On This Day for November 24 - Dutch discovery of Tasmania, Scott Joplin is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. November 24 [Joplin, Scott]( FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1868 Scott Joplin American composer and pianist [Scott Joplin]( born this day in 1868 and known as the “king of [ragtime]( at the turn of the 20th century, is remembered for his classic piano rags, notably Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. [SEE ALL BORN ON THIS DAY]( [Cradle Mountain]( FEATURED EVENT 1642 Dutch discovery of Tasmania Dutch navigator [Abel Janszoon Tasman]( who sailed from Batavia ([Jakarta]( to investigate the practicality of a sea passage eastward to [Chile]( and to explore [New Guinea]( skirted the southern shores of [Tasmania]( this day in 1642. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement Advertisement MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [Turkey] 2001: The Grand National Assembly of [Turkey]( ratified changes to the country's legal code that made women equal to men before the law and no longer subject to their husbands. [Elizabeth II] 1998: Queen [Elizabeth II]( speaking at the annual ceremonies opening the British [Parliament]( announced that the right of hereditary peers to vote in the [House of Lords]( would end, though compromise legislation later allowed 92 hereditary peers to remain in the Lords. [At the Moulin Rouge, oil on canvas by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1893–95; in the Art Institute of Chicago.] 1864: French artist [Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]( who documented with great psychological insight the personalities and facets of Parisian nightlife, was born. [Ruby, Jack] 1963: Dallas nightclub owner [Jack Ruby]( fatally shot [Lee Harvey Oswald]( the accused [assassin]( of U.S. President [John F. Kennedy](. 1947: The [Hollywood Ten]( a group of motion-picture producers, directors, and screenwriters who appeared before the [House Un-American Activities Committee]( in October 1947, were found in contempt of Congress. [Barbed wire used for fencing, 19th century; from the collection of Jesse S. James] 1874: American inventor [Joseph Farwell Glidden]( patented the first commercially successful [barbed wire](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1946 Ted Bundy American serial killer 1978 Katherine Heigl American actress 1925 William F. Buckley, Jr. American editor 1784 Zachary Taylor president of United States 1632 Benedict de Spinoza Dutch-Jewish philosopher 1864 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French artist [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2018 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](