Fun On this date in history...

Between the holidays and the board update, I've been way behind on things. So...

ON DECEMBER 23rd:

In 1620, one week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor in present-day Massachusetts, construction of the first permanent European settlement in New England began.

In 1783, following the signing of the Treaty of Paris, General George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, VA.

In 1788, Maryland passed an act to cede an area "not exceeding ten miles square" for the seat of the national government; about 2/3 of the area became the District of Columbia.

In 1823, the poem "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" was published anonymously in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel; the verse, more popularly known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," was later attributed to Clement C. Moore.

In 1893, the Engelbert Humperdinck opera "Haensel und Gretel" was first performed, in Weimar, Germany.

In 1913, the Federal Reserve System was created as President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act.

In 1928, the National Broadcasting Company set up a permanent, coast-to-coast network.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored the civil rights of about 1,500 people who'd been jailed for opposing the (First) World War.

In 1941, during World War II, American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese.

In 1943, actor/writer/producer/director Harry Shearer was born in Los Angeles. He’d later provide the voices of a good number of Springfield’s population.

In 1947, the transistor was first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.

In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.

In 1953, the Soviet Union announced the execution of Lavrentiy Beria, former head of the secret police, for treason.

In 1954, the first successful human kidney transplant took place at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston as a surgical team led by Dr. Joseph Murray removed a kidney from 23-year-old Ronald Herrick and implanted it in Herrick's twin brother, Richard, who was dying of chronic nephritis.

Also in 1954, the Disney version of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, starring James Mason as Capt. Nemo, was released in the U.S.

In 1957, the fantasy movie “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad”, featuring VFX by Ray Harryhausen, was released in the U.S.

In 1966, the spaghetti western “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” was released in Italy. Directed by Sergio Leone, it starred Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name, and co-starred Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach.

In 1968, 82 crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.

In 1970, The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan was topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it, at the time, the tallest building in the world.

In 1972, in football's "Immaculate Reception," Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers caught a pass thrown by Terry Bradshaw and scored a touchdown after the ball was deflected during a collision between Jack Tatum of the Oakland Raiders and the Steelers' John Fuqua; the Steelers won, 13-7.

In 1982, actor/producer/writer/director Jack Webb died in West Hollywood, CA at age 62.

In 1986, the experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, non-refueled round-the-world flight as it returned safely to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1994, actor/director/author Sebastian Shaw, well-known to “Star Wars” fans as Anakin Skywalker in “Return of the Jedi”, died in Brighton, Sussex, England at age 89.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 24th:

In 1814, the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 following ratification by both the British Parliament and the U.S. Senate.

In 1818, the first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

In 1851, fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes.

In 1871, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida" had its world premiere in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1906, composer/conductor Franz Waxman was born in the Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia.

In 1914, during World War I, impromptu Christmas truces began to take hold along parts of the Western Front between British and German soldiers who, in some cases, exchanged gifts and even played soccer with each other.

In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge touched a button and lit up the first national Christmas tree to grace the White House grounds.

In 1937, the Disney cartoon “Lonesome Ghosts” was released in the U.S. It featured the original Ghostbusters: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy.

In 1939, Pope Pius XII delivered a Christmas Eve address in which he offered a five-point program for peace and denounced "premeditated aggressions."

In 1941, actor John Levene, best-known for playing Sgt. Benton on “Doctor Who”, was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe as part of Operation Overlord.

In 1945, writer/director Nicholas Meyer was born in New York City. One of his films would later help perpetuate the odd/even theory of “Star Trek” movies.

In 1948, the Western comedy “The Paleface”, starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell, was released in the U.S.

In 1951, Gian Carlo Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors," the first opera written specifically for television, was first broadcast by NBC-TV.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts, orbiting the moon, read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve telecast.

In 1969, the Disney comedy “The Love Bug” opened in limited release in the U.S.

In 1973, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act was passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.

Also in 1973, author/producer Stephanie Meyer was born in Hartford, CT. She’d later write a series of vampire books that I’d spend a lot of time re-shelving.

In 1974, Cyclone Tracy began battering the Australian city of Darwin, resulting in widespread damage and causing some 65 deaths.

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978.

In 1981, the sci-fi/action movie “Mad Max 2”, starring Mel Gibson, was released in Australia. Retitled “The Road Warrior”, it would reach the U.S. the following May.

In 1993, the movie “Santa Claus” was shown on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” over Comedy Central. It also featured two new Christmas songs, “Whispering Christmas Warrior” and “Merry Christmas…If That’s OK”.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 25th:

In A.D. 336, the first known commemoration of Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome.

