1099 – Crusade leaders visited the Mount of Olives where they met a hermit who urged them to assault Jerusalem.

1442 – Alfonso V of Aragon was crowned King of Naples.

1665 – England installed a municipal government in New York. It was the former Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam.

1812 – Napoleon’s invasion of Russia began.

1838 – The Iowa Territory was organized.

1839 – Abner Doubleday created the game of baseball, according to the legend.

1849 – Lewis Haslett patented a gas mask. (Patent US6529 A)

1897 – Carl Elsener patented his penknife. The object later became known as the Swiss army knife.

1898 – Philippine nationalists declared their independence from Spain.

1900 – The Reichstag approved a second law that would allow the expansion of the German navy.

1901 – Cuba agreed to become an American protectorate by accepting the Platt Amendment.

1912 – Lillian Russel retired from the stage and was married for the fourth time.

1918 – The first airplane bombing raid by an American unit occurred on World War I’s Western Front in France.

1921 – U.S. President Warren Harding urged every young man to attend military training camp.

1923 – Harry Houdini, while suspended upside down 40 feet above the ground, escaped from a strait jacket.

1926 – Brazil quit the League of Nations in protest over plans to admit Germany.

1935 – U.S. Senator Huey Long of Louisiana made the longest speech on Senate record. The speech took 15 1/2 hours and was filled by 150,000 words.

1935 – The Chaco War was ended with a truce. Bolivia and Paraguay had been fighting since 1932.

1937 – The Soviet Union executed eight army leaders under Joseph Stalin.

1939 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.

1941 – In London, the Inter-Allied Declaration was signed. It was the first step towards the establishment of the United Nations.

1944 – Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung announced that he would support Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek in the war against Japan.

1948 – Ben Hogan won his first U.S. Open golf classic.

1963 – “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison, and Richard Burton premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City.

1963 – Civil rights leader Medgar Evers was fatally shot in front of his home in Jackson, MS.

1967 – State laws which prohibited interracial marriages were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1971 – Tricia Nixon and Edward F. Cox were married in the White House Rose Garden.

1975 – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was found guilty of corrupt election practices in 1971.

1979 – Bryan Allen flew the Gossamer Albatross, man powered, across the English Channel.

1981 – Major league baseball players began a 49 day strike. The issue was free-agent compensation.

1981 – “Raiders of the Lost Ark” opened in the U.S.

1982 – 75,000 people rallied against nuclear weapons in New York City’s Central Park. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt were in attendance.

1985 – Wayne “The Great One” Gretsky was named winner of the NHL’s Hart Trophy. The award is given to the the league Most Valuable Player.

1985 – The U.S. House of Representatives approved $27 million in aid to the Nicaraguan contras.

1986 – South Africa declared a national state of emergency. Virtually unlimited power was given to security forces and restrictions were put on news coverage of the unrest.

1987 – U.S. President Reagan publicly challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

1990 – The parliament of the Russian Federation formally declared its sovereignty.

1991 – Russians went to the election polls and elected Boris N. Yeltsin as the president of their republic.

1991 – The Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship. The Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one.

1992 – In a letter to the U.S. Senate, Russian Boris Yeltsin stated that in the early 1950’s the Soviet Union had shot down nine U.S. planes and held 12 American survivors.

1996 – In Philadelphia a panel of federal judges blocked a law against indecency on the internet. The panel said that the 1996 Communications Decency Act would infringe upon the free speech rights of adults.

1997 – Interleague play began in baseball, ending a 126-year tradition of separating the major leagues until the World Series.

1997 – The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled a new $50 bill meant to be more counterfeit-resistant.

1998 – Compaq Computer paid $9 billion for Digital Equipment Corp. in largest high-tech acquisition.

1999 – NATO peacekeeping forces entered the province of Kosovo in Yugoslavia.

2003 – In Arkansas, Terry Wallis spoke for the first time in nearly 19 years. Wallis had been in a coma since July 13, 1984, after being injured in a car accident.

2009 – In the U.S., The switch from analog TV transmission to digital was completed.

Petitioning Mayor Megan Barry, Vice Mayor David Briley, John Cooper, Erica Gilmore, Bob Mendes, Sharon Hurt, Jim Shulman, Nick Leonardo, DeCosta Hastings, Brenda Haywood, Robert Swope, Scott Davis, Brett Withe… Ban Horse Drawn Carriages in Nashville Petition by Nashville Animal Advocacy 70,405 Supporters Sign the petition Horse drawn carriages used to be one of the few forms of transportation. Now, they’re a nostalgic commodity, a novelty often placed in high-traffic tourist spots—such as the ones we all see in our own downtown Nashville. You’ve seen them, the horses with hanging heads and foaming mouths; maybe you’ve even wondered when the last time was they drank water during a sweltering summer day. That may have been your concern, but it wasn’t the concern of those filling their pockets from exploiting these sensitive animals. The horses pulling these money-making carriages are exposed to a variety of harmful conditions. Think about all the traffic we see downtown, all the exhaust spewing from these cars and into the horse’s air. Many carriage horses develop respiratory ailments from persistent exposure to manmade pollutants, such as the car exhaust. These horses are made to walk for hours and hours on hard pavement; this often leads to leg and hooves problems. And that horse who you thought might be thirsty? He/she may have died from heatstroke or dehydration—there are many documented cases of horses falling dead from weather conditions or a lack of attending to their most basic needs. It isn’t just the horses who suffer either. The safety of both Nashville residents and tourists is at risk every time a horse is used in this exploitative manner. Several people have seen the carriages blatantly run through red lights, often narrowly avoiding an accident. An accident involving a horse-drawn carriage and any type of vehicle—be it your own car, a sightseeing bus, or any other form of public transit—would be both devastating in terms of loss and damage, but would also be a gruesome tragedy drawing all the wrong attention to our city known for music and honkey tonks. Don’t let it be recognized for animal abuse. Let’s face it, Nashville. This is cruelty, not entertainment. Our city has multiple transportation methods that are fun for everyone—and still feed our city’s commerce and growth. Tell our city officials you want this abuse to end now.

