Today in History: November 16, Nixon authorizes Alaska pipeline

Today is Saturday, Nov. 16, the 321st day of 2024. There are 45 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 16, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act into law, authorizing the construction of an 800-mile (1,290-kilometer) oil pipeline from the Alaska North Slope to the port city of Valdez.

Also on this date:

In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.

In 1914, the newly created Federal Reserve Banks opened in 12 cities.

In 1982, an agreement was announced in the 57th day of a strike by National Football League players.

In 1988, Benazir Bhutto was voted prime minister of Pakistan, the first woman to be elected to lead a Muslim-majority country.

In 1989, six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and her daughter were slain by army troops at the University of Central America José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador.

In 2001, investigators found a letter addressed to Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont containing anthrax; it was the second letter bearing the deadly germ known to have been sent to Capitol Hill.

In 2001, the first film in the Harry Potter series, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (U.S. title: ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'') debuted in theaters around the world.

In 2006, after midterm elections that saw Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi was nominated by the Democratic caucus to become speaker of the House. (Pelosi would officially become speaker by House vote the following January, becoming the first woman to serve in the role.)

In 2018, a U.S. official said intelligence officials had concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (jah-MAHL' khahr-SHOHK'-jee).

Today's Birthdays: Actor Miguel Sandoval is 73. Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is 72. NASCAR Hall of Famer Terry Labonte is 68. Actor Marg Helgenberger is 66. Former MLB All-Star pitcher Dwight Gooden is 60. Jazz singer Diana Krall is 60. Actor Lisa Bonet is 57. Actor Martha Plimpton is 54. Olympic figure skating gold medalist Oksana Baiul (ahk-SAH'-nah by-OOL') is 47. Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal (JIHL'-ehn-hahl) is 47. Actor-comedian Pete Davidson is 31.