Actor, turns 44 1969 Duncan Sheik, Rock singer, turns 43 1974 Chloe Sevigny, Actress, turns 38 Historic Birthdays
Alan B. Shepard 11/18/1923 – 7/21/1998 American astronaut.Go to obituary »
39 Carl Maria von Weber 11/18/1786 – 6/5/1826
German composer63 Louis-Jacques Daguerre 11/18/1787 – 7/10/1851
French inventor of the daguerreotype74 Sir William Gilbert 11/18/1836 – 5/29/1911
English lyricist for comic operas; collaborated with Sir Arthur Sullivan80 Ignacy Paderewski 11/18/1860 – 6/29/1941
Polish pianist and composer61 Clarence Day 11/18/1874 – 12/28/1935
American writer90 Jacques Maritain 11/18/1882 – 4/28/1973
French philosopher87 Gio Ponti 11/18/1891 – 9/15/1979
Italian architect76 Patrick Blackett 11/18/1897 – 7/13/1974
English physicist85 Eugene Ormandy 11/18/1899 – 3/12/1985
Hungarian-born American conductor82 George Gallup 11/18/1901 – 7/26/1984
American statistician and pioneering opinion researcher90 George Wald 11/18/1906 – 4/13/1997
American chemist66 Johnny Mercer 11/18/1909 – 6/25/1976
American composer
