Fun On this date in history...

Still catching up...

ON NOVEMBER 27th:

In 1095, Pope Urban urged the faithful to wrest the Holy Land from the Muslims, heralding the start of Crusades.

In 1896, in Frankfurt, Germany, the tone poem “Also Sprach Zarathoustra” by Richard Strauss was first performed.

In 1901, the U.S. Army War College was established in Washington, D.C.

In 1910, New York's Pennsylvania Station officially opened.

In 1918, actor Peter Tuddenham, best-known for voicing three members of Blake’s 7, was born.

In 1924, Macy's first Thanksgiving Day parade — billed as a "Christmas Parade" — took place in New York.

In 1935, producer Verity Lambert, the Doctor’s mother, was born in London.

In 1940, actor/filmmaker/martial artist Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco.

In 1942, during World War II, the Vichy French navy at Toulon scuttled its ships and submarines to keep them out of the hands of German troops.

Also in 1942, musician/singer Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, WA.

In 1962, the first Boeing 727 was rolled out at the company's Renton Plant.

In 1964, the first scenes of “The Cage”, the original pilot of “Star Trek”, were filmed. It was the scene where Capt. Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) talks with Dr. Boyce (John Hoyt) in Pike’s cabin.

In 1965, the kaiju movie “Daikaiju Gamera” was released in Japan. Years later, the Sandy Frank cut of the movie would be inflicted on the S.O.L. crew twice.

In 1970, Pope Paul VI, visiting the Philippines, was slightly wounded at the Manila airport by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest.

In 1971, the Soviet space program’s unmanned Mars 2 orbiter released a descent module. It malfunctioned and crashed, but it was the first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars.

In 1973, the Senate voted 92-3 to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, who'd resigned.

In 1977, the Rankin/Bass animated movie “The Hobbit”, based on the story by J.R.R. Tolkien, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1978, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights activist, were shot to death inside City Hall by former supervisor Dan White.

In 1983, 181 people were killed when a Colombian Avianca Airlines Boeing 747 crashed near Madrid's Barajas airport.

In 1989, a bomb blamed on drug traffickers destroyed a Colombian Avianca Boeing 727, killing all 107 people on board and three people on the ground.

In 2010, director Irvin Kershner, best-known for his work on “Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back”, died in Los Angeles at age 87.

In 2015, a gunman opened fire at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, CO, killing a police officer and two civilians, and wounding five officers and four civilians. Following a standoff, the gunman later surrendered.

 

OK, I think I'm caught up...

ON NOVEMBER 28th:

In 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.

In 1861, the Confederate Congress admitted Missouri as the 12th state of the Confederacy after Missouri's disputed secession from the Union.

In 1895, the first American automobile race took place over the 54 miles from Chicago's Jackson Park to Evanston, IL. Frank Duryea won in approximately 10 hours.

In 1905, the political organization Sinn Fein was founded in Dublin.

In 1922, Captain Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force gave the first public skywriting exhibition, spelling out, "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200" over New York's Times Square; about 47,000 calls in less than three hours resulted.

In 1925, the Grand Ole Opry made its radio debut on station WSM in Nashville, TN.

In 1942, nearly 500 people died in a fire that destroyed the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to discuss war strategy.

Also in 1943, singer/songwriter/composer Randy Newman was born in Los Angeles.

In 1958, Chad, Gabon and Middle Congo became autonomous republics within the French community.

In 1964, the United States launched the space probe Mariner 4 on a course toward Mars, which it flew past in July 1965, sending back pictures of the red planet.

In 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 en route to the South Pole crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all 257 people aboard.

In 1987, a South African Airways Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean with the loss of all 159 people aboard.

Also in 1987, actress/director Karen Gillian was born in Inverness, Scotland. Sometime later, she’d meet up with a certain madman with a box.

In 1989, In the face of protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced it would give up its monopoly on political power.

In 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as British prime minister during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who then conferred the premiership on John Major.

In 2001, Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion takeover deal.

In 2010, actor/producer Leslie Neilsen died in Fort Lauderdale at age 84.

In 2016, eleven people were hospitalized after a suspect rammed his car into a crowd, and then stabbed numerous people on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. The suspect was shot and killed by a police officer after he failed to obey orders to stop.

 

If I may...

