December 20

Scott Winters December 20, 2025 0 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1790 – The first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating in Pawtucket, RI.

1803 – The United States Senate ratified a treaty that included the Louisiana Territories from France for $15 million. The transfer was completed with formal ceremonies in New Orleans.

1812 – Many of the fairy tales we all learned were first published as “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” in Germany. The first edition included 86 stories. Some of the stories had some pretty dark themes, despite being written for children. Through “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” were introduced to many characters including Snow white, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Hansel and Gretel.

1820 – The state of Missouri enacted legislation to tax bachelors between the ages of 21-50 for being unmarried. The tax was $1 a year.

1860 – South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union.

1879 – Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light in Menlo Park, NJ.

1880 – New York’s Broadway became known as the “Great White Way” when it was lighted by electricity.

1892 – Alexander T. Brown and George Stillman patented the pneumatic tire.

1920 – The first automatic tri-colored traffic signal is installed in Detroit, MI

1928 – Mail delivery by dog sled began in Lewiston, ME.

1946 – The Frank Capra film. “It’s A Wonderful Life”. had a preview showing for charity at New York City’s Globe Theatre, a day before its “official” world premiere. James Stewart and Donna Reed starred in the film.

1951 – The EBR-1 in Arco, ID became the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.

1954 – Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to one of the largest contracts ever entered into with an entertainer. Gleason agreed to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500.

1957 – Elvis Presley received his Army draft notice.

1957 – The initial production version of the Boeing 707 made it’s first flight.

1962 – The Osmond Brothers appeared on NBC-TV’s “Andy Williams Show” for the first time.

1962 – A world indoor pole-vault record was set by Don Meyers when he cleared 16 feet, 1-1/4 inches.

1963 – The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners. It was only for the holiday season. It closed again on January 6, 1964.

1965 – The TV show “The Dating Game”, with host Jim Lange, aired for the first time on ABC.

1967 – A Pennsylvania Railroad Budd Metroliner exceeded 155 miles per hour on their New York Division.

1971 – Al Kaline signed a new Detroit Tiger contract that made him the first Detroit player to top $100,000 a year.

1990 – The world’s first website and server go live at CERN. The first website was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html.

1991 – The movie “Father of the Bride”, starring Steve Martin, premiered in theaters.

1991 – Oliver Stone’s film, “JFK”, opened in the U.S.

1996 – NeXT merged with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.

1996 – The first “Scream” movie opened in theaters.

1998 – In Houston, TX, a 27-year-old woman gave birth to the only known living set of octuplets. Seven of the eight octuplets are currently alive, one died one week after birth.

1999 – The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples of the opposite sex.

2007 – Queen Elizabeth II became the oldest monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days.

2019 – The United States Space Force became the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces since 1947.

BIRTHDAYS:

Kim Weston – 86 years old (1939) – Soul singer

Peter Criss – 80 years old (1945) – Singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer

Bill Hosket Jr. – 79 years old (1946) – Basketball player

Sonny Perdue – 79 years old (1946) – Politician, 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture , 81st Governor of Georgia

Dick Wolf – 79 years old (1946) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

Cecil Cooper – 76 years old (1949) – Baseball player and manager

Arturo Márquez – 75 years old (1950) – Mexican-American composer

Michael Badalucco – 71 years old (1954) – Actor

Sandra Cisneros – 71 years old (1954) – Author and poet

Blanche Baker – 69 years old (1956) – Actress and screenwriter

Anita Ward – 69 years old (1956) – Disco/R&B singer

Mike Watt – 68 years old (1957) – Singer-songwriter and bass player

Doug Nordquist – 67 years old (1958) – High jumper

James Thomson – 67 years old (1958) – Biologist and academic

Joel Gretsch – 62 years old (1963) – Actor

Veronica Pershina – 59 years old (1966) – Russian-American figure skater and coach

Chris Robinson – 59 years old (1966) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Royal Ivey – 44 years old (1981) – Basketball player and coach

James Shields – 44 years old (1981) – Baseball player

David Cook – 43 years old (1982) – Singer-songwriter

David Wright – 43 years old (1982) – Baseball player

Jonah Hill – 42 years old (1983) – Actor, producer, and screenwriter

Malcolm Jenkins – 38 years old (1987) – Football player

JoJo – 35 years old (1990) – Singer and actress

Jillian Rose Reed – 34 years old (1991) – Actress

Ksenia Makarova – 33 years old (1992) – Russian-American figure skater

Calvin Ridley – 31 years old (1994) – Football player

Christian Wilkins – 30 years old (1995) – Football player

De'Aaron Fox – 28 years old (1997) – Basketball player

TODAY IS:

Go Caroling Day: Strolling through the neighborhood, singing cheerful tunes, and spreading holiday joy with friends and family — a heartwarming tradition.
National Sangria Day: Take a siesta to sip Spanish and Portuguese punch made with wine and sweeteners and flavored with fruits like berries, oranges and mangos.
Games Day: Enter a world of endless fun and adventure where strategy, skill, and luck come together in thrilling challenges and exciting competition.
Sacagawea Day:
Cathode-Ray Tube Day:
Dot Your I’s Day:
International Human Solidarity Day:
Mudd Day:
Zagreb Advent:
Christmas Bird Count Week:
Advent:
Saturnalia:
Blue Christmas: While most people are at home opening presents, emergency workers are on duty, ensuring the safety of their communities over the holidays.