Today in History (December 28th)

There are three days left in the year

1065: Westminister Abbey was consecrated in London, England.

1622: Deaths: Francois de Sales French bishop of Geneva/Writer/Saint, died at 55.

1673: Deaths: Joan Blaeu Dutch Cartographer/Publisher (Atlas Major), died at 77.

1694: Deaths: Mary II Queen of England, died at age 32, after five years of joint rule with her husband, King William III.

1706: Deaths: Pierre Bayle French Theologist (History of Criticism), died at 59.

1731: Birthdays: Christian Cannabich German Composer/Royal Chaplain Master.

1732: The first known advertisment for ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’ was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette. The Almanack published by Richard Saunders (really Ben Franklin) and made a good amount of money allowing Ben Franklin the luxury of leisure time, flying kites.

1763: Birthdays: John Molson Founded Montreal brewery.

1821: Naples: Gioacchini Rossini moved to Bologna.

1822: Birthdays: William Booth Taliaferro Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1898.

1832: John C. Calhoun became the first vice president of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Andrew Jackson.

1836: Spain recognized the independence of Mexico.

1846: Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state.

1849: Dry cleaning was accidentally discovered when M. Jolly-Bellin, a tailor, accidentally upset a lamp containing turpentine and oil on his filthy clothing and noticed its cleaning effect.

1850: Rangoon, Burma destroyed by fire.

1856: Birthdays: Thomas Woodrow Wilson, Staunton, Virginia, 28th President of the United States (D-1912-21, Nobel 1919).

1859: Deaths: Thomas Babington Macaulay English Essayist/Historian.

1865: French film pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed the first commercial motion pictures at a Paris cafe.

1869: William Finley Semple of Mount Vernon, Ohio, patented the combination of rubber with other articles adapted to the formation of an acceptable chewing gum. The Knights of Labor, a group of tailors in Philadelphia, staged the first Labor Day ceremonies in the United States.

1870: Deaths: Alexey Fyodorovich L’vov Composer, died at 72.

1877: John Stevens of Neenah, Wisconsin, applied for a patent for his flour rolling mill which boosted production by 70 percent.

1879: Birthdays: Billy Mitchell, father of the U.S. Air Force General

1895: The Lumiere brothers held the first commercial exhibition of projected motion pictures in the world’s first movie theater in Paris. Birthdays: Auguste and Louis Lumiere Twin brothers who opened first commercial cinema.

1897: Edmond Rostand’s play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac,’ premiered in Paris.

1902: The first professional indoor football game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Syracuse defeated the Philadelphia Nationals, 6-0.

1903: Electric lamp set fire to Iroquois theater in Chicago, Illinois; 602 died. Birthdays: Earl Fatha Hines, Jazz Pianist

1904: First daily wireless weather forecasts published in London.

1905: In response to threats from President Theodore Roosevelt, a 62-college conference was called, eventually forming the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, which would become the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Birthdays: Cliff Arquette, Actor

1908: Messina, Sicily, in southern Italy was struck by an earthquake killing nearly 80,000 people. Birthdays: Lew Ayres, Actor

1912: The first municipally-owned street cars took to the streets of San Francisco, California.

1913: Birthdays: Lou Jacobi Actor.

1914: Birthdays: Pop Staples Rhythm-and-blues Singer.

1917: The New York Evening Mail published a facetious essay by H. L. Mencken on the history of the bathtub in America. Mencken claimed, for example, that Millard Fillmore was the first president to have a bathtub installed in the White House.

1921: Birthdays: Johnny Otis Bandleader.

1922: Birthdays: Stan Lee, Comics Artist, Created Spiderman/Incredible Hulk.

1923: George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Saint Joan,’ premiered in New York City, New York. Deaths: Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel Engineer (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty), died at 91.

1924: Birthdays: Rod Serling, Syracuse, New York, Writer/Host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery).

1925: George and Ira Gershwin’s musical ‘Tip-Toes,’ premiered in New York City, New York.

1927: George Kaufman and Moss Hart’s ‘Royal Family,’ premiered in New York City, New York.

1928: Louis Armstrong made a 78 rpm recording of ‘West End Blues’. Ma Rainey’s last recording was made of ‘Mother of the Blues’.

1929: Birthdays: Owen Bieber Former UAW union president.

1931: Birthdays: Martin Milner, Actor

1934: Birthdays: Maggie Smith, Actress Dame.

1936: Birthdays: Nichelle Nichols Actress (Star Trek).

1937: Deaths: Maurice J. Ravel Swiss/French Composer (Bolero), died in Paris at 62.

1938: Birthdays: Charles Neville Rock Singer/Musician.

1939: Birthdays: Philip Anschutz, Entrepreneur

1941: ‘The Helen Hayes Theater,’ on CBS radio, was called the first casualty of World War II. Lipton Tea dropped sponsorship of the program as it prepared for shortages in tea imports from India. Birthdays: Don Francisco Variety Show Host (Sabado Gigante).

