Actress and singer Mae West — born Mary Jane West — is best remembered for her roles in the films I’m No Angel, She Done Him Wrong, Myra Breckenridge and Every Day’s a Holiday. She died of complications of a stroke on Nov. 22, 1980 at the age of 87.
1977 - Regular passenger service on the Concorde began between New York and Europe. Air France retired the Concorde in 2003.
Fact of the Day
Palmyra Atoll, between Hawaii and American Samoa, is the only U.S. territory subject to all constitutional provisions, despite having no inhabitants. If a foreigner gave birth on the atoll, the child would be an American citizen.
Nature Oddities
Rattlesnakes hibernate for the winter in large communal dens. Sometimes, dens can contain over a thousand snakes.
Food and Drink
If preserved with alcohol, fruitcakes can remain edible for hundreds of years. Wrapping the cake in alcohol-soaked linen before storing is one method of lengthening its shelf life.