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:
1620 – The Mayflower reached Provincetown, MA. The ship discharged the Pilgrims at Plymouth, MA, on December 26, 1620.
1783 – The first successful flight was made in a hot air balloon. The pilots, Francois Pilatre de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis d’Arlandes, flew for 25 minutes and 5-1/2 miles over Paris.
1789 – North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1847 – There was a tragic fire on the Lake Michigan schooner taking Dutch immigrants to Wisconsin. Two hundred lives were lost in the Phoenix disaster.
1871 – M.F. Galethe patented the cigar lighter.
1877 – Thomas A. Edison announced the invention of his phonograph, a machine that could record and play sound.
1902 – The Philadelphia Football Athletics defeated the Kanaweola Athletic Club of Elmira, NY, 39-0 in the first ever professional American football night game.
1922 – Rebecca L. Felton, of Georgia, was sworn in as the first woman to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate.
1942 – The Alaska Highway across Canada was formally opened. It was not usable by general vehicles until the following year.
1945 – The United Auto Workers went on strike at 92 General Motors plants in 50 cities to back up worker demands for a 30% raise. Two thousand workers continued their strike for 119 days.
1962 – President John F. Kennedy terminated the quarantine measures against Cuba.
1963 – President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, TX. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas.
1973 – President Richard M. Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, announced the presence of an 18-1/2 minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to the Watergate case.
1975 – Elton John received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
1976 – The movie “Rocky” premiered in New York, NY.
1977 – The final stretch of I-96 was opened to the public. The highway stretches from Muskegon to Detroit, MI for a total of 193 miles.
1980 – An estimated 83 million viewers tuned in to find out “who shot J.R.?” on the CBS prime-time television soap opera “Dallas”. Kristin was the character that fired the gun.
1980 – A deadly fire broke out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Paradise, NV (now Bally’s Las Vegas). Eighty-seven people were killed and more than 650 were injured in the worst disaster in Nevada history.
1982 – The National Football League resumed its season following a 57-day player’s strike.
1986 – National Security Council members Oliver North and his secretary started to shred documents allegedly implicating them in the Iran-Contra affair.
1992 – U.S. Senator Bob Packwood, issued an apology but refused to discuss allegations that he’d made unwelcome sexual advances toward 10 women in past years.
1992 – A major tornado hit the Houston, TX area during the afternoon. Over the next two days, the largest tornado outbreak to ever occur in the U.S. during the month of November spawned over 100 tornadoes.
1993 – The U.S. House of Representatives voted against making the District of Columbia the 51st state.
1995 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 5,000-mark (5,023.55) for the first time.
2000 – The Florida Supreme Court granted Al Gore’s request to keep the Presidential recounts going.
2001 – Microsoft Corp. proposed giving $1 billion in computers, software, training and cash to more than 12,500 of the poorest schools in the U.S. The offer was intended as part of a deal to settle most of the company’s private antitrust lawsuits.
2003 – In Santa Barbara, CA, Michael Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation. He immediately posted the $3 million bail and then flew back to Las Vegas, NV, where he had been filming a video. He was given an arraignment date of January 9, 2004.
2003 – The live action movie of Dr. Seuss’s “The Cat in the Hat”, starring Mike Myers, debuted in theaters.
2003 – Phil Spector was charged with the murder of Lana Clarkson at his home the previous February. Spector pleaded innocent.
2013 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 16,000 for the first time.
BIRTHDAYS:
Laurence Luckinbill – 91 years old (1934) – Actor, director, and playwright
Marlo Thomas – 88 years old (1937) – Actress, producer, and activist
Juliet Mills – 84 years old (1941) – English-American actress
David Porter – 84 years old (1941) – Songwriter, musician, and producer
Phil Bredesen – 82 years old (1943) – Businessman and politician, 48th Governor of Tennessee
Dick Durbin – 81 years old (1944) – Lawyer and politician
Earl Monroe – 81 years old (1944) – Basketball player
Vincent Di Fate – 80 years old (1945) – Artist
Goldie Hawn – 80 years old (1945) – Actress, singer, and producer
Livingston Taylor – 75 years old (1950) – Singer-songwriter and musician
Lorna Luft – 73 years old (1952) – Actress and singer
Tina Brown – 72 years old (1953) – English-American journalist and author
Cedric Maxwell – 70 years old (1955) – Basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
Cherry Jones – 69 years old (1956) – Actress
Brian McNamara – 65 years old (1960) – Actor, director, and producer
Brian Ritchie – 65 years old (1960) – Bass player and songwriter
Steven Curtis Chapman – 63 years old (1962) – Christian music singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, author, and social activist
Shane Douglas – 61 years old (1964) – Wrestler and manager
Olden Polynice – 61 years old (1964) – Haitian-American basketball player and coach
Troy Aikman – 59 years old (1966) – Football player and sportscaster
Tripp Cromer – 58 years old (1967) – Baseball player
Amanda Lepore – 58 years old (1967) – Model and singer
Antonio Tarver – 57 years old (1968) – Boxer, sportscaster, and actor
Ken Griffey Jr. – 56 years old (1969) – Baseball player and actor
Michael Strahan – 54 years old (1971) – Football player, actor, and talk show host