ON NOVEMBER 29th:

In 1729, Natchez Indians massacred 138 Frenchmen, 35 French women, and 56 children at Fort Rosalie, near the site of modern-day Natchez, MS. (Some sources list the massacre as occurring on November 28th.)

In 1777, the settlement of San Jose, CA (then known as Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe) was founded.

In 1864, a Colorado militia killed at least 150 peaceful Cheyenne Indians in the Sand Creek Massacre.

In 1877, Thomas Edison demonstrated his phonograph for the first time.

In 1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, NY; Navy defeated Army, 24-0.

Also in 1890, the Imperial Diet, forerunner of Japan's current national legislature, opened its first session.

In 1896, rodeo rider/actor/stuntman/director Yakima Canutt was born in Colfax, WA. He would pioneer many stunt techniques still in use today.

In 1898, poet/author/Christian apologist C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland.

In 1924, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini died in Brussels at age 65 before he could complete his opera "Turandot." (As Paul McGann later told us, it was finished by Franco Alfano.)

In 1942, actor Michael Craze, best-known for playing Ben Jackson on “Doctor Who”, was born in Newquay, Cornwall, England.

In 1945, the monarchy was abolished in Yugoslavia and a republic proclaimed.

In 1947, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the partitioning of Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

In 1948, the puppet show "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" made its debut on WNBQ-TV, Chicago. Starting the following January, it would be broadcast over the NBC-TV network.

In 1949, comedian/actor/screenwriter Garry Shandling was born in Chicago.

In 1952, President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower secretly left on a trip to Korea, keeping his campaign promise to assess the ongoing conflict first-hand.

In 1961, Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited earth twice before returning.

In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Also In 1963, the Beatles single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was released in the UK.

In 1971, the historical epic “Nicholas & Alexandra” was released in the UK.

In 1972, the coin-operated video arcade game “Pong”, created by Atari, made its debut at Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, CA.

In 1976, actor/playwright Chadwick Boseman was born in Anderson, SC.

In 1990, the U.N. Security Council voted to authorize military action to free Kuwait if Iraq did not withdraw its occupying troops and release all foreign hostages by Jan. 15, 1991.

In 2001, musician/singer/songwriter/producer/Beatle George Harrison died in Los Angeles at age 58.

In 2017, NBC News announced that it had fired anchorman Matt Lauer after a female employee filed a complaint against him for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace”.

Also in 2017, author/program host Garrison Keillor was fired by Minnesota Public Radio following allegations of “inappropriate behavior”.

In 2018, producer/screenwriter Gloria Katz died in Los Angeles at age 76. Her credits included co-writing the screenplays for “American Graffiti” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, and co-writing an uncredited (but now formally acknowledged) dialogue polish on the script for “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope”.

In 2019, a terrorist mass stabbing at London Bridge killed two civilians and injured three others. (The attacker was shot dead by police on the bridge.)

 

- Video is about an exhibit being opened dedicated to the Sand Creek massacre.

 

Late again, are we?

ON NOVEMBER 30th:

In 1782, the United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.

In 1803, Spain completed the process of ceding Louisiana to France, which had sold it to the United States.

In 1804, The Democratic-Republican-controlled U.S. Senate began an impeachment trial of Federalist Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. (He would be acquitted of all charges the following March.)

In 1835, author/humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was born in Florida, MO.

In 1872, the first-ever international football match took place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England. (It ended with a 0-0 tie.)

In 1874, British statesman Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England.

In 1924, writer/producer/singer/actor/satirist Allan Sherman was born in Chicago, IL.

In 1929, businessman/TV & radio host Dick Clark, the world’s oldest teenager, was born in Mt. Vernon, NY.

In 1931, musician/singer/actor Jack Sheldon was born in Jacksonville, FL. He’s perhaps best-known for his voice work on several “Schoolhouse Rock” segments.

In 1934, the LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman became the first steam locomotive to be authenticated as reaching 100 mph.

In 1936, London's famed Crystal Palace, constructed for the Great Exhibition of 1851, was destroyed in a fire.

In 1939, the Winter War began as Soviet troops invaded Finland. (The conflict ended the following March with a Soviet victory.)

In 1954, Ann Elizabeth Hodges of Oak Grove, AL, was slightly injured when an 8-1/2-pound chunk of meteor crashed through the roof of her house, hit a radio cabinet, then hit her as she lay napping on a couch. It is the only documented case in the Western Hemisphere of a human being hit by a rock from space.

