历史上的今天:11月24日

Today's Highlight in History:
On November 24th, 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally（致命地） wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

On this date:
In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, was born in Orange County, Virginia（弗吉尼亚州）.

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution.

In 1863, the Civil War battle for Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee; Union forces took the mountain two days later.

In 1871, the National Rifle Association was incorporated.

In 1947, a group of writers, producers and directors that became known as the "Hollywood Ten" was cited for contempt（蔑视） of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry.

In 1947, John Steinbeck's novel "The Pearl" was first published.

In 1969, "Apollo 12" splashed down（溅落） safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, hijacker "D.B. Cooper" parachuted（降落） from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom（赎金） -- his fate remains unknown.

In 1985, the hijacking of an Egyptair jetliner parked on the ground in Malta ended violently as Egyptian commandos（突击队，民兵） stormed the plane. Fifty-eight people died in the raid, in addition to two others killed by the hijackers.

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to scrap（扔弃） shorter- and medium-range missiles.

Ten years ago: President Bush returned home from an eight-day tour of Europe and the Middle East, during which he'd lobbied（游说） foreign leaders on behalf of his Persian Gulf policy.

Five years ago: Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic promised during a televised address to accept a U-S-brokered peace plan. Voters in Ireland narrowly approved a constitutional amendment（修正案） legalizing divorce.

One year ago: 280 people were killed when a ferry caught fire and foundered（沉没） off the coast of eastern China's Shandong province.