Rain Phoenix – 53 years old (1972) – Actress and singer
Jimmi Simpson – 50 years old (1975) – Actor
Michael Batiste – 48 years old (1977) – Basketball player
Jonas Jennings – 48 years old (1977) – Football player
Stromile Swift – 46 years old (1979) – Basketball player
Hank Blalock – 45 years old (1980) – Baseball player
Alec Brownstein – 45 years old (1980) – Author and director
Wesley Britt – 44 years old (1981) – Football player
John Lucas III – 43 years old (1982) – Basketball player and coach
Brie Bella – 42 years old (1983) – Wrestler and television personality
Nikki Bella – 42 years old (1983) – Wrestler and television personality
Josh Boone – 41 years old (1984) – Basketball player
Lindsey Haun – 41 years old (1984) – Actress, singer, and director
Jena Malone – 41 years old (1984) – Actress and singer
Colleen Ballinger – 39 years old (1986) – YouTuber , comedian, actress, and singer
Ben Bishop – 39 years old (1986) – Ice hockey player
Larry Sanders – 37 years old (1988) – Basketball player
Preston Zimmerman – 37 years old (1988) – Soccer player
Chris Singleton – 36 years old (1989) – Basketball player
Justin Tucker – 36 years old (1989) – Football player
Wyatt Teller – 31 years old (1994) – Football player
Chris Chiozza – 30 years old (1995) – Basketball player
Jaelin Howell – 26 years old (1999) – Soccer player
Isabel May – 25 years old (2000) – Actress
TODAY IS:
- World Television Day: A world of entertainment with just the touch of a button. Relax and enjoy movies, shows, and documentaries from the comfort of your couch.
- National Stuffing Day: A culinary marvel, this delectable creation transforms a simple mixture into a masterpiece, gracing holiday tables with its savory charm.
- National Gingerbread Cookie Day: Whether they come in the shape of little men and women or they are in other shapes, gingerbread cookies are a fun treat that dates back several centuries.
- World Hello Day: Greet everyone you meet with a friendly smile and wave and witness the power of communication to build bridges and bring about peace.
- National Red Mitten Day: Wearing red mittens as a symbol of unity behind Canada's sporting competitors — it's a colorful way to stand by your team.
- Funeral Celebrant Day: A Funeral Celebrant Day is a moment to recognise the role of funeral celebrants. It brings attention to those who craft and lead meaningful, personal farewells. Often, they work as independent professionals, yet many people are unaware that they can be hired directly—without going through a funeral home. That lack of...
- Alascattalo Day : Alascattalo Day celebrates a creature that never existed—a moose with tusks and a walrus's body. This oddball mix, born from Alaskan humor, stands as a symbol of the state's love for playful stories and quirky traditions. Locals embrace the day with laughter, donning disguises and sharing tall tales that blur...
- Substitute Educators Day: Have you ever wondered who keeps the classroom running when a teacher can't be there? Substitute Educators Day honors these adaptable professionals. They step into unfamiliar classrooms, manage diverse groups of students, and ensure that learning continues without interruption. Their ability to quickly adjust to different teaching environments is vital for...
- World Vasectomy Day: World Vasectomy Day is a global event that encourages men to actively participate in family planning. It highlights vasectomy as a safe, simple, and effective method of birth control. The day brings together doctors, health workers, and families to share stories, answer questions, and offer support. Through live events and...
- False Confession Day: Jokingly admitting to a wild adventure that never happened, just to keep friends laughing and the mystery alive.
- Elephant Round-Up in Surin: The Surin Elephant Round-Up is a festival held in Surin, Thailand. It celebrates the special bond between the local community and elephants, who have played an essential role in the region's culture and history. Each year, hundreds of these majestic animals march through the city streets, adorned in colorful decorations...
- Book Week Scotland: Book Week Scotland is a vibrant celebration of books and reading that brings together people from all walks of life across the nation. This week is packed with events, activities, and discussions designed to ignite a passion for reading. Whether it's through live readings, author interviews, or community book discussions, the...
- National Farm-City Week: National Farm-City Week shines a light on the vital link between farm fields and city tables. Celebrated the week leading up to Thanksgiving, this time honors the teamwork between rural farmers and urban workers. Together, they ensure we all enjoy safe and abundant food. Why do we celebrate it? The week...
- US Antibiotic Awareness Week : The presence of antibiotics in the world has changed everything about modern medicine and the ways infections are fought. Reducing mortality and extending life expectancy, antibiotics now save the lives of millions of people each and every year. However, over the century since their discovery, the prolific use of antibiotics...
- World AMR Awareness Week : Antimicrobial Resistance, also known as AMR, takes place when microbes such as bacteria and viruses evolve so that they are no longer responsive to the types of medicines that used to treat them. This type of resistance makes these microbes much stronger and makes it more challenging to overcome the...
- Geography Awareness Week: Geography Awareness Week is a lively celebration that highlights the importance of understanding our world. It's a time to explore how geographical knowledge helps us connect with diverse landscapes and cultures. This week-long event invites everyone to appreciate the Earth's beauty and complexity, sparking curiosity about our surroundings. Celebrated annually, Geography Awareness...
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
