November 12th, 1927:

Josef Stalin becomes undisputed ruler of what's then the Soviet Union.

His rival, Leon Trotsky, is expelled from the Communist Party.

More than a dozen years later, Trotsky is killed with an ice pick while in exile in Mexico.

Stalin is widely believed to have arranged the murder. His repressive rule lasts for more than a quarter century.

1942:

During World War II, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal begins in the South Pacific.

That's where the United States and its Allies win a major victory over the Japanese.

1815:

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader in the movement to give American women the right to vote, is born in Johnstown, New York.

1929:

Grace Kelly, the Hollywood movie star who became Princess of Monaco, is born in Philadelphia.

And, 1945:

Neil Young, singer and songwriter, is born in Toronto, Canada.

Today in History, November 12th,_______, The Associated Press.