In 1955, actor/voice artist Kevin Conroy was born in Westbury, NY.

In 1962, the German-made mystery “Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes”(English title: “Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace”) was released in West Germany. It starred Christopher Lee and Thorley Walters as Holmes & Watson, and both had their voices dubbed in every version of the movie.

In 1965, Unsafe at Any Speed by Ralph Nader, a book highly critical of the U.S. auto industry, was first released in hardcover by Grossman Publishers.

In 1971, the fact-based TV movie “Brian’s Song”, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, was broadcast on ABC.

In 1979, actor/comedian/theatrical agent/engineer Zeppo Marx died in Rancho Mirage, CA at age 78.

In 1982, the Michael Jackson album "Thriller" was released by Epic Records.

In 1991, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the sequel “War of the Colossal Beast” was broadcast on Comedy Central. The episode also featured the…unusual promotional short “Mr. B Natural”.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (popularly known as “The Brady Bill”) into law.

In 1993, the dramatic film “Schindler’s List”, directed by Steven Spielberg, premiered in Washington, D.C.

In 1999, in Seattle, WA, demonstrations against a World Trade Organization meeting by anti-globalization protestors caught police unprepared and forced the cancellation of opening ceremonies.

In 1998, Exxon and Mobil signed a $73.7 billion agreement to merge, thus creating ExxonMobil, the world's largest company.

In 2004, after 74 consecutive wins, longtime “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings finally lost, leaving him with $2,520,700. (Between this amount, money earned during later series appearances, and appearances on other game shows, Jennings is currently the highest earning American game show contestant.)

In 2005, John Sentamu became the first black archbishop in the Church of England with his enthronement as the 97th Archbishop of York.

In 2018, George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, died in Houston, TX at age 94.

Also in 2018, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit South Central Alaska, followed minutes later by a magnitude 5.7 aftershock. This resulted in significant damage and over 100 injuries, but no fatalities.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 1st:

In 1824, the presidential election was turned over to the U.S. House of Representatives when a deadlock developed between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford and Henry Clay. (Adams ended up the winner.)

In 1860, the Charles Dickens novel "Great Expectations" was first published in weekly serial form in the periodical “All the Year Round”.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln sent his Second Annual Message to Congress, in which he called for the abolition of slavery, and went on to say, "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves."

In 1886, author Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolfe, was born in Noblesville, IN.

In 1921, the Navy flew the first non-rigid dirigible to use helium; the C-7 traveled from Hampton Roads, VA, to Washington, D.C.

In 1934, Soviet communist official Sergei M. Kirov, an associate of Josef Stalin, was assassinated in Leningrad, resulting in a massive purge.

In 1938, the Western “The Terror in Tiny Town” was released in the U.S. Featuring an all-little person cast, it would later be considered one of the worst movies of all time.

In 1940, actor/comedian Richard Pryor was born in Peoria, IL.

In 1941, Japan's Emperor Hirohito approved waging war against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands after his government rejected U.S. demands contained in the Hull Note.

In 1942, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.

In 1944, the Universal Horror movie “House of Frankenstein” was released in the U.S. The cast featured Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr.; John Carradine and Glenn Strange.

In 1948, the John Ford Western “Three Godfathers” was released in the U.S. It starred John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carey, Jr.

In 1955, Rosa Parks, an African-American seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a Caucasian man on a Montgomery, AL city bus; the incident sparked a year-long boycott of the buses by African-Americans.

In 1965, an airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.

In 1969, the U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.

Also in 1969, the sci-fi/horror movie “The Green Slime” premiered in Los Angeles. It would later be the first MSTed movie.

In 1973, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, died in Tel Aviv at age 87.

In 1974, TWA Flight 514, a Boeing 727, crashed northwest of Dulles International Airport, killing all 92 people on board, while Northwest Airlines Flight 6231, another Boeing 727, crashed northwest of JFK Airport, killing all three crew members.

In 1984, the movie "Beverly Hills Cop," starring Eddie Murphy, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1989, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev met with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

In 1990, British and French workers digging the Channel Tunnel between their countries finally met after knocking out a passage in a service tunnel.

In 2001, Trans World Airlines had its last day operation as part of its merger with American Airlines.

