TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, November  16, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On Nov. 16, 1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his troops began their "March to the Sea" during the Civil War.   AP Photo/Library of Congress
On this date in: 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state. 1933 The United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations. 1959 The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music" opened on Broadway. 1961 House Speaker Sam Rayburn, D-Texas, died at age 79. 1966 Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was acquitted in his second trial on charges of murdering his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in 1954. 1973 Skylab 4, with three astronauts on board, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an 84-day mission. 1973 President Richard M. Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law. 1982 An agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players. 1988 Estonia's parliament declared the Baltic republic sovereign. 1995 Attorney General Janet Reno disclosed that she had Parkinson's disease. 2001 Congress passed a law mandating that airport screeners be federal employees. 2004 President George W. Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be secretary of state, succeeding Colin Powell. 2010 U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel was convicted on 11 of 13 charges related to financial misconduct, prompting fellow lawmakers to censure the 80-year-old New York Democrat. 2010 The engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton was announced in London. 2010 President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the first living service member from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to receive the nation's top military award.		Video HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today's Birthdays: Actress Martha Plimpton ("Raising Hope") turns 42 years old today. AP Photo/Peter Kramer Name Profession Age Elizabeth Drew Journalist 77 David Leisure Actor 62 Marg Helgenberger Actress ("C.S.I.") 54 Diana Krall Jazz singer 48 Lisa Bonet Actress ("The Cosby Show") 45 Missi Pyle Actress 40 Maggie Gyllenhaal Actress 35 Amar'e Stoudemire Basketball player 30 New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora turns 32 years old today. AP Photo/Bill Kostroun