Today in History: Wednesday, November 12, 2014

AP Highlight in History:  On Nov. 12, 1927, Josef Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union as Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party. Stalin became one of the most prolific serial killers in world history next to fellow communist Chairman Mao of China. AP Photo
On this date in: 1920 Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was elected baseball's first commissioner. 1942 The World War II naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. 1948 Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. 1954 Ellis Island closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892. AP Photo 1982 Yuri V. Andropov was elected to succeed the late Leonid I. Brezhnev as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee. 1985 Xavier Suarez was elected Miami's first Cuban-American mayor. 1990 Japanese Emperor Akihito formally assumed the Chrysanthemum Throne. 1997 Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. 1999 President Bill Clinton signed a sweeping measure knocking down Depression-era barriers and allowing banks, investment firms and insurance companies to sell each other's products. 2001 An American Airlines flight crashed near New York's Kennedy airport, killing 265 people. 2004 A jury convicted Scott Peterson of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. (Peterson was later sentenced to death.) 2009 Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre. 2011 Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi resigned. 2011 The Arab League voted to suspend Syria over the country's bloody crackdown on protesters.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Ryan Gosling turns 34 years old today. AP Photo/Invision, John Shearer Name Profession Age Norman Y. Mineta Former secretary of transportation 83 Wallace Shawn Actor, playwright 71 Booker T. Jones Rock musician (Booker T. & the MGs) 70 Al Michaels Sportscaster 70 Neil Young Rock musician 69 Jack Reed U.S. senator, D-R.I. 65 Megan Mullally Actress ("Will and Grace") 56 Nadia Comaneci Olympic gold medal gymnast 53 Sammy Sosa Baseball player 46 Radha Mitchell Actress 41 Omarion Singer 30 Actress Anne Hathaway turns 32 years old today. AP Photo/Invision, John Shearer