In 2003, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, the final film in the trilogy based on the best-selling fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, premiered in Wellington, New Zealand.

In 2018, more than 1,000 aftershocks affected Alaska one day after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake caused significant damage in South Central Alaska.

 

If I (belatedly) may...

ON DECEMBER 2nd:

In 1697, St. Paul’s Cathedral was consecrated in London.

In 1763, the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, RI, the first synagogue in what would become the United States, was dedicated.

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French.

In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry the previous October.

In 1924, actor Jonathan Frid, well-known for playing Barnabas Collins in the original “Dark Shadows” TV series, was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

In 1927, Ford Motor Co. unveiled its Model A automobile that replaced its Model T.

In 1939, New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field (later LaGuardia Airport) went into operation as an airliner from Chicago landed at one minute past midnight.

In 1939, the horror movie “The Return of Doctor X” was released in the U.S. It was noteworthy for having very little connection to the original 1932 movie “Doctor X”, and for co-starring Humphrey Bogart in his only horror movie.

In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.

In 1943, "Carmen Jones" opened in New York City at the Broadway Theater. It was Oscar Hammerstein II’s contemporary reworking of the Bizet opera "Carmen" with an all-black cast.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate passed, 67-22, a resolution condemning Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., saying he had "acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

In 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would eventually lead Cuba to Communism.

In 1970, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency began operating; its first director was William D. Ruckelshaus.

In 1980, four American churchwomen were raped and murdered outside San Salvador. (Five El Salvador national guardsmen were later convicted of murdering nuns Ita Ford, Maura Clarke and Dorothy Kazel, and lay worker Jean Donovan.)

In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Dr. Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device.

In 1986, actor/musician/producer Desi Arnaz died in Del Mar, CA at age 69.

In 1998, the comedy “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!”, starring Leslie Nielsen as Det. Frank Drebin, was released in the U.S.

In 1999, the United Kingdom devolved political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.

In 2001, energy/commodities company Enron Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In 2015, 14 people were killed and at least 17 were wounded when multiple assailants armed with assault rifles opened fire at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernadino, CA.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 3rd:

In 1810, British forces captured Mauritius from the French, who had renamed the island nation off southeast Africa "Ile de France."

In 1818, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state.

In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States by the Electoral College.

In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio, the first truly coeducational school of higher learning in the United States, began holding classes.

In 1947, the Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. It starred Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter.

In 1952, comedian/actor/writer/producer/director Mel Smith was born in Chiswick, London, England.

In 1953, the musical "Kismet" opened on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theater. The score featured the song “Stranger in Paradise”, but did you know the original theme is from the “Polovtsian Dance, No. 2” by Borodin?

In 1960, the Lerner and Loewe musical "Camelot" opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theater. It starred Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet.

In 1965, The Beatles' sixth studio album, "Rubber Soul," was released in the UK.

In 1967, surgeons in Cape Town, South Africa led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky, who lived 18 days with the new heart.

Also in 1967, the 20th Century Limited, the famed luxury train, completed its final run from New York to Chicago.

In 1968, the musical TV special “Elvis” (commonly referred to as “the ’68 Comeback Special”) was broadcast on NBC.

In 1971, Pakistan launched a pre-emptive strike against India and a full-scale war began, claiming hundreds of lives.

In 1976, Pink Floyd released a 40-foot helium-filled pig at Battersea Power Station in England so they could photograph it for their "Animals" album cover. The pig broke loose, and authorities had to alert pilots to watch for a flying pig.

In 1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini became the first Supreme Leader of Iran.

In 1979, 11 people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum, where the British rock group The Who was performing.

In 1984, thousands of people died after a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India.

In 1991, radicals in Lebanon released American hostage Alann Steen, who'd been held captive nearly five years.

Also in 1991, “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” premiered in Hollywood. It was the last movie to feature the original cast of the TV series.

In 1992, a test engineer for Sema Group used a personal computer to send the world's first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.

In 1997, in Ottawa, Ontario representatives from 121 countries signed the Ottawa Treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia did not sign the treaty, however.

In 1999, NASA lost radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft entered the Martian atmosphere. Allegations that the Ice Warriors were responsible remain unproven.