1942: R. O. Sullivan made history as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean – for the 100th time. Oberkommando Wehrmacht orders strategic flights out of the Caucasus.

1944: The musical, ‘On the Town,’ premiered on Broadway in New York City for a run of 462 performances. It was Leonard Bernstein’s first big Broadway success. The show’s hit song, ‘New York, New York,’ continues to be successful.

1945: The U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States. Birthdays: Max Hastings British editor-in-chief (Daily Telegraph)/Historian.
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1946: Birthdays: Edgar Winter Rock Singer/Musician (Edgar Winter Group).

1947: Deaths: Victor Emmanuel III King of Italy (1900-46), died at 78.

1949: 20th Century Fox announced it would produce TV programs.

1950: Advancing Chinese troops crossed the 38th Parallel, the dividing line between North and South Korea, to help the communist North Koreans fight American-led United Nations forces. Birthdays: Alex Chilton Rock Singer/Musician (The Box Tops; Big Star).

1952: Birthdays: Ray Knight MLB third baseman/Former coach.

1954: Birthdays: Denzel Washington, Actor

1955: Birthdays: Liu Xiaobo, China, Activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate

1956: After five years on television, the last ‘Ding Dong School’ was seen on NBC-TV. Miss Frances (Doctor Frances Horwich) rang the bell for one last time.

1957: ‘At The Hop,’ by Danny and The Juniors, hit Number 1 on the music charts. It stayed at the top spot for seven weeks. The title of the tune was originally ‘Do the Bop,’ but was changed at the suggestion of Dick Clark. Chart Toppers: My Special Angel Bobby Helms; Jailhouse Rock Elvis Presley; Great Balls of Fire Jerry Lee Lewis; At The Hop [originally: Do the Bop] Danny and The Juniors.

1958: One of the greatest football games ever, the National Football League championship game, was played. Quarterback Johnny Unitas led the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants, 23-17, in an extra sudden-death overtime. Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville) hit #1. Birthdays: Mike McGuire Country Musician (Shenandoah); Joe Diffie Country Singer/Guitarist.

1959: Birthdays: Everson Walls NFL cornerback.

1960: Birthdays: Ray Bourque NHL defenseman; Marty Roe Country Singer/Musician (Diamond Rio); Chad McQueen Actor.

1961: Tennessee Williams’ ‘Night of the Iguana,’ premiered in New York City, New York.

1963: Merle Haggard made his first appearance on the country chart with ‘Sing a Sad Song’. Birthdays: Willow Bay TV host; Malcolm Gets Actor (Caroline In The City). Deaths: Paul Hindemith German Composer (Composer’s World), died at 68; Abbott Joseph Liebling American Journalist/Writer. Chart Toppers: Sing a Sad Song Merle Haggard.

1964: Principal filming of the movie classic, ‘Dr. Zhivago,’ began on location near Madrid, Spain. When completed, the film was 197 minutes long and so spectacular that it received 10 Oscar nominations, winning five of the Academy Awards, including Best Original Score.

1965: Chart Toppers: The Sounds of Silence Simon and Garfunkel; Over and Over The Dave Clark Five; I Got You (I Feel Good) James Brown; Buckaroo Buck Owens and The Buckaroos.

1967: Muriel Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

1968: Israeli assaulted the Beirut Airport. Beatles’ ‘White Album,’ went #1 for nine weeks.

1969: Neil Simon’s ‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers,’ premiered in New York City, New York.

1971: Deaths: Maximilian Raoul Walter Steiner Composer, died at 83.

1972: Martin Bormann’s skeleton (Hitler’s deputy) allegedly found in Berlin.

1973: The Chamber of Commerce of Akron, Ohio, terminated its association with the All-American Soap Box Derby, stating that the race had become ‘a victim of cheating and fraud.’ Overanxious youngsters and their dads were found to be hiding things like heavy lead in secret places in the home-built cars; and they could also do funny things with the wheels to make them spin faster; and some cars were designed like Indy cars instead of soap box cars. Alexander Solzhenitsyn published ‘Gulag Archipelago,’ an expose of the Soviet prison system that led to his expulsion from the Soviet Union. Birthdays: Seth Meyers, Actor. Chart Toppers: Time in a Bottle Jim Croce; The Most Beautiful Girl Charlie Rich; If We Make It Through December Merle Haggard; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John.

1975: An earthquake in Pakistan killed 4,000 people. ‘Hail Mary Pass’ — Cowboys beat Vikings 17-14 on last second pass.

1976: Genie Francis joined the soap ‘General Hospital’ as Laura Vining, later to be one-half of Luke and Laura.

