Today is Thursday, Nov. 13, the 317th day of 2003. There are 48 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Thursday, Nov. 13, the 317th day of 2003. There are 48 days left in the year. On this date in 1789, Benjamin Franklin writes in a letter to a friend, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
In 1775, during the American Revolution, U.S. forces capture Montreal. In 1927, the Holland Tunnel opens to the public, providing access between New York City and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River. In 1940, the Walt Disney animated movie "Fantasia" has its world premiere in New York. In 1942, the minimum draft age is lowered from 21 to 18. In 1956, the Supreme Court strikes down laws calling for racial segregation on public buses. In 1977, the comic strip "Li'l Abner" by Al Capp appears in newspapers for the last time. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington. In 1993, President Clinton uses his weekly radio address to make yet another pitch for the North American Free Trade Agreement.
November 13, 1978: A mother and five children die in a blaze at their home on Gaskill Street, a rural road northeast of Alliance. Dead are Agnes Ward, 45, and five of her six children, ages six through 13.
Denver's Randy Gradishar plays a sparking game at middle linebacker, intercepting a pass at the Bronco 12 yard line to halt a Cleveland Browns scoring threat in the first half of a game won by Denver, 19-7. The game was a homecoming of sorts for Gradishar who starred for Champion High School and Ohio State University.
Youngstown detectives recover seven shotguns and 11 sets of ignition keys nine hours after they were discovered stolen from nine cruisers and two motorcycles parked n the police department garage. A 21-year-old North Side man is being held on and open charge.
November 13, 1963: Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula counties are among the 20 counties in Ohio in which Russians are not permitted to travel, according to a list announced by the U.S. State Department.
The lead-off man in the FBI-Mahoning County grand jury racket probe spends the night in the county jail after invoking the Fifth Amendment on any and all questions before the panel. Michael Granchay, 26, of Struthers was held despite the efforts of his lawyers to win his release through the 7th District Court of Appeals.
November 13, 1953: Mahoning Common Pleas Judge John W. Ford refuses to order City Building Inspector Robert L. Findlay to issue a building permit for the M. and H. Motel at 2705 McGuffey Road, but suggests that if motel backers revise plans to provide adequate parking, he would issue a new ruling. Residents of the area around the proposed motel have objected strenuously to its construction.
Justice William O. Douglas of the Supreme Court of the United States will be the guest speaker at the annual Jewish Campaign dinner at Squaw Creek Country Club. It will be Douglas' first speaking engagement in the Youngstown district. Douglas was the youngest man ever appointed to the court when he was named by President Roosevelt in 1939.
November 13, 1928: Youngstown magazine distributors, meeting with social workers, promise to remove all smutty or obscene magazines from their stands on receipt of a written complaint.
The cost of a Thanksgiving dinner in Youngstown is estimated at $7.46 for a family of five, or $1.49 for each serving. Collectively, Youngstowners will spend $253,040 on their holiday dinners.
The ocean liner Vestria, bound from New York to Rio De Janeiro, sinks at sea 300 miles southeast of New York. Rescue ships save 215 passengers and crew, but 123 are missing and believed lost.