In 2014, a Staten Island, NY grand jury declined to indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man stopped on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

In 2018, Qatar announced that it would withdraw from OPEC in January 2019 in order to focus on natural gas production.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 4th:

In 1619, a group of settlers from Bristol, England, arrived at Berkeley Hundred in present-day Charles City County, VA, where they held a service thanking God for their safe arrival.

In 1783, Gen. George Washington bade farewell to his Continental Army officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.

In 1816, James Monroe was elected the fifth president of the U.S.

In 1872, the crewless American ship Mary Celeste was found by the British brig Dei Gratia. The ship had been abandoned for nine days but was only slightly damaged. The mystery regarding the crew’s disappearance has yet to be solved.

In 1909, the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, was founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.

Also in 1909, in Canadian football, the first Grey Cup game was played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeated the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club 26–6.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson left Washington on a trip to France to attend the Versailles Peace Conference.

In 1930, actor/comedian Ronnie Corbett was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In 1945, the Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations by a vote of 65-7.

In 1954, the first Burger King stand was opened in Miami by James McLamore and David Edgerton.

In 1956, the “Million Dollar Quartet” (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins) held an impromptu jam session at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN.

In 1957, the episode “Mars and Beyond” was broadcast on “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” over ABC-TV. It was the third of three episodes on space exploration.

In 1958, the comedy/drama “Auntie Mame”, starring Rosalind Russell in the title role, premiered in New York City.

In 1964, “Beatles for Sale”, the Beatles’ fourth studio album was released in the UK.

In 1965, NASA launched Gemini 7 with Frank Borman and James A. Lovell aboard on a two-week mission.

In 1969, the World War II action movie “Where Eagles Dare”, starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, premiered in UK.

In 1971, the Ulster Volunteer Force bombed a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast, killing 15 civilians and wounding 17. It was the city's highest death toll from a single incident during the conflict.

In 1978, San Francisco got its first female mayor as City Supervisor Dianne Feinstein was named to replace the assassinated George Moscone.

In 1984, a five-day hijack drama began as four armed men seized a Kuwaiti airliner en route to Pakistan and forced it to land in Tehran, where the hijackers killed American passenger Charles Hegna. (A second American, William Stanford, also was killed during the siege.)

In 1988, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” the movie “Gamera vs. Barugon” was broadcast on KTMA-TV, Minneapolis, MN. It was the first time the S.O.L. crew encountered Gamera, and the first of two times they’d face this movie.

In 1991, Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson, the longest held of the Western hostages in Lebanon, was released after nearly seven years in captivity.

Also in 1991, Pan American World Airways (Pan-Am) ceased operations after 64 years.

In 1996, the Mars Pathfinder lifted off from Cape Canaveral; it arrived on Mars in July, 1997.

In 1998, The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endevour.

In 2005, tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested for democracy and called on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.

In 2017, The Thomas Fire started near Santa Paula and became the one of the largest wildfires in modern California history after burning 440 square miles (281,893 acres) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

In 2022, actor/singer/author Bob McGrath died in New Jersey at age 90.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 5th:

In 1776, the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

In 1782, Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the U.S., was born in Kinderhook, NY; he was the first chief executive to be born after American independence.

In 1791, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna, Austria, at age 35.

In 1831, former President John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1848, President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.

In 1876, the Brooklyn Theater Fire killed at least 278 people in Brooklyn, NY.

In 1901, filmmaker/studio executive Walt Disney was born in Chicago. His company currently runs the franchise for some movies George Lucas made a few years ago.

In 1932, German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa, making it possible for him to travel to the United States.

Also in 1932, singer/songwriter/musician Little Richard was born in Macon, GA.

In 1933, national Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment.

In 1943, the radio suspense/anthology series “The Mysterious Traveler” premiered on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

In 1945, five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 took off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. They never returned. (Reports that the crew were sighted in late 1977 near Devil’s Tower in Wyoming remain unconfirmed.)

In 1955, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO under its first president, George Meany.

In 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union announced a bilateral space agreement on exchanging weather data from satellites, mapping Earth's geomagnetic field and cooperating in the experimental relay of communications.

In 1963, the mystery/suspense movie “Charade”, starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, was released in the U.S. Directed by Stanley Donen, it would later come to be regarded as “the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made”.

In 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a U.S. serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, NY, for his heroic action earlier in the year.

In 1973, the album “Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney and Wings was released in the U.S. by Apple Records. It would be McCartney’s most successful post-Beatles album.

