Associated Press

Nellie Bly, a 23-year-old reporter, began her trip around the world on Nov. 14, 1889. Upon her return, on Jan. 25, 1890, her employer, the New York World, declared: "New age of lightening travel begun."

On Nov. 14, 1851, Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick; Or, The Whale" was first published in the United States.

In 1881, Charles J. Guiteau went on trial for assassinating President James A. Garfield. (Guiteau was convicted and hanged the following year.)

In 1889, inspired by Jules Verne, New York World reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) set out to travel around the world in less than 80 days. (She made the trip in 72 days.) Jawarharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, was born.

In 1922, the British Broadcasting Corp. began its domestic radio service.

In 1940, during World War II, German planes destroyed most of the English town of Coventry.

In 1943, Leonard Bernstein, the 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, made his debut with the orchestra as he filled in for the ailing Bruno Walter during a nationally broadcast concert.

In 1969, Apollo 12 blasted off for the moon.

In 1970, a chartered Southern Airways DC9 crashed while trying to land in Huntington, W.Va., killing all 75 on board, including the Marshall University football team and its coaching staff.

In 1972, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 1,000 level for the first time, ending the day at 1,003.16.

In 1973, Britain's Princess Anne married Capt. Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey. (They divorced in 1992; Anne has remarried.)

In 1997, a jury in Fairfax, Va., decided that Pakistani national Aimal Khan Kasi should get the death penalty for gunning down two CIA employees outside agency headquarters. (Kasi was executed on this date in 2002.)

In 1999, Democrat Bill Bradley took center court at New York's Madison Square Garden for a $1.5 million presidential campaign fundraiser that featured his old Knicks teammates and former basketball rivals. The United Nations imposed sanctions on Afghanistan for refusing to hand over suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

In 2004, Mahmoud Abbas, the temporary successor to Yasser Arafat, escaped unharmed when militants firing assault rifles burst into a mourning tent for the deceased Palestinian leader in Gaza, killing two security guards. Usher was honored with four trophies at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, including favorite male soul R&B artist, best pop-rock album, best pop-rock artist and best soul R&B album.

In 2008, a lunar probe from India made a planned crash-landing onto the surface of the moon. Space shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into the night sky, bound for the international space station. Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, the cardiac surgeon who performed the first U.S. heart transplant in 1967, died in Ann Arbor, Mich. at age 90.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is 87.

Jazz musician Ellis Marsalis is 75.

Writer P.J. O'Rourke is 62.

Britain's Prince Charles is 61.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is 55.

Actor D.B. Sweeney is 48.

Retired All-Star pitcher Curt Schilling is 43.

Actor Josh Duhamel is 37.

Rapper Shyheim is 32.

Rock musician Tobin Esperance (Papa Roach) is 30.

Actress Olga Kurylenko is 30.

"Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education."

-- Chuang-tzu, Chinese writer (c.369 B.C.-c.286 B.C.)