This day in history — Nov. 15

Today’s highlight in history

On Nov. 15, 1986, a government tribunal in Nicaragua convicted Marinette native Eugene Hasenfus of charges related to his role in delivering arms to Contra rebels and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. (Hasenfus was pardoned a month later.)

On this date

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation.

In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes Peak in present-day Colorado.

In 1926, the National Broadcasting Company began operating its radio network.

In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

In 1942, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U.S. victory over Japanese forces.

In 1959, four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kan., were found murdered in their home. (Ex-convicts Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were later convicted of the killings and hanged.)

In 1966, the flight of Gemini 12, the final mission of the Gemini program, ended successfully as astronauts James A. Lovell and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. splashed down safely in the Atlantic after spending four days in orbit.

Ten years ago: O.J. Simpson caused an uproar with plans for a TV interview and book titled “If I Did It,” in which Simpson described how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. (The project was scrapped after an outcry condemning it as revolting and exploitive.)

Five years ago: Hundreds of police officers in riot gear raided the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City in the pre-dawn darkness, evicting hundreds of protesters and then demolishing the tent city.

One year ago: World leaders vowed a vigorous response to the Islamic State group’s terror rampage in Paris as they opened a two-day meeting in Turkey.

Associated Press