In this Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, photo the word pandemic is displayed in a dictionary in Washington. Merriam-Webster on Monday announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year.
In this file photo dated Friday, May 7, 1999, Dave Prowse, the original Darth Vader from the "Star Wars Trilogy," poses during the New York Comic and Fantasy Creators Convention.
1956 — Floyd Patterson knocks out Archie Moore in the fifth round to win the world heavyweight title in Chicago.
Archie Moore, left, crashes to the canvas after taking a left hook by Floyd Patterson in the fifth round of their World Heavyweight Championship bout at Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Ill., on November 30, 1956. Only seconds later Moore is counted out after being floored again, and Patterson is named new World Heavyweight Champion. (AP Photo)
1979 — Sugar Ray Leonard wins the WBC welterweight title with 15th-round knockout of Wilfred Benitez in Las Vegas.
Challenger Sugar Ray Leonard takes swing at bowed head of world welterweight boxing champion Wilfred Benitez during third round of their championship bout, November 30, 1979 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo)
1987 — Bo Jackson, also an outfielder for the Kansas City Royals, rushes for 221 yards to lead the Los Angeles Raiders to a 37-14 rout of the Seattle Seahawks. Jackson, playing in his fifth NFL game, scores on runs of 91 and 2 yards and has a 14-yard touchdown reception.
Running back Bo Jackson (34) of the Los Angeles Raiders follows Dokie Williams (85) for a four yard gain against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter of the Monday night game in Seattle, Wash., Nov. 30, 1987. Jackson had 122 yards in the first half of the game . (AP Photo/Barry Sweet)
2003 — Mark Philippoussis gives Australia its 28th Davis Cup title, fighting off a shoulder injury that nearly forces him to retire after the fourth set to beat Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-0.
Australia's Mark Philippoussis celebrates his victory over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero in the Davis Cup final third singles match in Melbourne, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003. Philippoussis beat Ferrero, 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6, 6-0, to bring Australia the Davis Cup victory. (AP Photo/Tony Feder)
2008 — Keith Tkachuk reaches 1,000 career points with the tying goal late in the second period in St. Louis’ 4-2 victory over Atlanta.
St. Louis Blues center Keith Tkachuk, bottom right, slides after scoring his 1000th career point while the rest of his team celebrates in action against the Atlanta Thrashers during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Atlanta, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008. (AP Photo/Stanley Leary)
2008 — Oakland has only one catch by a wide receiver in its 20-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and that officially was for 0 yards by Ronald Curry on a hook-and-lateral play.
Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell reacts after he was unable to complete a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 20-13. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
2012 — NBA Commissioner David Stern fines the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for “a disservice to the league and our fans” when they don’t bring Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili or Danny Green to Miami for the final game of a six-game trip.
This Jan. 22, 2011 file photo shows San Antonio Spurs, from left, guard Manu Ginobili, of Argentina, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, of France, watching action from the bench in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
2012 — Georgetown and Tennessee hold each other scoreless over the final four minutes, and the Hoyas beat the Volunteers 37-36 in a display of abysmal shooting in the SEC/Big East Challenge. The teams combine to make just 7 of 20 shots — from the free throw line. The field-goal shooting is just as horrid, with the Vols hitting 33 percent and the Hoyas 36 percent.
Georgetown forward Mikael Hopkins (3) battles for the ball against Tennessee forward Kenny Hall (20) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, in Washington. Georgetown won 37-36. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
2013 — Chris Davis races 100-plus yards with a missed field-goal attempt for a touchdown on the final play to lift No. 4 Auburn to a 34-28 victory over No. 1 Alabama. Davis catches the ball about 9 yards deep in the end zone after freshman Adam Griffith’s 57-yard attempt falls short. He sprints down the left sideline and cuts back with nothing but teammates around him in a second straight hard-to-fathom finish for the Tigers.
In this Nov. 30, 2013, file photo, Auburn cornerback Chris Davis (11) returns a field goal attempt 109-yards to score the winning touchdown over Alabama during the second half of the Iron Bowl NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
In 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris for ending the Revolutionary War; the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
Ten years ago: Pentagon leaders called for scrapping the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on openly gay military service after releasing a survey about the prospect of openly gay troops. (The policy was rescinded in 2011.)
Five years ago: Jury selection began in Baltimore in the trial of Officer William Porter, the first of six policemen to face charges in the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who died of a severe spinal injury while in police custody. (All charges against Porter were dropped after a mistrial; three other officers were acquitted; all remaining charges were later dropped.)
In 2018, former President George H.W. Bush, a World War II hero who rose through the political ranks to the nation’s highest office, died at his Houston home at the age of 94; his wife of more than 70 years, Barbara Bush, had died in April.
In 2018, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, President Donald Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico signed a revised North American trade pact.
One year ago: Amid mounting pressure from mass anti-government protests, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi submitted his resignation to parliament.
Today is Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. Let’s get caught up.
These non-virus headlines are in the news this morning: President-elect Joe Biden fractured his foot while playing with his dog over the weekend, will wear a boot; Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is no surprise; and the actor who played Darth Vader dies.
Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.
Top stories
Biden breaks foot while playing with dog, to wear a boot
President-elect Joe Biden will likely wear a walking boot for the next several weeks as he recovers from breaking his right foot while playing with one of his dogs, his doctor said.
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, on Sunday afternoon, his office said.
“Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement. The subsequent scan found tiny fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, O’Connor said. Read more:
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Merriam-Webster’s top word of 2020 not a shocker: pandemic
If you were to choose a word that rose above most in 2020, which word would it be?
Ding, ding, ding: Merriam-Webster on Monday announced “pandemic” as its 2020 word of the year.
“That probably isn’t a big shock,” Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, told The Associated Press. Read more:
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Dave Prowse, actor who played Darth Vader, dies at 85
Dave Prowse, the British weightlifter-turned-actor who was the body, though not the voice, of arch-villain Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died. He was 85.
Prowse died Saturday after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington said Sunday.
Director George Lucas saw Prowse in a small part in “A Clockwork Orange” and asked the 6-foot-6-inch actor to audition for the villainous Vader or the Wookie Chewbacca in “Star Wars.” Read more:
In other news today …
After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill’s main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he was “ashamed” for endorsing the Republican governor of Georgia after he lost in the state to Democrat Joe Biden.
A top Iranian security official on Monday accused Israel of using “electronic devices” to remotely kill a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the 2000s.
A mysterious silver monolith that was placed in the Utah desert has disappeared less than 10 days after it was spotted by wildlife biologists performing a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep, federal officials and witnesses said.
An unknown gunman fired into a crowd gathered at a Saturday afternoon burial service of a teenager who was fatally shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy earlier this month, officials said.
A brightly burning meteor was seen plunging from the sky in wide areas of Japan, capturing attention on television and social media.
Universal Pictures’ animated sequel “The Croods: A New Age” had one of the best opening weekends of the pandemic, grossing $14.2 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Alabama is the unanimous No. 1 again in The Associated Press college football poll as the top eight teams in the rankings held steady for the fourth week in a row.
With his country and the world of soccer in mourning for Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi found his own way to mark the passing of the only Argentine player to rival his own greatness on the field.
Click on the links below for full versions of these stories and scroll further for trending stories, a look at today in history and celebrity birthdays.
