November 21 - This day in History

November 21: General Interest
1980: Millions tune in to find out who shot J.R.

On this day in 1980, 350 million people around the world tune in to television's popular primetime drama "Dallas" to find out who shot J.R. Ewing, the character fans loved to hate. J.R. had been shot on the season-ending episode the previous March 21, which now stands as one of television's most famous cliffhangers... read more


American Revolution
1776 : Washington orders General Lee to New Jersey
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-orders-general-lee-to-new-jersey


Automotive
1927 : Holland Tunnel appears on the cover of Time
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/holland-tunnel-appears-on-the-cover-of-time


Civil War
1861 : Judah Benjamin becomes Confederate secretary of war
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/-judah-benjamin-becomes-confederate-secretary-of-war


Cold War
1975 : Congressional report charges U.S. involvement in assassination plots
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congressional-report-charges-us-involvement-in-assassination-plots


Crime
1986 : Oliver North starts feeding documents into the shredding machine
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/oliver-north-starts-feeding-documents-into-the-shredding-machine


Disaster
1916 : Britannic sinks in Aegean Sea
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/britannic-sinks-in-aegean-sea


General Interest
1783 : Men fly over Paris
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/verdis-first-opera-opens

1877 : Edison's first great invention
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/edisons-first-great-invention

1985 : Israeli spy arrested in United States
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/israeli-spy-arrested-in-united-states


Hollywood
1976 : Rocky premieres
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rocky-premieres


Literary
1694 : Voltaire's birthday
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/voltaires-birthday


Music
1934 : Ella Fitzgerald wins Amateur Night at Harlem's Apollo Theater
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ella-fitzgerald-wins-amateur-night-at-harlem39s-apollo-theater


Old West
1860 : Tom Horn is born in Missouri
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tom-horn-is-born-in-missouri


Presidential
1864 : Lincoln allegedly writes to mother of Civil War casualties
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-allegedly-writes-to-mother-of-civil-war-casualties


Sports
1931 : USC ends Notre Dame winning streak
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/usc-ends-notre-dame-winning-streak


Vietnam War
1967 : Westmoreland tells media the communists are losing
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/westmoreland-tells-media-the-communists-are-losing

1970 : U.S. force raids Son Tay prison camp
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-force-raids-son-tay-prison-camp


World War I
1916 : Emperor Franz Josef of Austria dies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/emperor-franz-josef-of-austria-dies


World War II
1941 : Nazi chief architect requests POWs to labor for a new Berlin
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nazi-chief-architect-requests-pows-to-labor-for-a-new-berlin