This Day in History

November 17, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 17, the 321st day of 2010. There are 44 days left in the year.

Associated press

On this date in:

1558: Elizabeth I accedes to the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary.

1800: Congress holds its first session in Washington in the partially completed Capitol building.

1869: The Suez Canal opens in Egypt.

1934: Lyndon Baines Johnson marries Claudia Alta Taylor, better known as Lady Bird, in San Antonio, Texas.

1962: Washington’s Dulles International Airport is dedicated by President John F. Kennedy.

1969: The first round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union opens in Helsinki, Finland.

1973: President Richard Nixon tells Associated Press managing editors in Orlando, Fla.: “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

2000: The Florida Supreme Court freezes the state’s presidential tally, forbidding Secretary of State Katherine Harris from certifying results of the marathon vote count just as Republican George W. Bush was advancing his minuscule lead over Democrat Al Gore. Also, a federal appeals court refuses to block recounts under way in two heavily Democratic counties.

Vindicator files

1985: The controversy surrounding a proposed toxic waste facility in Lawrence County has spilled into Mahoning County and some lawmakers are drafting legislation to affect how hazardous wastes are handled and where landfills can be built.

Trumbull Sheriff Richard A. Jakmas tells county commissioners he cannot meet minimum standards for manning the jail if his department has additional budget cuts.

1970: The Youngstown Board of Education is planning to give $50 rewards for information leading to the apprehension of school vandals.

Aaron Howard of Warren, a former Youngstown State University student, is finding an outlet for his artistic talent and religious fervor as a combat artist in Vietnam.

1960: Two young Niles boys admit to starting a fire at the Rose Building & Supply Co. on W. Park Ave. in Niles while playing with matches. Damage is estimated at $45,000.

Youngstown Finance Director Abe Harshman says city income-tax collections have exceeded $4 million for the year and may reach $4.2 million.

1935: The Rev. Alvin Lestwick, 56, pastor of Mercer A.M.E. Zion Church, is killed when struck by a car while walking on a road near Mercer.

Detective Harry Rowe, who was shot in the abdomen by a youthful ex-convict Oct. 28, is released from the South Side Unit of Youngstown Hospital.