Today is Saturday, Nov. 13, the 318th day of 2004. There are 48 days left in the year. On this date in 1974, Karen Silkwood, a technician and union activist at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron plutonium plant

Today is Saturday, Nov. 13, the 318th day of 2004. There are 48 days left in the year. On this date in 1974, Karen Silkwood, a technician and union activist at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron plutonium plant near Crescent, Okla., dies in a car crash while on her way to meet a reporter.
In 1775, during the American Revolution, U.S. forces capture Montreal. 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 1927, the Holland Tunnel opens to the public, providing access between New York City and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River. 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 1971, the U.S. space probe Mariner 9 goes into orbit around Mars. In 1977, the comic strip "Li'l Abner" by Al Capp appears in newspapers for the last time. In 1979, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan announces in New York his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington. In 1985, some 23,000 residents of Armero, Colombia, die when a gigantic mudslide buried the city. In 1994, a heavily armed gunman trades fire with San Francisco police, hitting two police officers, a paramedic and another person before being killed; President Clinton, visiting the Philippines, seeks to assure world leaders that his party's severe losses in midterm elections wouldn't undercut his foreign policy; Sweden votes to join the European Union. In 1999, the Navy recovers the cockpit voice recorder from EgyptAir Flight 990, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean Oct. 31 with the loss of all 217 people aboard.
November 13, 1979: The Youngstown Fire Department's $200,000 aerial ladder truck is knocked out of service as it responds to an arson alarm when a woman motorist rammed the side of the truck at Oak Hill Avenue and Marshall Street.
Former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, in his third bid for the presidency, is taking his place in front of a crowded field of candidates seeking the 1980 Republican nomination.
Mahoning County commissioners approve resolutions to issue $1.6 million in industrial revenue bonds for the expansion of facilities at WYTV-Channel 33 and Spray-A-Lawn of Warren-Youngstown.
November 13, 1964: A severe grass fire threat hangs over the Youngstown district, the result of fall weather that has been beautiful but dry.
Dr. John N. Cernica, chairman of the department of civil engineering of William Rayen School of Engineering of Youngstown University, is named "Ohio's Outstanding Engineer for 1964" by the Society of Professional Engineers.
November 13, 1954: Youngstown College men make a wild dash for freedom, with coeds in hot pursuit, as the annual Sadie Hawkins Day celebration gets under way on campus. A dance at the Krakusy Ballroom on South Avenue will raise funds for crippled and underprivileged children.
The 7th District Court of Appeals clears Leon A. Beeghly of a charge of fraud brought by a group headed by the late Abram P. Steckel over control of Cold Metal Process Co.
Fred B. Snite Jr. of Chicago, who lived for 18 years, seven months in an iron lung after being stricken with polio while on a world cruise in 1936, dies in a West Palm Beach Hotel, where he was preparing to play in a bridge tournament. He was 44.
November 13, 1929: The first group of federal prisoners, under the new contract entered into between the Mahoning County commissioners and U.S. government, are lodged in the county jail. The county will be paid 60 cents a day for each prisoner.
Making six downtown streets into one-way thoroughfares and prohibiting parking on them during rush hours is suggested by Municipal Court Judge Peter B. Mulholland.
Members of the various women's clubs of Youngstown are urged by Mrs. Fred M. Orr of the Mahoning Chapter of the American Red Cross to enroll in the Red Cross.
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