Today in History for 17th November 2025

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Historical Events

1917 - Vladimir Lenin defends "temporary" removal of freedom of the press
1966 - Leonids meteor shower peaks at over 150,000 per hour for 20 minutes, a storm so intense that some people think it is the end of the world
1980 - WHHM Television in Washington, D.C., becomes the first African-American public-broadcasting television station
1993 - General Sani Abacha leads a military coup against Ernest Shonekan's transitional administration and returns the Nigerian government to military control
2001 - 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn

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Famous Birthdays

1899 - Douglas Shearer, Canadian film engineer, made technological sound advances in film at MGM, born in Quebec Westmount, Quebec, born in Westmount, Quebec (d. 1971)
1925 - Libby Newman, American artist, born in Rockland, Delaware (d. 2023)
1929 - Sumner White, US yachtsman (Olympic gold 1952), born in New York City (d. 1988)
1938 - Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk singer ("Sundown"; "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"), born in Orillia, Ontario (d. 2023)
1983 - Ryan Braun, American baseball player (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Los Angeles, California

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Famous Deaths

1934 - Joachim Ringelnatz [Hans Bötticher], German writer and artist, dies at 51
1941 - Ernst Udet, German WWI pilot and notable flying ace who helped develop the Luftwaffe under the Nazi Party, commits suicide at 45
1992 - Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist and activist (Black Unicorn), dies of cancer at 58
2006 - Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian soccer forward (Hungary 85 caps, Spain 4; Real Madrid, Budapest Honvéd) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies of pneumonia at 79
2021 - Dave Frishberg, American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and lyricist ("I'm Just A Bill"; "Van Lingle Mungo"), dies at 88

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