In 1974, the final episode of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (called simply “Monty Python”, by that time) aired on BBC 2.

In 1980, the movie “Flash Gordon”, starring Sam J. Jones as Flash and Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, was released in the U.S.

In 1994, Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.

In 2004, The Civil Partnership Act came into effect in the United Kingdom, and the first civil partnership was registered there.

In 2012, jazz pioneer Dave Brubeck died of heart failure on his way to a cardiology appointment in Hartford, CT, one day short of his 92nd birthday.

In 2013, Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, died in Johannesburg, South Africa at age 95.

In 2015, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “Hell Bent” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last regular appearance of Jenna Coleman was Clara Oswald.

In 2017, The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics as punishment for doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

In 2018, a state funeral was held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. for President George H.W. Bush.

In 2022, actress Kirstie Alley died at age 71.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 6th:

In 1768, the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica was published.

In 1790, Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York.

In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, officially ending the institution of slavery, was ratified.

In 1884, Army engineers completed construction of the Washington Monument by setting an aluminum capstone atop the obelisk.

In 1886, author/poet/soldier Joyce Kilmer was born in New Brunswick, NJ.

In 1889, Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, died in New Orleans.

In 1900, actress Agnes Moorhead was born in Clinton, MA. Years later, one of her characters would be most unpleasant towards both Darrins.

In 1907, the worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, WV.

In 1917, some 2,000 people died when an explosives-laden French cargo ship collided with a Norwegian vessel at the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the city.

Also in 1917, during World War I, USS Jacob Jones was the first American destroyer to be sunk by enemy action when it was torpedoes by German submarine SM U-53.

In 1920, musician/composer Dave Brubeck was born in Concord, CA.

In 1922, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Free State, came into force one year to the day after it was signed in London.

In 1924, actor Wally Cox was born in Detroit, MI. Kids of my generation probably best remember him as the voice of Underdog.

In 1932, actor Declan Mulholand was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. “Star Wars” fans may know him as the original Jabba the Hutt, though it would be a long while after the original film’s release that they would see the footage.

In 1940, SPFX cinematographer Richard Edlund was born in Fargo, ND. He did Oscar-winning work on the “Star Wars” OT, as well as distinguished work on “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Poltergeist”.

In 1947, Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

In 1957, America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed as Vanguard TV3 rose about four feet off a Cape Canaveral launch pad before crashing down and exploding.

In 1958, director/animator Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, was born in Preston, Lancashire, England.

In 1964, the animated puppet special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," now a Christmas perennial, first aired on NBC-TV.

In 1969, four people died at a Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, CA, including one victim who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel while attempting to rush the stage with a pistol.

In 1970, on the first anniversary of the Altamont Speedway concert, the documentary "Gimme Shelter" premiered in New York. It was about the Rolling Stones' 1969 tour, and included footage of the aforementioned concert and stabbing.

In 1971, the original Auto-Train, which carried rail passengers and their motor vehicles from Lorton, VA, to Sanford, FL, went into operation.

In 1973, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 387 to 35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice-President of the U.S.

In 1979, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” premiered in Washington, D.C. Reportedly, due to the film’s hectic post-production, the print used was still wet from being developed when it was delivered to the theater.

In 1986, part two of the “Doctor Who” serial “The Ultimate Foe”, featuring the last regular appearance of Colin Baker as the Doctor, was broadcast on BBC 1.

In 1989, 14 women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.

Also in 1989, the third episode of the “Doctor Who” serial “Survival”, the final episode of the show’s original run, was broadcast on BBC 1. It would mark the last regular appearances of Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, and Anthony Ainley as the Master.

In 2004, Ohio certified President George W. Bush's 119,000-vote victory over Democratic nominee John Kerry, even as the Kerry campaign and third-party candidates prepared to demand a statewide recount.

In 2006, NASA revealed photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars. Whovians would later learn that this might not necessarily be a good thing.

In 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. government would recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 7th:

In 43 B.C., Roman statesman and scholar Marcus Tullius Cicero was slain at the order of the Second Triumvirate.

In 1732, the original Covent Garden Theatre Royal, now known as the Royal Opera House, was opened.

In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1796, John Adams was elected the second President of the U.S.

In 1836, Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth President of the U.S.

In 1904, voice actor Clarence Nash, best-known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for 50 years, was born in Watonga, OK.

