TODAY IS ... 15 NOVEMBER

TODAY IS ... 15 NOVEMBER

BIRTHDAYS: 1988 - Zena Grey an American actress. Her first role was in the Broadway play The Herbal Bed. In 1999, she had a role in The Bone Collector opposite Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, before starring in two films popular among younger audiences: Snow Day (2000) and Max Keeble's Big Move (2001). She also appeared on hit TV show All That. In December 2004, Grey portrayed the daughter of Dennis Quaid and sister of Scarlett Johansson in the comedy In Good Company.

Zena Grey

1977 - Sean Murray is an American actor. He is known for playing Timothy McGee on the CBS television drama NCIS and Danny Walden on the military drama JAG.

Sean Murray

1954 - Beverly D'Angelo - American actress whose films include: Hair (1979, Sheila), Coal Miner's Daughter (1980, Patsy Cline), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and The Miracle (1991). In 2008, D'Angelo had a role in the film Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay as Sally. She also played the housemother in the film The House Bunny , a Tony Kaye film Black Water Transit and David O Russell film Nailed playing Jessica Biel's mother.

Beverly D'Angelo

1940 - Sam Waterson, an American actor noted particularly for his portrayal of Jack McCoy on the NBC television series Law & Order. He has also appeared in many feature films. including The Great Gatsby (1974, Nick Carraway) and The Killing Fields (1984, journalist Sidney Schanberg).

Sam Waterson

1937 - Barry McGuire earned notoriety for his number one-ranked 1965 folk-rock hit "Eve of Destruction," a protest against the war in Vietnam. It was his only chart success. McGuire got his start in the early '60s singing lead vocals with the New Christy Minstrels and for them co-wrote the hit "Green Green". 1932 - Petula Clark - an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades. Her professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II. During the 1960s she became known internationally for her popular upbeat hits, including "Downtown," "I Know a Place," "My Love," "Colour My World," "A Sign of the Times," and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". With more than 70 million records sold worldwide, she is the most successful British female solo recording artist as cited in the Guinness Book of World Records. 1929 - Ed Asner American actor - won five Emmy awards for portraying the character of Mary Tyler Moore's boss Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977), and a crusading newspaperman for the spin-off series Lou Grant (1977-1982)

Ed Asner as Lou Grant

OTHER EVENTS: 2007 – Elizabeth: The Golden Age starts screening in Australia. Starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush, The Golden Age shows a mature Queen Elizabeth enduring multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments. 2006 - Andy Warhol's painting of Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong sold for $17.4 million. At the same auction "Orange Marilyn" sold for $16.2 million and "Sixteen Jackies" sold for $15.6 million. 2001 – Starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, Training Day commences screening in Australia. In a city where streets are overrun by drug dealers, those who have sworn to uphold the law are breaking them to clean up the streets. 1997 - The all-female English pop group the Spice Girls released the album Spiceworld. 1995 - Space shuttle Atlantis docks with orbiting Russian space station Mir 1990 - David Bowie opens on Broadway in the title role of "The Elephant Man."

David Bowie as The Elephant Man

1990 - Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian publicily admits that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus never sang a note on the Milli Vanilli album. The duo eventually return their Best New Artist Grammy.. 1989 - The Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film, The Little Mermaid - featuring the voice of Jodi Benson as Ariel - is released in Los Angeles, California, and New York City.

1987 - Muppet creator Jim Henson is inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

Jim Henson

1986 - Pop history was made when the Top 5 UK singles were all by female vocalists; Corinne Drewery from Swing Out Sister, Mel and Kim, Susannah Hoffs from The Bangles, Kim Wilde and Terri Nunn from Berlin who were at No.1 with 'Take My Breath Away.' 1984 – Ghostbusters starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver starts screening in Australia. Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service. 1980 - Kenny Rogers started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady', a song written and produced by Lionel Richie, (it peaked at No.12 in the UK). 1980 - Blondie had their fifth UK No.1 single and third No.1 of this year with 'The Tide Is High' a song written by reggae star John Holt, also a No.1 in the US 1978 – Hardy Kruger and Greg Rowe star in Blue Fin which commenced screening in Australia. Based on the children's novel by celebrated South Australian author Colin Thiele, this is an emotional father and son story about tuna fishing of Southern Blue Fin tuna in South Australia's Port Lincoln fishing district. 1975 - ABBA were guests on "American Bandstand." They performed "S.O.S." and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do." 1965 - The Rolling Stones made their US TV debut on Hullabaloo, performing ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’. 1962 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Big Girls Don't Cry,'' The 4 Seasons. The single reaches No. 1 one month after the group's song ``Sherry'' drops from the top spot after five weeks. 1959 - Johnny and the Moondogs, (The Beatles) played in the final heat of the 'TV Star Search' competition at The Hippodrome Theatre, Manchester, England. Judging was done by the volume of applause each group received when it is called back onto stage at the end of the night. Since the Moondogs had no money to stay overnight in Manchester, they were forced to head back to Liverpool before they were called back onto stage. 1956 - Elvis Presley makes his acting debut as the "Love Me Tender" movie premieres. 1954 – Blackboard Jungle starring Glenn Ford and Anne Francis commences shooting in California. Blackboard Jungle tells of a new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty. 1940 - During the Blitz, the German air-force bombs the city of Coventry, almost completely destroying it.

Coventry Cathedral

1898 - Lydia O. Newman, an African American of New York City acquired a patent for the hair brush. Newman’s invention permitted easy cleaning by having a detachable unit which carried the brush and bristles. The patent number was 614,335.

Draft of Hairbrush Design

1837 - The Pittman Shorthand method of stenography was published. 1777 - The Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation, a precursor to the Constitution of the United States of America, after 16 months of debate. 1769 - James Cook takes formal possession of New Zealand as British possession.