1978: Birthdays: John Legend, Singer

1980: Mexico terminated fishing agreements with United States. Deaths: Jersey calf Lived 222 days with an artificial heart.

1981: WEA Records (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) raised the price of its 45 rpm records from $1.68 to $1.98. The company was the leader of the pack with other labels soon boosting their prices. Within a few years, the 45 rpm record was boosted right out of existence. Birthdays: Elizabeth Jordan Carr Norfolk, Virginia, First American test tube baby. Chart Toppers: Waiting for a Girl like You Foreigner; Physical Olivia Newton-John; Love in the First Degree Alabama; Let’s Groove Earth, Wind and Fire.

1983: Deaths: Dennis Wilson The Beach Boys, drowned while taking a dip in the Pacific Ocean from his boat moored in Marina Del Rey, California, at age 39.

1984: Creosote bush determined to be 11,700 years old. ‘The Edge Of Night’ last aired after a 28-year run.

1985: Warring Lebanese Muslim and Christian leaders signed a peace agreement backed by Syria.

1986: Starting a comeback after being sidelined seven months for back surgery, Pat Davis (ranked 412th among world tennis competitors) won the Davis Cup (men’s international tennis team championship) for Australia by defeating Mikael Pernfors.

1987: The bodies of 14 relatives of R. Gene Simmons were found at his home near Dover, Arkansas, after Simmons had gone on a shooting spree in Russellville that claimed two other lives.

1989: Alexander Dubcek, former Czechoslovak Communist leader deposed in 1968 in a Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion, was named Parliament Chairman of the Czech Republic. Birthdays: Mackenzie Rosman Actress (7th Heaven). Chart Toppers: Rhythm Nation Janet Jackson; Don’t Know Much Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville; Another Day in Paradise Phil Collins; A Woman in Love Ronnie Milsap.

1991: Irene the Icon of Greek Orthodox church returned after being stolen.

1992: In a violent day in Lima, Peru, car bombs exploded outside two embassies, police thwarted a bank raid and rebels launched a missile attack on a police station. Five people were killed, 24 injured.

1993: Deaths: William L. Shirer Writer (Rise and Fall of the Third Reich), died at 89.

1994: President Clinton nominated Dan Glickman as agriculture secretary, succeeding Mike Espy. CIA Director R. James Woolsey resigned, ending a tenure shadowed by the Aldrich Ames spy scandal.

1997: Hong Kong officials announced that all chickens in the territory would be killed in an attempt to eradicate carriers of the avian flu, which had killed several people.

1998: Four people were killed, two missing and presumed dead, when fierce gales struck during an Australian yacht race. American warplanes exchanged missile fire with Iraqi air defenses, and President Clinton said there would be no letup in American and British pressure on Saddam Hussein.

2000: The U.S. Census Bureau announced a total of 281,421,906 people in the nation. The figure was a 13.2 percent increase in the last 10 years.

2001: U.S. President George W. Bush granted permanent normal trade status to China, reversing a 20-year policy. Box Office Top 10: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Ocean’s 11; Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius; Vanilla Sky; How High; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Not Another Teen Movie; The Majestic; Joe Somebody; Monsters, Inc.

2003: Officials in Iran’s ancient city of Bam said perhaps half the city’s population of 80,000 were killed or injured in the earthquake that struck the area.

2004: At least 18 Iraqi policemen were killed by insurgents in several attacks on police stations. Tecord numbers of Britons turned out with horses and hounds for a fox hunt on what could be Britain’s last legal Boxing Day hunt with a hunting ban to go into effect in two months.

2006: A Louisiana grand jury indicted seven New Orleans police officers on murder and attempted murder charges related to an alleged 2005 police ambush about one week after Hurricane Katrina struck.

2007: Hundreds of thousands of mourners filled the streets of the Pakistani village of Garhi Khuda Baksh for the funeral of Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former prime minister. Tempers flared and nine people were killed in rioting before the start of the funeral procession. Nepal abolished its monarchy and became a federal democratic republic.

2009: Western intelligence officials said Islamic extremists were moving from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen, which was seen as probably the next terrorist focal point.

2010: A blizzard cut power to a New York subway, trapping more than 500 people aboard a Manhattan train for six hours. They included passengers from Kennedy Airport who had waited hours for flights that were canceled.

2011: U.S. oil prices jumped more than 2 percent, crossing the $100 barrel plateau, a rapid response to Iran’s threat to block the flow of oil through the strategically and economically important Strait of Hormuz. Along with toys and electronics, guns were among the hottest items targeted by American holiday shoppers, the FBI reported.

2012: A 23-year-old woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi died at a hospital in Singapore. The attack by six men on the woman and her boyfriend caused outrage throughout India.

2013: Fire in a passenger train coach in India’s southeast Andhra Pradesh state killed at least 26 people, many of whom were asleep when the flames broke out.


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