In 1909, writer/producer/director Arch Oboler was born in Chicago.

In 1910, musician/singer/songwriter/actor Louis Prima was born in New Orleans.

In 1915, author/screenwriter Leigh Brackett was born in Los Angeles. She’s best-known for her screenplays for “The Big Sleep”, “Rio Bravo”, and “The Long Goodbye”, and for her work on an early draft of “The Empire Strikes Back”.

In 1922, The Parliament of Northern Ireland voted to remain a part of the United Kingdon and not unify with Southern Ireland.

In 1923, actor Ted Knight was born in Terryville, CT. He’d later play a not-so-highly-respected newscaster for WJM.

In 1937, actor Kenneth Colley was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England. Years later, one of his characters would be suddenly promoted by a certain Dark Lord of the Sith.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame. He was the first player to have the rule waived that required a player to be retired one year before he could be elected.

In 1941, the Imperial Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as part of a plan to pre-empt any American military response to Japan's planned conquest of Southeast Asian territories; the raid, which claimed some 2,400 American lives, prompted the United States to declare war against Japan the next day.

In 1945, the Universal Horror movie “House of Dracula” was released in the U.S. It featured Lon Chaney, Jr.; John Carradine, Lionel Atwill and Glenn Strange.

In 1946, a fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, GA killed 119 people, the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history.

In 1947, actress Wendy Padbury, best-known for playing Zoe Herriot on “Doctor Who”, was born in Warwickshire, England.

In 1963, CBS-TV first used instant replay during the Army-Navy football game.

In 1967, Otis Redding recorded “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay”, three days before his death in a plane crash. The song would go on to be his biggest hit.

In 1969, the animated Christmas special "Frosty the Snowman", featuring the voices of Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon, first aired on CBS-TV.

In 1972, Apollo 17 was launched at Cape Canaveral. It was the last lunar mission of the Apollo program, and was crewed by Mission Commander Eugene A. Cernan, CM Pilot Ronald E. Evans, and LM Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt.

In 1973, the comedy LP “The Monty Python Matching Tie & Handkerchief”, in its original 3-sided form, was released in the UK. It would reach the U.S. in April, 1975, and my brother Don still has his copy.

In 1982, actor Will Lee, best-known for playing Mr. Hooper on “Sesame Street”, died in New York City at age 74.

In 1984, the film “2010”, the sequel to “2001: A Space Odyssey”, was released in the U.S.

In 1987, 43 people were killed after a gunman aboard a Pacific Southwest Airlines jetliner in California apparently opened fire on a fellow passenger, the pilots and himself, causing the plane to crash.

In 1993, Colin Ferguson, an unemployed Jamaican immigrant living in Brooklyn, opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road train, killing six passengers and wounding 19 others in what his defense attorneys later claimed was a state of rage over racial prejudice. (Ferguson was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 315 years in prison.)

In 1995, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter, just over six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis.

In 1996, Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband, Dennis, was killed in Ferguson’s attack, was elected to the U.S. Congress on a gun-control platform.

Also in 1996, the space shuttle Columbia returned from the longest-ever shuttle flight of 17 days, 15 hours and 54 minutes.

In 1998, actor Michael Craze, known to Whovians for playing Ben Jackson during the Hartnell and Troughton eras, died in Surrey, England at age 56.

In 1999, The Recording Industry Association of America filed suit against the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster, on the grounds of copyright infringement.

In 2017, the Marriage Amendment Bill to recognize same-sex marriage passed in Australia.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 8th:

In 1765, Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, was born in Westborough, MA.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free of original sin from the moment of her own conception.

In 1925, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem.

In 1940, the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins, 73-0, in the NFL Championship Game, which was carried on network radio for the first time by the Mutual Broadcasting System (the announcer was Red Barber).

In 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Also in 1941, Japanese forces simultaneously invaded the Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies.

In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.

Also in 1949, the musical “On the Town”, starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, premiered in New York City.

In 1950, make-up artist/designer Rick Baker was born in Binghamton, NY. Among his many credits is second unit make-up work for the cantina scene in that George Lucas movie from 1977.

In 1952, on “I Love Lucy”, the episode “Lucy is Enceinte”, where Lucy discovers that she is expecting, was broadcast on CBS. Network censors would not permit the on-screen use of the word “pregnant”.