In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.

In 1492, the carrack Santa Maria, captained by Christopher Columbus ran onto reefs off Haiti due to a proper watch not being kept. Local natives helped to save food, armory and ammunition, but not the ship.

In 1776, George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, NJ, the next day.

In 1868, U.S. President Andrew Johnson granted unconditional pardons to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.

In 1899, Humphrey Bogart was born in New York City. As far as audiences were concerned, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

In 1906, Lord Lew Grade was born in Tokmak in the Ukraine. As a media executive, he’d be instrumental in the creation and distribution of programs like “The Prisoner”, “The Muppet Show” and productions from Gerry & Sylvia Anderson.

In 1907, singer/bandleader Cab Calloway was born in Rochester, NY.

Submitted for your approval: in 1924, producer/screenwriter/program host Rod Serling was born in Syracuse, NY.

In 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.

In 1941, during World War II, Japan announced the surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong.

Also in 1941, "White Christmas," written by Irving Berlin, received its world premiere on Bing Crosby's weekly NBC radio program, “The Kraft Music Hall”.

In 1942, the mystery movie “Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon” premiered in Los Angeles. It starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes & Watson, and Lionel Atwill as Professor Moriarty.

In 1946, actor/comedian W.C. Fields died in Pasadena, CA at age 66.

In 1961, Pope John XXIII formally announced the upcoming convocation of the Second Vatican Council, which opened in Oct. 1962.

In 1962, the film “To Kill a Mockingbird”, based on the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Harper Lee, and starring Gregory Peck, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1963, on the Western series “The Virginian”, the episode “Man of Violence” was broadcast on NBC-TV. The guest cast included DeForest Kelley (as a disgraced doctor) and Leonard Nimoy (as an outlaw).

In 1968, Apollo 8 performed the very first successful Trans-Earth Injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

In 1973, the film "The Sting," starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, premiered in Los Angeles and New York.

In 1977, actor/filmmaker Charlie Chaplin died in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland at age 88.

Also in 1977, the Mel Brooks spoof “High Anxiety” was released in the U.S.

In 1989, deposed Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, First-Deputy Prime-Minister Elena Ceausescu were condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.

In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.

In 1993, the animated film “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” was released in the U.S.

In 1995, actor/singer Dean Martin died in Beverly Hills at age 78.

In 2003, the Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express spacecraft on December 19th, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing. Allegations that it was destroyed by an Illudium Pu-36 Explosive Space Modulator have not been proven.

In 2004, The Cassini orbiter released the Huygens probe, which successfully landed on Saturn’s's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

In 2005, on “Doctor Who”, “The Christmas Invasion” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first regular appearance of David Tennant as the Doctor.

In 2006, singer James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, died in Atlanta, GA at age 73.

Also in 2006, on “Doctor Who”, “The Runaway Bride” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first full appearance of Catherine Tate as Donna Noble; she’d become a series regular the following year.

In 2008, singer/actress Eartha Kitt died in Weston, CT at age 81.

In 2013, “The Time of the Doctor”, featuring the last regular appearance of Matt Smith as the Doctor, was broadcast on BBC 1.

In 2014, on “Doctor Who”, “Last Christmas” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last appearance (to date) of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink.

In 2015, on “Doctor Who”, “The Husbands of River Song” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last appearance (to date) of Alex Kingston as River Song.

In 2017, on “Doctor Who”, “Twice Upon a Time” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, the first official appearance of David Bradley as the First Doctor, and the introduction of Jodie Whitaker as the Thirteenth Doctor.

 

On the 25th...









Because I had too:

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 26th:

In 1776, the British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.

In 1799, former President George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie announced the isolation of radium.

In 1900, a relief crew arrived at the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles of Scotland, UK, only to find the previous crew had disappeared without a trace. The incident would later be a basis for, and be mentioned in, the “Doctor Who” serial “The Horror of Fang Rock”.

In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African-American boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.

In 1914, actor Richard Widmark was born in Sunrise Township, MN.

In 1919, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox was sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.

In 1921, writer/comedian Steve Allen was born in New York City.

In 1933, Nissan Motor Co. was founded in Yokohama, Japan, as the Automobile Manufacturing Co.

Also in 1933, Muppeteer Caroll Spinney was born in Waltham, MA.

In 1940, the comedy “The Philadelphia Story” was released in the U.S. It starred Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart, and would later win two Oscars.

