November 15

Today in History
• 1492 - Christopher Columbus notes 1st recorded reference to tobacco
• 1620 - Myles Standish leads 16 men in a foot exploration of the northern part of Cape Cod
• 1660 - First kosher butcher (Asser Levy) licensed in New Amsterdam (now New York City)
• 1720 - Pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read, John Rackham are captured by Capt. Jonathan Barnet
• 1777 - Articles of Confederation, is approved by the Continental Congress
• 1791 - 1st Catholic college in US, Georgetown, opens
• 1837 - Isaac Pitman introduces his shorthand system of writing, Pitman shorthand
• 1881 - American Federation of Labor (AFL) founded (Pittsburgh)


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• America Recycles Day
• GIS Day
• Govardhan Puja
• National Family Civility Day
• National Philanthropy Day
• National Raisin Bran Cereal Day
• Republic Proclamation Day
• Steve Irwin Day

Birthdays
• 1316 - Jean I, King of France and Navarre, (Nov 15-19, 1316)
• 1498 - Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Portugal and France
• 1738 - William Herschel, German-British astronomer (discovered Uranus)
• 1784 - Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (1807-13)
• 1887 - Hitoshi Ashida, Japanese politician (Prime Minister of Japan 1948)
• 1916 - Ruth Nita Barrow, 1st female Governor-General of Barbados (1990-95)
• 1930 - Olene Walker, politician (R), 1st female Governor of Utah (2003-2005)
• 1931 - Mwai Kibaki, Kenyan politician, President of Kenya (2002-13)