Let’s send these children into court with a wave of support behind them — click below to keep the incredible momentum going!

Dear friends, One lawsuit could stop Trump wrecking our planet. And here’s the kicker — it’s a case brought by 21 children! Yup, after years of battling motions to dismiss their case, a US court ruled that 21 young people suing the US government have a constitutional right to a safe climate. Now, a Federal court will hear their case against the President! If they win, Trump will be forced to rein in the fossil fuel industry! This case could change everything. But these are just children. They’ve got a tiny team of great attorneys but don’t have the funds to fight Trump and the oil industry’s fire with fire. So they’ve called on us for help. Our community has a unique power to raise the funds to back them before they are due in court, and then take the fight global to other courts and countries. These courageous children and their case could be our last, best chance to stop Trump’s war on our planet. Chip in just a small amount now, and we can support them and campaign for a safe future —

 

Trump just declared he is pulling out of the Paris Global Climate Deal. He and his fossil fuel buddies are doing everything they can to block climate action. But they can’t buy the judges. US judges were the only way to stop Trump’s travel bans. Now the courts could force his hand on climate.

Legal action is already working. Two years ago, Dutch citizens took their government to court, demanding it cut carbon pollution according to science, and they won the biggest climate case in history. And the most exciting thing is a legal ruling has a butterfly effect — one case can create a precedent. We could not only take on Trump, we can then move all our governments from words to action, faster.

The US lawsuit, Juliana et al v. United States, was brought by young people aged 9 to 21 and a group of powerful advocates at Our Children’s Trust. The funds are to support the best legal minds to build the case, collect evidence, make these planetary heroes famous all over the world, campaign and back legal cases worldwide to confront climate obstruction, and even just to pay so all the 21 children and their families can be in court to make their case.

2016 was the hottest year, by far, in recorded history. Our climate is delicate, unstable — the last ice age hit us in just 6 months. It may sound far fetched but these incredible children actually could hold all our futures in their hands.

Our community can do this like no one else. We changed the game with the People’s Climate Marches and fought for the Paris climate agreement that laid out the path to a 100% clean future. Now let’s rise again, to back this David vs Goliath fight, to help save the future for all our people.

With hope and determination,
Alice, Danny, Nick, Camille, Spyro and the whole team at Avaaz

More information:

The Kids Suing the Government Over Climate Change Are Our Best Hope Now (Slate)
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2016/11/the_kids_lawsuit_over_climate_change_is_our_best_hope_now.html

Meet the kids suing the US government for ruining the earth for future generations (Business Insider)
http://www.businessinsider.com/kids-suing-government-for-climate-change-2016-11?IR=T

After Obama, Trump May Face Children Suing Over Global Warming (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-11/after-obama-trump-may-face-children-suing-over-global-warming

Landmark U.S. Federal Climate Lawsuit (Our Children’s Trust)
https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/us/federal-lawsuit/

Defend affordable health care coverage. Take action now!

In a cruel and heartless move, Senate Republicans are sprinting to take lifesaving health care away from millions of people. According to news reports, the Trump administration and Senate Republican leadership are rushing to pass a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—all behind closed doors and without public hearings or expert input. As a result, millions of people could lose access to affordable health coverage—particularly those struggling to make ends meet who depend on Medicaid coverage. Join us in telling the Senate to stop these senseless attacks on Medicaid, now. Tell the Senate to Protect Medicaid Send your Senators an urgent message to reject any bill that would take health coverage from families struggling to make ends meet. Take Action The Trump administration and Senate Republicans are promising that the Senate bill to repeal the ACA will be very similar to the repeal bill passed by the House — which would have a devastating impact on women’s access to health care. The House version of the bill effectively decimates Medicaid by: Eliminating the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid to childless adults. Putting caps on Medicaid spending, even in the face of public health threats like the Zika virus or Flint water crisis. Imposing cruel work requirements that would kick people off coverage. Defunding trusted providers like Planned Parenthood, leaving those who are living paycheck to paycheck nowhere to turn for their health care. There is too much at stake to be silent. Urge your Senators to protect Medicaid now. We’ll never stop fighting to defend affordable health care for all of us. Thank you for everything you do to fight alongside with us. Sincerely, Gretchen Borchelt Vice President for Reproductive Rights and Health National Women’s Law Center We the Resistance is our fight to protect our rights and freedoms and to defend the most vulnerable among us through powerful collective action. Every conversation you have with a loved one about the issues important to you, every call you make to Congress, every rally you attend is a part of that resistance. Join us — sign on to the We The Resistance manifesto.