In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, the embattled U.S. 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, Belgium, was relieved by units of the 4th Armored Division.

In 1952, the adventure movie “The African Queen”, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1956, the kaiju movie “Sora no daikaiju Radon” was released in Japan. The following August, dubbed in English and re-titled “Rodan”, it would reach the U.S.

In 1957, Elvis Presley got a temporary draft deferment so he could finish the movie "King Creole."

In 1960, actor Temuera Morrison was born in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. He’d later play a simple man trying to make his way in the universe, and his clones.

In 1963, Capitol Records released the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles, which became the band's first number one hit in the U.S. The B-side was “I Saw Her Standing There”.

In 1966, Kwanzaa was first celebrated.

In 1967, the Beatles film "Magical Mystery Tour" premiered on BBC 1.

In 1972, Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the U.S., died in Kansas City, MO, at age 88.

In 1973, the horror film "The Exorcist" was released in the U.S.

In 1974, actor/comedian/musician Jack Benny died in Los Angeles at age 39.

In 1994, French commandos stormed a hijacked Air France jetliner on the ground in Marseille, killing four Algerian hijackers and freeing 170 hostages.

In 1996, 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. (To date, the slaying remains unsolved.)

In 1999, musician Curtis Mayfield died outside Atlanta at the age of 57.

In 2004, Following a 9.1-9.3 Mw Indian Ocean Earthquake that affected northern Sumatra, one of the largest observed tsunamis affected the coastal areas of Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The resulting death toll was between 230,000–280,000.

In 2006, Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the U.S., died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.

In 2012, producer/director/screenwriter Gerry Anderson died in Oxfordshire at age 83.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 27th:

In 1814, the American schooner USS Carolina was destroyed. It was the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson’s makeshift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson’s victory at the Battle of New Orleans.

In 1831, naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a round-the-world voyage aboard the HMS Beagle.

In 1879, actor Sydney Greenstreet was born in Sandwich, Kent, England. His search for a certain black bird would come later.

In 1904, James Barrie's play "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" opened at the Duke of York's Theater in London.

In 1927, the musical play "Show Boat," with music by Jerome Kern and libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II, opened at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York.

In 1932, New York City's Radio City Music Hall first opened.

In 1945, 28 nations signed an agreement creating the World Bank.

In 1947, the original version of the puppet character Howdy Doody made its TV debut on NBC's "Puppet Playhouse."

In 1949, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands signed an act recognizing Indonesia's sovereignty after more than three centuries of Dutch rule.

In 1964, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts 27-0 to win the NFL Championship Game played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

In 1968, Apollo 8 and its three astronauts made a safe, nighttime splashdown in the Pacific.

In 1978, Spain became a democracy after 40 years of fascist dictatorship.

In 1979, Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed, was replaced by Babrak Karmal.

In 1982, astronaut Jack Swigert, CSM pilot for Apollo 13, died in Washington, DC at age 51.

In 1983, Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Agca in Rebibbia’s's prison and personally forgave him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter’s Square.

In 1985, Palestinian guerrillas opened fire inside the Rome and Vienna airports; 19 victims were killed, plus four attackers who were slain by police and security personnel.

Also in 1985, American naturalist Dian Fossey, age 53, who had studied gorillas in the wild in Rwanda, was found hacked to death.

In 1994, four Roman Catholic priests — three French and a Belgian — were shot to death in their rectory in Algiers, a day after French commandos killed four radicals who'd hijacked an Air France jet from Algiers to Marseille.

In 2001, China was granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.

In 2007, opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during a suicide bomb attack in Pakistan following a campaign rally.

In 2016, actress/author/screenwriter Carrie Fisher died in Los Angeles at age 60.

Also in 2016, author Richard Adams, best-known for his book Watership Down, died in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England at age 96.

 

Lest we forget...

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 28th:

In 1065, Westminster Abbey was consecrated

In 1612, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei observed the planet Neptune, but mistook it for a star. (Neptune wasn't officially discovered until 1846 by Johann Gottfried Galle.)

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

In 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted to the Union.

In 1856, Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the U.S., was born in Staunton, VA.

In 1888. Filmmaker F.W. Murnau was born in Bielefeld, Province of Westphalia, Germany. He’s best-known for his acclaimed horror film, “Nosferatu”.

In 1902, the Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

In 1908, actor Lew Ayres was born in Minneapolis, MN. He’s best-known for his starring role in the 1930 film version of “All Quiet on the Western Front”, as well as being granted Conscientious Objector status during World War II, and his service in the Marine Corps as a medic and chaplain’s aide in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

In 1922, writer/publisher Stan Lee was born in New York City. Excelsior, true believers!

