Moments in Time – October 26, 2022

#Middlebury

  • On Nov. 21, 1941, Tweety Bird debuted in the Warner Bros. cartoon “A Tale of Two Kitties.” Originally a wild, naked chick with rather malicious tendencies, the character evolved over the decades into a wide-eyed canary with a far more genial demeanor that increased (and retained) his audience popularity.
  • On Nov. 22, 2005, Angela Merkel became a prime example of “smashing the glass ceiling” and an inspiration to a rising generation of young girls when she was elected the first female chancellor of Germany.
  • On Nov. 23, 1910, Johan Alfred Ander was convicted of murdering Victoria Hellsten during a robbery that he conducted in an effort to solve his ongoing financial problems. He was the last person to be executed in Sweden and the only one in Swedish history to be executed by guillotine.
  • On Nov. 24, 1877, Anna Sewell’s novel about a horse named Black Beauty was published. Alternately scribbled on scraps of paper and dictated to the author’s mother, the book would go on to become not just a beloved classic and adapted for cinema but play an important part in the animal rights movement.
  • On Nov. 25, 1950, the “Appalachian Storm” dropped nearly 60 inches of snow in that area, carrying with it unseasonal temperatures and causing widespread property damage. About 150 people were believed to have died as a result of the storm.
  • On Nov. 26, 2018, the robotic probe InSight, designed to study the deep interior of Mars, landed on Elysium Planitia on the red planet. Data collected from it could bring a new understanding of how Mars, as well as other terrestrial planets, formed and evolved.
  • On Nov. 27, 1968, Penny Ann Early became the first woman to play major professional basketball for the Kentucky Colonels in an ABA game against the Los Angeles Stars. At just 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 112 pounds, she was also the smallest pro basketball player ever to compete.

© 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

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