#Middlebury
On Nov. 28, 1520, after sailing for weeks through the dangerous straits below South America that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships, becoming the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic.- On Nov. 27, 1703, an unusual storm system finally dissipates over England after wreaking havoc for nearly two weeks. Featuring hurricane-force winds, the storm killed between 10,000 and 30,000 people. Hundreds of Royal Navy ships and their crews were lost to the storm.
- On Nov. 29, 1929, American explorer Richard Byrd and three companions make the first flight over the South Pole, flying from their base on the Ross Ice Shelf to the pole and back in 18 hours and 41 minutes. Byrd learned how to fly in the U.S. Navy and served as a pilot in World War I.
- On Nov. 30, 1939, the Soviet Red Army invades the tiny nation of Finland with 465,000 men and 1,000 aircraft. Helsinki was bombed, and 61 Finns were killed in an air raid, sparking fierce Finnish resistance.
- On Nov. 26, 1942, “Casablanca,” a World War II-era romantic drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, premieres in New York City. The Oscar-winning film featured a number of now-iconic quotes, including “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
- On Dec. 1, 1959, 12 nations sign the Antarctica Treaty, which bans military activity and weapons testing on that continent. It was the first arms-control agreement signed during the Cold War.
- On Nov. 25, 1963, three days after his assassination in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy is laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Kennedy was shot to death while riding in an open-car motorcade. He was 46.
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