Oscar was the ship's cat of the German battleship "Bismarck". When "Bismarck" was sunk on 27 May 1941, only 116 sailors out of over 2,200 survived. Oscar was picked up by the destroyer HMS "Cossack". "Cossack" herself was torpedoed and sunk on 24 October, 1941. 159 sailors were killed, but Oscar again survived to be rescued, and was taken to Gibraltar. He became the ship's cat of HMS "Ark Royal". Then this ship, too, was torpedoed and sunk in November of 1941. Oscar was again rescued, and it was decided that it was time for him to have a home on land. By now, Oscar had been renamed "Unsinkable Sam." He was given a new job as mouse-catcher in the Governor General of Gibraltar's office buildings. He eventually returned to the UK and spent the rest of his life at the 'Home for Sailors'. A portrait of him hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
Starting in 1975, the Royal Navy no longer allowed cats or any other pets to ride on any Royal Navy ships. This rule was created because of concern about hygiene (cleanliness).
Cats still ride on many private ships today. For example, "Toolbox" is a ship's cat who rides on the second "Kalmar Nyckel".
American sailor Robin Lee Graham sailed with many cats on his ships "Dove" and "Return of Dove", while he was trying to circumnavigate the world by himself (starting in 1965).
Calendula officinalis
Calendula officinalis (pot marigold, ruddles, common marigold, garden marigold), is a plant in the genus "Calendula" of the family Asteraceae. It is probably native to India. It was the state flower of Junagadh and Bantva-Manavadar State, now part of Gujarat.
Pot marigold florets are edible. They are often used to add colour to salads or added to dishes as a garnish instead of saffron.
The leaves are edible but are often not palatable. They have been used as a herb and in salads.
The flowers were used in Ancient Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb and a dye for fabrics, foods, and cosmetics. They are also used to make oil that protects the skin.
Norbert Gastell
Norbert Gastell (14 October 1929 – 26 November 2015) was an Argentine-born German voice actor who mostly dubbed American television shows into the German language. He was known for dubbing Homer Simpson. Gastell was born in Buenos Aires.
Gastell died in Munich, Germany from complications following a stroke, aged 86.
Luc Bondy
Luc Bondy (17 July 194828 November 2015) was a Swiss theatre and movie director and screenwriter. He was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the director of the most recent version of "Tosca", by Puccini, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Bondy died in Zurich at the age of 67.
Nymphaea nouchali
Nymphaea nouchali, (or red and blue water-lily, blue star water-lily, or star lotus) is an aquatic flowering plant in the Nymphaeaceae (water-lily family). It is native to southern and eastern Asia.
"N. nouchali" grows from rhizomes or tubers rooted under the water. Leaves are oval to round, 13–15 cm (5–6 in), with an open sinus at the leaf base where it attaches to the petiole (leaf stem). Leaves may spread 1.4–1.5 m (4–5 feet) from where the rhizome is rooted. Flowers, which have little fragrance, are star-shaped with 4 sepals and 10–16 petals, and are 5–13 cm (2–5 in) in diameter. Although leaves float on the water surface, flowers are generally held 30 cm (12 in) above water. They are usually pale blue (but can be pink or white) with pale yellow stamens and anthers.
"N. nouchali" has been cultivated in southeast Asia for centuries, especially around temples. It is also cultivated in Sri Lanka and gathered from dried ponds in the Republic of India for the rhizomes, which are used as food and animal fodder as a source of starch. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used to treat indigestion.
Cultivars include N. stellata var. cyanea, which has medium-sized pale to deep blue flowers, and N. stellata var. versicolor, which is commonly exported in the form of tubers from Sri Lanka to Europe and the U.S. for use in the aquariums; the tubers grow quickly after exposure to warm water, making an “instant” aquarium plant.
"N. stellata" was the state flower of Hyderabad Deccan. A pale blue-flowered "N. stellatai" is the National flower of Sri Lanka, where it is known as "nil mānel" or "nil mahanel" (Singhalese:නිල් මානෙල්).
Indian roller
The Indian roller "(Coracias benghalensis)", is a member of the roller family of birds. They are found widely across tropical Asia stretching from Iraq eastward across the Indian subcontinent to Indochina and are best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. They are very commonly seen perched along roadside trees and wires and are commonly seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. It is not migratory, but undertakes some seasonal movements.
Philippe Washer
Philippe Washer (; 6 August 1924 – 27 November 2015) was a Belgian tennis player. He competed in the Davis Cup a number of times, from 1946 to 1961. He was born in Brussels, Belgium. Washer retired from tennis in 1961.
Washer died on 27 November 2015 in Knokke, West Flanders, Belgium from heart failure at the age of 91.
Olene S. Walker
Olene Smith Walker (November 15, 1930 – November 28, 2015) was an American politician. She served as the 15th Governor of Utah. She was sworn into office on November 5, 2003, shortly before her 73rd birthday. She became Utah's first female governor. She was a member of the Republican Party.
Walker died from a stroke on November 28, 2015 at her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, aged 85.
Gerry Byrne (footballer)
Gerald "Gerry" Byrne (29 August 1938 – 28 November 2015) was an English footballer. He spent his entire playing career at Liverpool Football Club, playing from 1953 through 1969. He later played for the England national football team from 1963 through 1966. He was born in Liverpool, England.
Byrne died in at a nursing home in Wrexham, Wales from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 77.
Barbro Hiort af Ornäs
Barbro Hiort af Ornäs (28 August 1921 – 28 November 2015) was a Swedish actress. She was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. She won the Best Actress Award at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival for the movie "Brink of Life". She was also known for her roles in "While the City Sleeps", "All These Women", "The Passion of Anna", and in "The Sense of Marriage".
Af Ornäs died on November 28, 2015 in Gothenburg from natural causes, aged 94.
Maurice Strong
Maurice F. Strong, (April 29, 1929 – November 27, 2015) was a Canadian businessman and diplomat. He represented Canada as Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.
Strong had his start as an entrepreneur in the Alberta oil patch and was President of Power Corporation of Canada until 1966. In the early 1970s he was Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and then became the first executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. He returned to Canada to become Chief Executive Officer of Petro-Canada from 1976 to 1978. He was President of the Council of the University for Peace from 1998 to 2006.
Strong was born in Manitoba, Canada. He died at the age of 86 on November 27, 2015.
Nicoletta Machiavelli
Nicoletta Machiavelli (1 August 1944 – 15 November 2015), also known as Nicoletta Rangoni Machiavelli and Nicoletta Macchiavelli, was an Italian-American movie actress. She was born in Ravarino to a Florentine father and American mother. She was known for her works with John Huston and producer Dino De Laurentiis. She was known for her roles in "Navajo Joe" (1966), "Scarabea - wieviel Erde braucht der Mensch?" (1969) and "L'important c'est d'aimer" (1975).
Machiavelli died in Seattle, Washington from an illness, aged 71.
David Canary
David Hoyt Canary (August 25, 1938 – November 16, 2015) was an American movie and television actor. He was best known for his roles as Adam and Stuart Chandler in "All My Children" and as Candy Canady in "Bonanza". He was born in Elwood, Indiana.