In 1932, actress Nichelle Nichols was born in Robbins, IL. Her Star Fleet commission would come later.

In 1933, journalist/commentator/host Jack Perkins was born in Cleveland, OH. He’d later tell us what made good TV, and be parodied on a certain cow town puppet show.

In 1944, the musical "On the Town," with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened on Broadway.

In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.

In 1946, singer/musician Edgar Winter was born in Beaumont, TX.

In 1958, the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in the first ever NFL sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium. It would later be called “The Greatest Game Ever Played”.

In 1963, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “The Survivors” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first full appearance of the Daleks.

In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

In 1974, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “Robot” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first regular appearance of Tom Baker as the Doctor, and Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan.

Also in 1973, Alexander Solzhenitsyn published The Gulag Archipelago, an expose of the Soviet prison system.

In 1988, principal photography was completed “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”.

In 1981, the “Doctor Who” spin-off “K9 & Company”, starring Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 as himself, broadcast on BBC 1. However, it would be several years more before Sarah Jane and K-9 would get a proper spin-off series.

In 1989, Alexander Dubcek, the former Czechoslovak Communist leader who was deposed in a Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968, was named president of the country's parliament.

Also in 1989, physicist/engineer Hermann Oberth, one of the pioneers of rocketry and astronautics, died in Nuremberg, West Germany at age 95.

In 2009, forty-three people died in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims were observing the Day of Ashura.

In 2016, actress/singer/dancer Debbie Reynolds died in Los Angeles at age 84.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 29th:

In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in Canterbury Cathedral by knights loyal to King Henry II.

In 1808, Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the U.S., was born in Raleigh, NC.

In 1812, during the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.

In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.

In 1879, Gen Billy Mitchell, regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force, was born in Nice, France.

In 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.

In 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the so-called "Mad Monk" who'd wielded great influence with Czar Nicholas II, was killed by a group of Russian noblemen in St. Petersburg.

In 1928, actor Bernard Cribbins was born in Derker, Oldham, Lancashire, England. He’d later play a companion of Dr. Who, and a Companion on “Doctor Who”.

In 1933, the comedy movie “Sons of the Desert”, starring Laurel & Hardy, was released in the U.S.

In 1934, Japan formally renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.

In 1936, actress Mary Tyler Moore was born in Brooklyn, NY. She’d later turn the world on with her smile.

Also in 1936, middle linebacker Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers was born in Elmwood Park, IL.

In 1937, The Irish Free State was replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.

In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as "The Second Great Fire of London."

In 1966, on “Star Trek”, the episode “Shore Leave” was broadcast on NBC-TV. And we’re still waiting for Kirk to really beat up Finnegan.

In 1967, on “Star Trek”, the episode “The Trouble with Tribbles” was broadcast on NBC-TV. Make sure your supply of quadrotriticale is secure before watching it again.

In 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed into the Florida Everglades near Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people aboard.

In 1975, a bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.

In 1989, dissident and playwright Vaclav Havel assumed the presidency of Czechoslovakia.

In 1998, leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over one million lives.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 30th:

In 1813, British troops burned Buffalo, NY, during the War of 1812.

In 1853, the United States and Mexico signed a treaty under which the U.S. agreed to buy some 45,000 square miles of land from Mexico for $10 million in a deal known as the Gadsden Purchase.

In 1903, about 600 people died when fire broke out at the recently opened Iroquois Theater in Chicago.

In 1922, Vladimir I. Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which lasted nearly seven decades before dissolving in Dec. 1991.

In 1925, actor/producer/director Ian MacNaughton was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He’s best-known for his work on “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.

In 1936, the United Auto Workers union staged its first "sit-down" strike at the General Motors Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint, Michigan. (The strike lasted until Feb. 11, 1937.)

In 1942, actor/singer/musician/Monkee Michael Nesmith was born in Houston, TX.

In 1944, King George II of Greece proclaimed a regency to rule his country, virtually renouncing the throne.

In 1945, actor/singer/musician/Monkee Davy Jones was born in Openshaw, Manchester, Lancashire, England.

In 1947, author/screenwriter/producer James Kahn was born in Chicago, IL. “Star Wars” fans will recognize him as the author of the novelization of “Return of the Jedi”, as well as the one for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

In 1948, the Cole Porter Broadway musical “Kiss Me, Kate” opened at Broadway's New Century Theatre. It would later become the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award.

