On this day... November 15:

On this day...

November 15:  Republic Day in Brazil (1889); Shichi-Go-San in Japan 655 – Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed in modern-day Yorkshire, England. 1864 – American Civil War: Union Army GeneralWilliam T. Sherman began his "March to the Sea", inflicting significant damage to property and infrastructure on his way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. 1889 – Brazilian Emperor Pedro II (pictured) was overthrown in a coup led by Deodoro da Fonseca, and Brazil was proclaimed a republic. 1959 – Two men murdered a family in Holcomb, Kansas, US; the events became the subject of Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood, a pioneering work of the true crime genre. 2002 – After ten years as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu Jintao stepped down and was replaced by Xi Jinping.