Our front page for November 22 — written and set by The Yesterday Times from the events below. Not an archival document.
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On November 22 in 1963, 63 years ago, President Kennedy Slain in Dallas; Johnson Sworn In as 36th President. This page reports 10 stories from the date, 25 people born on this day.
The stories in full
White House Bulletin
1963 — President Kennedy Slain in Dallas; Johnson Sworn In as 36th President
A nation plunged into grief — the young president cut down in a sunlit Texas motorcade, power passing at 2:38 p.m. aboard a parked jet.
DALLAS, Nov. 22 — The presidency of the United States, youngest in the century and most glamorous since the first Roosevelt, ended in gunfire today on a downtown street in Texas. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 46, died at Parkland Memorial Hospital from wounds suffered when a sniper's bullets struck his open limousine as it rolled through Dealey Plaza.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath of office two hours and eight minutes later aboard Air Force One at Dallas Love Field. The ceremony, conducted by Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes, placed the 55-year-old Texan in command of a nation already stricken by shock.
Kennedy had been riding in a 10-mile motorcade designed to bring him maximum exposure to crowds. With him in the presidential limousine were First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie. Dallas police motorcycle officers flanked the vehicle.
The fatal shots came from the Texas School Book Depository. Authorities identified the assassin as Lee Harvey Oswald, 24, a former U.S. Marine and self-declared Marxist who had defected to the Soviet Union and returned.
An autopsy conducted at Bethesda Naval Hospital determined Kennedy was struck by two bullets. One entered his upper back; the second shattered the back of his head.
Two days after the assassination, Oswald himself was shot to death.
Kennedy was fatally shot from the nearby Texas School Book Depository by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president two hours and eight minutes later aboard Air Force One at Dallas Love Field.
Two days after the assassination, Oswald was fatally shot by Dallas nightclub operator Jack Ruby while being moved through the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters.
The autopsy at Bethesda Naval Hospital found Kennedy was hit by two bullets, one entering his upper back and another striking the back of his head.
Dallas police motorcycle officers accompanied the Kennedy limousine, which carried the president, first lady, and Governor Connally and his wife.
LONDON, Nov. 22 — The Beatles released their ninth studio album today, a sprawling double LP whose plain white cover breaks radically with the psychedelic artwork of "Sgt. Pepper." The record, issued on the band's own Apple Records, carries only their name in embossed letters. Fans already call it the White Album.
The set contains 30 songs, 19 written during a Transcendental Meditation course the group attended in February in Rishikesh, India. Recording consumed five months, from late May through mid-October, at Abbey Road Studios. Sessions were marked by arguments over creative direction and the constant presence of Yoko Ono, John Lennon's companion.
The tension produced one dramatic departure. Ringo Starr quit the band for two weeks in August, leaving for a Mediterranean holiday before being persuaded to return. Paul McCartney took over drum duties on several tracks.
This is the Beatles' first release on Apple, the company they announced in May. The label's green Granny Smith apple logo appears on the reverse.
The album's diversity — from the acoustic "Blackbird" to the hard-rocking "Helter Skelter" — reflects four composers working increasingly apart. George Martin, their longtime producer, later described the sessions as four solo albums in one package.
Retail copies reached shops today in Britain; American release follows Friday.
The Beatles is the band's ninth studio album and only double album, released on 22 November 1968.
The album features a plain white sleeve with no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed.
It was the band's first LP release on their recently founded Apple Records.
The album contains 30 songs, 19 of which were written during a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India.
Recording sessions lasted from late May to mid-October 1968, with arguments over creative differences and Yoko Ono's presence.
1995 — Toy Story Becomes First All-CGI Feature; Pixar Debut Sets Box Office Record
The $363 million worldwide gross includes the biggest opening weekend ever for an animated film.
The film's director and producer hold their Academy Award — Jim Breslin
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 — Toy Story, the first feature-length film created entirely through computer-generated imagery, opened in U.S. theaters today following its premiere Wednesday at the El Capitan Theatre. The Pixar Animation Studios production grossed over $363 million worldwide and set a record for highest-grossing animated opening weekend.
The film stars Tom Hanks as the voice of Woody, a pull-string cowboy doll, and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. John Lasseter directed; the screenplay carries four names: Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow.
Toy Story premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19, 1995.
It set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend and grossed over $363 million worldwide.
The film received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, the first animated film nominated in that category.