In 1954, Olympic gold medal runner Malvin G. Whitfield became the first black recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award for amateur athletes.

In 1959, the spy movie “Our Man in Havana” premiered in London. It starred Alec Guinness, Maureen O’Hara, Burl Ives and Ernie Kovacs.

In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was inaugurated for his first term as president of the Philippines.

In 1966, “One Million Years, B.C.” released, starring Raquel Welch, was released in the UK. Male audiences in the U.S. would have to wait until the following February to see her…and the movie.

In 1973, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Three Doctors”, the first multi-Doctor story and the series’ 10th Anniversary story, was broadcast on BBC 1.

In 1978, Ohio State University (OSU) made the decision to fire its 65-year-old football coach, Woody Hayes, one day after Hayes punched a player on the opposing team near the end of the Gator Bowl.

In 1979, Broadway composer Richard Rodgers died in New York at age 77.

In 1980, "The Wonderful World of Disney" was cancelled by NBC after more than 25 years on the TV. It was, at the time, the longest-running series in prime-time television history. (CHECK)

In 1989, a Northwest Airlines DC-10, which had been the target of a telephoned threat, flew safely from Paris to Detroit with 22 passengers amid extra-tight security.

In 1993, Israel established diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgraded to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.

In 1994, a gunman walked into a pair of suburban Boston abortion clinics and opened fire, killing two employees. (John C. Salvi III was later convicted of murder; he died in prison, an apparent suicide.)

In 1996, Comedy Central broadcast “Mystery Science Theater 3000” for the last time, showing the episode featuring the action/exploitation movie “Angels’ Revenge”. (The network would, for a time, later effectively disavow the entire series.)

In 1999, former Beatle George Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his mansion west of London and stabbed him in the chest. (Michael Abram was later acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity.)

In 1999, a man later identified as “John Smith” was caught in a crossfire between two local gangs in San Francisco and seriously wounded. Reportedly, he died during surgery, and his remains disappeared from the morgue at Walker General Hospital. The matter remains, officially, unsolved.

In 2006, Iraqis awoke to news that Saddam Hussein had been hanged; victims of his three decades of autocratic rule took to the streets to celebrate.

In 2013, more than 100 people were killed when anti-government forces attacked key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 2014, actress Luise Rainer, the first person to win multiple Academy Awards and to win consecutive Academy Awards, died in London at age 104.

 

And on the 28th/29th...

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 31st:

In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and started brewing Guinness stout.

In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, the British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.

In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa, then a small logging town, as the capital of Canada.

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed an act that admitted West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.

In 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, NJ.

In 1907, the first New Year’s Eve celebration was held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York City.

In 1909, the Manhattan Bridge, spanning the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was officially opened to vehicular traffic.

In 1943, a near-riot of bobby-soxers in Times Square greeted Frank Sinatra's singing engagement at the Paramount Theater.

In 1944, Hungary declared war on Nazi Germany.

Also in 1944, Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive on the Western Front began.

In 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

In 1947, singing cowboy Roy Rogers married Dale Evans.

In 1951, the Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.

In 1958, the movie “The Crawling Eye” was released in the U.S. About thirty years later, it would be the first movie featured during the cable run of “Mystery Science Theater 300”, and about ten years later, it’d be featured (in a way) in the last episode of the series’ original run.

In 1960, the farthing coin ceased to be legal tender in the UK.

In 1961, the Beach Boys played their first gig in Long Beach, California. They earned $300.

In 1967, the Dallas Cowboys played the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. With a game time temperature of -15 degrees Fahrenheit, the game would later be dubbed “The Ice Bowl”. (The Packers won 21-17.)

In 1968, filming began on “Turnabout Intruder”, the final episode of the original series “Star Trek”.

In 1969, Joseph A. Yablonski, an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, was shot to death with his wife and daughter in their Clarksville, Pennsylvania, home by hitmen acting at the orders of UMWA president Tony Boyle.

In 1972, Major League baseball player Roberto Clemente, age 38, was killed when a plane he'd chartered and was traveling on to bring relief supplies to earthquake-devastated Nicaragua crashed shortly after takeoff from Puerto Rico.

Also in 1972, the first “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”, hosted by Dick Clark, was broadcast on ABC-TV.

In 1974, private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.

In 1979, the U.S. ended diplomatic relations with Nationalist China in Taiwan, and officially recognized the government of the People’s Republic of China on the mainland in Beijing.

In 1983, the AT&T Bell System was broken up by the U.S. Government.

