Thursday, November 24, 2005

Spotlight
On this date in 1971, the chain-smoking D.B. Cooper boarded a Northwest Orient flight in Portland, OR. Carrying a black briefcase containing what resembled a bomb, he hijacked the Boeing 727. Cooper demanded and received $200,000, then parachuted from the plane over the Cascade Mountains in Southwestern Washington, and disappeared. Except for $5,880 of the loot which was found on the banks of the Columbia River in 1980, no trace was ever found of Cooper or the money.

Quote
"The pseudonymous perpetrator of America's only unsolved airline hijacking [is] a folk hero as shadowy as Deep Throat and as morally troublesome as Jesse James." – David Gates

Holiday
Thanksgiving (US)

Today in History

• Tasmania: Australian island state was first sighted by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman (1642)
• The Origin of Species: Charles Darwin published his book explaining his theory of evolution (1859)
• Lee Harvey Oswald: JFK assassin was shot to death by Jack Ruby (1963)

Today's Birthdays

• Zachary Taylor: 12th POTUS, known as "Old Rough and Ready" (1784-1850)
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: French painter who depicted night life in Montmartre (1864-1901)
• Dale Carnegie: self-help writer, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1888-1955)

Word of the Day
 Cooper Vane: a device that prevents the tail stairways on Boeing 727s from being lowered while in flight, which was how Cooper escaped.   (© )