• TODAY IN HISTORY

November 20, 2009 03:05 EST

Today is Friday, Nov. 20, the 324th day of 2009. There are 41 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 20, 1947, Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

On this date:

In 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

In 1910, revolution broke out in Mexico, led by Francisco I. Madero.

In 1925, Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Mass.

In 1929, the radio program "The Rise of the Goldbergs" debuted on the NBC Blue Network.

In 1945, 22 out of 24 indicted Nazi officials went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

In 1959, the United Nations issued its Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

In 1967, the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Clock at the Commerce Department ticked past 200 million.

In 1969, the Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phaseout. A group of American Indian activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

In 1975, after nearly four decades of absolute rule, Spain's General Francisco Franco died, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.

In 1992, fire seriously damaged Windsor Castle, the favorite weekend home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Ten years ago: A day after violent anti-American protests in Greece, President Bill Clinton sought to heal old wounds by acknowledging the United States had failed its "obligation to support democracy" when it backed Greek's harsh military junta during the Cold War.

Five years ago: Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill through the House. Palestinians formally opened the campaign for a successor to Yasser Arafat. Scientist Ancel Keys, who invented the K rations eaten by soldiers in World War II and who linked high cholesterol and fatty diets to heart disease, died in Minneapolis at age 100.

One year ago: Sen. Ted Stevens, the chamber's longest-serving Republican, delivered his swan song address following his failed re-election bid; he was saluted by his colleagues as a staunch friend and teacher. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions aimed at reducing the arms flowing into Somalia and the lawlessness and piracy that were flourishing there. Betty James, co-founder of the company that made the Slinky, died in Philadelphia at age 90.

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Robert Byrd is 92. Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer is 86. Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 84. Actress Estelle Parsons is 82. TV personality Richard Dawson is 77. Comedian Dick Smothers is 71. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 67. Vice President Joe Biden is 67. Actress Veronica Hamel is 66. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 63. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 63. Singer Joe Walsh is 62. Actor Richard Masur is 61. Opera singer Barbara Hendricks is 61. Actress Bo Derek is 53. Former NFL player Mark Gastineau is 53. Reggae musician Jim Brown is 52. Actress Sean Young is 50. Pianist Jim Brickman is 48. Rock musician Todd Nance is 47. Actress Ming-Na is 46. Actor Ned Vaughn is 45. Rapper Mike D is 44. Rapper Sen Dog is 44. Actress Callie Thorne is 40. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 39. Actor Joel McHale is 38. Actress Marisa Ryan is 35. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 34. Actor Joshua Gomez is 34. Actress Laura Harris is 33. Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes is 33. Country singer Josh Turner is 32. Actress Nadine Velazquez is 31. Actor Dan Byrd is 24. Rock musician Jared Followill is 23. Actor Cody Linley is 20.

Thought for Today: "Make haste slowly." -- Caesar Augustus, Roman emperor .