In 1985, singer Rick Nelson, age 45, was killed when fire broke out aboard a private plane that was taking him to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas. His fiancee and five other people were also killed.

In 1986, 97 people were killed when fire broke out in the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Three hotel workers later pleaded guilty in connection with the blaze.)

Also in 1986, KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, MN broadcast its 23rd annual New Year’s Eve Extravaganza. Hosted by journalist Bob Bagadonuts, it climaxed with the traditional New Year’s Eve Melon Drop.

In 1991, all official Soviet Union institutions ceased operations and the Union officially dissolved.

In 1999, there was a disturbance at a black-tie gala in honor of the first use of a new beryllium atomic clock at the ITAR in San Francisco. By direct Presidential order, all information on the incident was classified and jurisdiction was handed over to UNIT.

Also in 1999, the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigned from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.

In addition in 1999, the U.S. Government handed control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties.

In 2005, Dick Clark returned to his "New Year's Rockin' Eve" telecast after missing the previous year because he had had a stroke.

In 2007, retired teacher/coach William C. Morgan passed away in Honesdale, PA at age 75, following complications from a long illness. He is sorely missed by family and friends.

In 2014, a New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai killed at least 36 people and injured 49 others.

In 2015, a fire broke out at the Downtown Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates two hours before the fireworks display was due to commence; 16 injuries were reported.

 

And on December 30/31...

 

If I may...

ON JANUARY 1st:

In 1745, soldier/statesman Gen. Anthony “Mad Anthony” Wayne was born in Easttown Township, Province of Pennsylvania. A decorated officer during the American Revolution and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he’s best-known today as one of the sources of the name of a certain millionaire crime fighter.

In 1801, the legislative union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland was completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be "forever free."

In 1900, diplomat Chiune Suginara was born in Mino, Jifu, Japan. During World War II, while serving as Japanese Vice-Consul in Lituania, he helped between 10,000 and 40,000 Jews escape the Nazis by granting them travel visas to enter Japanese territory.

In 1901, the British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia federated as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton was appointed the first Prime Minister.

In 1902, the first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, CA.

In 1913, the U.S. Parcel Post system went into operation.

In 1934, Alcatraz Island became a United States federal prison.

In 1935, the Associated Press inaugurated Wirephoto, the first successful service for transmitting photographs by wire to member newspapers.

In 1943, the Disney cartoon “Der Fuehrer’s Face”, starring Donald Duck, was released in the U.S.

In 1945, France was admitted to the United Nations.

In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., age 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia, while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.

In 1962, the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in London. In a decision later deemed to be ill-considered, Decca executive Dick Rowe turned them down.

In 1964, the music program “Top of the Pops” premiered on BBC 1.

In 1971, cigarette advertisements were banned on American television.

In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In 1975, a jury in Washington found Nixon administration officials John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Robert C. Mardian guilty of charges related to the Watergate cover-up; a fifth defendant, Kenneth Parkinson, was acquitted, and Mardian's conviction for conspiracy was later overturned on appeal.

In 1977, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Face of Evil” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first appearance of Louise Jameson as Leela.

In 1979, formal diplomatic relations were established between China and the United States.

In 1983, The ARPANET officially changed to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

In 1984, the breakup of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.

In 1985, the music cable channel VH-1 made its debut with a video of Marvin Gaye performing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

In 1988, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America came into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States.

In 1990, David Dinkins was sworn in as New York City's first African-American mayor.

In 1993, Czechoslovakia was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 1994, The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect.

In 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) came into being, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Also in 1995, Sweden, Finland and Austria joined the European Union.

In 1999, the Euro currency was introduced in 11 countries - members of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden).

In 2007, the premiere episode of the “Doctor Who” spin-off “The Sarah Jane Adventures”, starring Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, was broadcast on CBBC as a New Year’s Day special. The formal series would begin on September 24th.

Also in 2007, George Lucas served as Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Roses Parade, accompanied by an honor guard from the 501st Legion.

In 2010, on “Doctor Who”, part two of “The End of Time” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of David Tennant as the Doctor, and introduced Matt Smith in the role.

In 2012, stuntman/swordmaster Bob Anderson died in West Sussex, England at age 89. His long career included arranging the lightsaber duels in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”, as well as doubling for David Prowse as Darth Vader in those sequences.

In 2014, the first legal recreational marijuana shops in the U.S. opened in Colorado.

In 2017, a terrorist attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, during New Year's celebrations, killed at least 39 people and injured more than 60 others.