In History, Today on November 14

Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrives in Cajamarca, Peru, marking the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Samuel Pepys reports on the first blood transfusion performed on a dog by Richard Lower in England.

Herman Melville's novel 'Moby-Dick' is published in the United States.

Journalist Nellie Bly begins her successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days, inspired by Jules Verne's novel.

Eugene Burton Ely performs the first takeoff from a ship, the USS Birmingham, in Hampton Roads, Virginia, marking a significant event in naval aviation history.

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) begins radio service in the United Kingdom.

NASA launches Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to the Moon, from Kennedy Space Center.

Mariner 9, a NASA space probe, becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, Mars.

American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence agents for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

A budget standoff between President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress results in a temporary government shutdown in the United States.

The War in Afghanistan: The Northern Alliance, with the support of U.S. airstrikes, captured Kabul from the Taliban.

The largest-ever blackout in Italy's history occurred, affecting over 56 million people.

NASA announced that the Phoenix Mars Lander had confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars.

Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas military leaders.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iran-Iraq border, killing over 600 people and injuring thousands.