Toy Story was directed by John Lasseter and written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow.
The film stars the voices of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear.
1942 — Paulus Reports German 6th Army Encircled at Stalingrad
Hitler receives telegram from field commander as Soviet pincers close on Volga city.
General Paulus confers with officers in the snow outside Stalingrad — Wikimedia Commons
MOSCOW, Nov. 22 — General Friedrich Paulus, commanding the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, has sent Adolf Hitler a telegram reporting that his forces are surrounded. The message, dispatched from the besieged city on the Volga, confirms that Soviet armies have completed their encirclement of the Axis position.
Paulus, 52, leads what had been the spearhead of the German summer offensive.
World War II: Battle of Stalingrad: General Friedrich Paulus sends Adolf Hitler a telegram saying that the German 6th Army is surrounded.
1943 — Roosevelt, Churchill, Chiang Open Cairo Parley on Japan
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek gathered for the war's first trilateral conference of United States, Britain, and Nationalist China heads to forge plans for crushing Japan.
CAIRO, November 22 — The Nile shimmered in winter light as three flags rose over a guarded villa outside Cairo today. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese Premier Chiang Kai-shek sat down together to forge plans for crushing Japan.
The unprecedented trilateral conference brings together the heads of the United States, Britain, and Nationalist China for the first time in the war.
World War II: Cairo Conference: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese Premier Chiang Kai-shek meet in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss ways to defeat Japan.
CHENNAI, India, November 22 — A new era opened for chess when Magnus Carlsen of Norway toppled Viswanathan Anand to become the youngest undisputed world champion in the game's modern history.
Carlsen, 22, sealed victory Friday with a draw in game ten, finishing the match 6½–3½ at the Hyatt Regency. He had won games five, six, and nine, drawing the rest.
Carlsen defeated defending champion Viswanathan Anand 6½–3½ at the Hyatt Regency in Chennai, India, from 9 to 22 November 2013.
He won games five, six, and nine, drawing the remainder, to become the 16th undisputed world chess champion.
Carlsen earned the right to challenge Anand by winning the 2013 Candidates Tournament in London on tiebreak over Vladimir Kramnik.
Born 30 November 1990, Carlsen was 22 years old when he claimed the world chess title.
His first win in game 5 came by exploiting a small mistake by Anand, and he handled the pressure with ease despite being the less experienced challenger.
1986 — Tyson, 20, Becomes Youngest Heavyweight Champion With Second-Round Destruction of Berbick
Brooklyn fighter stops WBC titleholder at 2:35 of round two, improves to 28–0.
LAS VEGAS, November 22 — The heavyweight division entered its age of ferocity when a 20-year-old Brooklyn fighter named Mike Tyson demolished Trevor Berbick to seize the WBC championship, becoming the youngest titleholder in division history.
Tyson, who entered "Judgment Day" at 27–0 with 25 knockouts, needed just 2:35 of the second round to finish the champion. The technical knockout surpassed Floyd Patterson's record as youngest heavyweight king.
Berbick, installed as a 3–1 underdog despite holding the belt, never recovered from Tyson's assault. The challenger stalked him from the opening bell, cutting off the ring and landing power shots that buckled Berbick's legs.
Referee Mills Lane waved the bout off as Berbick stumbled. Tyson improved to 28–0.
Mike Tyson, at 20 years old, became the youngest heavyweight champion, surpassing Floyd Patterson.
Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick by second-round technical knockout at 2:35 of the round.
Berbick was a 3–1 underdog despite entering as the WBC champion.
Tyson entered the fight with a 27–0 record, including 25 knockouts.
The fight was billed as 'Judgment Day' and contested on November 22, 1986.
1943 — Lebanon Wins Independence as French Mandate Ends
Sovereignty takes effect nearly two years after Free French first announced it.
BEIRUT, November 22 — President Bechara El Khoury proclaimed Lebanon fully independent today as French authority formally lapsed, ending 23 years of mandatory rule nearly two years after the Free French government first promised self-government.
The transfer of power cements independence declared in 1941 but delayed by wartime turmoil. French troops remain in the region under Allied command.
Lebanon gains independence from France, nearly two years after it was first announced by the Free French government.
1718 — Blackbeard Slain Off Carolina Coast; Lieutenant Maynard's Boarding Party Kills Notorious Pirate
The November 22 battle at Ocracoke Inlet ended the Atlantic scourge when British sailors boarded the pirate's sloop.