In 1962, the first session of the Second Vatican Council was formally adjourned.

In 1972, a United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while attempting to land at Chicago-Midway Airport, killing 43 of the 61 people on board, as well as two people on the ground.

In 1980, singer/songwriter/musician/Beatle John Lennon, MBE, age 40, was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building.

In 1982, a man demanding an end to nuclear weapons held the Washington Monument hostage, threatening to blow it up with explosives he claimed were inside a van. (After a 10-hour standoff, Norman D. Mayer was shot dead by police; it turned out there were no explosives.)

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty at the White House calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

In 1991, the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine signed an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In 2014, The U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

In 2016, aviator/astronaut/politician John H. Glenn, Jr., the first American to orbit the Earth, died in Columbus, OH at age 95.

In 2019, the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China.

Also in 2019, actor/puppeteer Caroll Spinney, best-known for his work on “Sesame Street”, died in Woodstock, CT at age 85.

 

If I may...

ON DECEMBER 9th:

In 1608, English poet John Milton, best-known for “Paradise Lost”, was born in London.

In 1793, New York City's first daily newspaper, the “American Minerva”, was established by Noah Webster.

In 1851, the first YMCA in North America was established in Montreal.

In 1872, in Louisiana, P.B.S. Pinchback became the first African-American governor of a U.S. state.

In 1911, an explosion inside the Cross Mountain coal mine near Briceville, TN, killed 84 workers. (Five were rescued.)

In 1916, actor/producer/director/author Kirk Douglas was born in Amsterdam, NY.

In 1917, during World War I, British and Commonwealth forces led by Field Marshal Allenby captured Jerusalem.

In 1938, director Waris Hussein was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, England. He’s best-known for his British TV work, particularly directing the first episodes of “Doctor Who”.

In 1940, British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II.

In 1941, the Universal Horror movie “The Wolf Man”, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. and Claude Rains, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1944, actor/singer/songwriter/Rutle Neil Innes was born in Danbury, Essex, England. Depending on who you ask, either he or Carol Cleveland should be considered the Seventh Python. (In the opinion of your humble correspondent, Innes gets the Seventh title; Cleveland is the First Lady of Python.)

Also in 1944, screenwriter Eric Saward was born. His tenure as script editor on “Doctor Who” remains somewhat controversial among fans.

In 1944, the film noir “Murder, My Sweet”, starring Dick Powell as Phillip Marlowe, was released in the U.S.

In 1950, Harry Gold was sentenced to 30 years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony was later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

In 1952, actor Michael Dorn was born in Luling, TX. The Star Fleet commission would come later.

In 1958, the anti-communist John Birch Society was formed in Indianapolis, IN.

In 1960, the first episode of “Coronation Street”, the world's longest-running television soap opera, was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV.

In 1962, the Petrified Forest in Arizona was designated a national park.

In 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," the first animated special featuring characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, was first broadcast by CBS-TV.

Also in 1965, the James Bond movie “Thunderball”, starring Sean Connery as 007, premiered in Tokyo.

In 1968, Douglas Engelbart gave what became known as “The Mother of All Demos”, publicly debuting the computer mouse, hypertext, and the bit-mapped graphical user interface using the oN-Line System (NLS).

In 1971, Nobel Peace laureate Ralph Bunche died in New York at age 68.

In 1979, the eradication of the smallpox virus was certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.

In 1982, special Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski died in Wimberley, TX at age 77.

In 1984, the five-day-old hijacking of a Kuwaiti jetliner that claimed the lives of two Americans ended as Iranian security men seized control of the plane, which was parked at Tehran airport.

In 1987, the first Palestinian intefadeh, or uprising, began as riots broke out in Gaza and spread to the West Bank, triggering a strong Israeli response.

In 1990, Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity trade union, won a landslide election victory, becoming the first directly elected Polish leader.

In 1992, 1,800 United States Marines arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead a multinational force aimed at restoring order in the conflict-ridden country.

In 1992, Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. (The couple's divorce became final Aug. 28, 1996.)

In 1997, the James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies”, starring Pierce Brosnan as 007, premiered in London.

In 2008, the then-Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested by federal officials for crimes including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency.

In 2017, the sequel "Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi" premiered in Los Angeles. The reaction amongst viewers and fans was...somewhat divided.