OCRACOKE, November 22 — One hundred years hence, men will speak of this day. The pirate Blackbeard, scourge of Atlantic shipping, fell dead this morning at the hands of Lieutenant Robert Maynard and a small party of British sailors.
The battle raged fierce at Ocracoke Inlet in the Province of North Carolina. Maynard led his men aboard the villain's sloop.
Blackbeard was killed on 22 November 1718, following a ferocious battle at Ocracoke.
Lieutenant Robert Maynard led the small force of sailors that killed Blackbeard.
The attack was arranged by Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood.
Several of Blackbeard's crew were also killed in the battle.
The announcement on November 22 confirms what Westminster anticipated since Tuesday's first ballot.
LONDON, November 22 — Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has withdrawn from the Conservative Party leadership election, ending her Premiership after more than a decade in power.
The announcement confirms what Westminster had anticipated since her narrow failure to win outright in Thursday's first ballot. Thatcher's departure clears the way for a new leader to emerge from the remaining candidates.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher withdraws from the Conservative Party leadership election, confirming the end of her Premiership.
1819George EliotMary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.
1967Boris Becker(59 this year)Boris Franz Becker is a German former professional tennis player, tennis coach and a commentator.
1643René-Robert CavelierRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a French explorer and fur trader in North America.
1808Thomas CookThomas Cook was the founder of the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son.
1917Andrew HuxleySir Andrew Fielding Huxley was an English physiologist and biophysicist.
1861Ranavalona III of MadagascarRanavalona III was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar.
1939Mulayam Singh YadavMulayam Singh Yadav also known "Neta ji" was an Indian politician, schoolmaster, lecturer and a socialist figure and the founder of the Samajwadi Party.
1428Richard NevilleRichard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury, known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, landowner of the House of Neville fortune and military commander.
1602Elisabeth of FranceElisabeth of France, also known as Isabel or Elisabeth of Bourbon was Queen of Spain from 1621 to her death and Queen of Portugal from 1621 to 1640, as the first spouse of King Philip IV & III.
1868John Nance GarnerJohn Nance Garner III, known among his contemporaries as "Cactus Jack", was the 32nd vice president of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1941 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1873Leo AmeryLeopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist.
1890Charles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and its puppet state of Vichy France in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 to restore democracy back in France.
1890Harry PollittHarry Pollitt was a British communist who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) from July 1929 to September 1939 and again from 1941 until his death in 1960.
1893Harley EarlHarley Jarvis Earl was an American automotive designer and business executive.
1906Jørgen JuveJørgen Juve was a Norwegian football player, jurist, journalist, and non-fiction writer.
1914Peter TownsendGroup Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend was a British Royal Air Force officer, flying ace, courtier, and author.
1920Baidyanath MisraBaidyanath Misra was an Indian economist, educator, author, and administrator from the state of Odisha.
1921Brian CleeveBrian Brendon Talbot Cleeve was a writer, whose published works include twenty-one novels and over a hundred short stories.
1925Jerrie MockGeraldine "Jerrie" Fredritz Mock was an American pilot and the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1926Lew BurdetteSelva Lewis Burdette, Jr. was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Boston / Milwaukee Braves.
1941Jesse Colin YoungPerry Miller, known professionally as Jesse Colin Young, was an American singer and songwriter.
1942Guion Bluford(84 this year)Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, in which capacity he became the first African American to go to space.
1947Sandy Alderson(79 this year)Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson is an American baseball executive.
1956Richard Kind(70 this year)Richard Bruce Kind is an American actor and comedian.
1967Mark Ruffalo(59 this year)Mark Alan Ruffalo is an American actor and producer who began his career in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play This Is Our Youth (1996) and drama film You Can Count on Me (2000).
Quote of the Day
“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” — William Ernest Henley, Echoes of Life and Death
November 22 History Quiz
Where was President John F. Kennedy assassinated on November 22, 1963?
Dallas, Texas
Which Beatles album, released November 22, 1968, features a plain white cover?
The White Album
Which animated film, released November 22, 1995, was the first entirely computer-generated feature?
Every event on this page was picked by hand from the historical record, written up as a news report, and checked against its source. Photographs are matched to the event they illustrate and verified before they are used. Sources are linked on each story.
“Wedding Bell Blues”, 
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Ragtime, E. L. Doctorow
“Lady”, 
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
Blood Magick, Nora Roberts
The Black Wolf, Louise Penny
