| 401 | * | St Innocent I begins his reign as Catholic Pope. | Ref: 5 |
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| 795 | * | Leo III succeeds pope Adrianus I. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1135 | * | Norman nobles recognize Stefanus van Blois as English king. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1216 | * | Pope Honorius III delegates degree "Religiosam vitam eligentibus". | Ref: 5 |
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| 1216 | * | Pope Honorius III officially approved the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), founded in 1216 by St. Dominic. During the Middle Ages, many leaders of European thought were Dominicans; and a good number followed Portuguese and Spanish explorers to the Americas as missionaries. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1465 | * | Peace of St Truiden: Louis van Bourbon becomes bishop of Luik. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1536 | * | English scholar Reginald Pole appointed cardinal. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1642 | * | Pope Urbanus VIII publishes degree In eminente. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1688 | * | Pro-James II, Earl of Danby occupies York. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1689 | * | Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1715 | * | English pretender to the throne James III lands at Peterhead. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1764 | * | Stephen Hopkins, governor of Rhode Island, publishes "The Rights of Colonies Examined." | |
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| 1772 | * | Moravian missionary constructs first schoolhouse west of Allegheny. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1806 | * | Burr leaves Nashville, heading down the Cumberland River. | Ref: 87 |
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| 1807 | * | Congress passes the Embargo Act, which halts all trading completely. It is hoped that the act will keep the United States out the European Wars. | Ref: 2 |
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| 1813 | * | Xenia is incorporated as a town by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio to be effective 5/1/1814. (XDG, 1/10/1964) | Ref: 83 |
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| 1829 | * | The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opens the first passenger railway line. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1837 | * | Mercer University was chartered in Penfield GA under Baptist support. In 1871 the college moved its campus to Macon, Georgia. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1846 | * | Donner Party: Food runs out for "The Forlorn Hope". Milt Elliott returns from the Donner camp at Alder Creek with news: Jacob Donner, Samuel Shoemaker, James Smith, and Joseph Reinhardt are dead. About this time Charles Stanton, snowblind and exhausted, is unable to keep up with the other snowshoers and tells them to go on. He never rejoins them. | Ref: 28 |
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| 1849 | * | Dostoyevsky, Russian author, sentenced to die at age 27 but lives until 1881. | Ref: 62 |
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| 1850 | * | The Hawaiian Post Office is established. | Ref: 62 |
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| 1885 | * | Pope Leo XIII proclaims extraordinary jubilee. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1886 | | First national accountants' society in US formed (New York NY). | Ref: 5 |
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| 1894 | * | (Dreyfus) French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (Dreyfus was eventually vindicated.) | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1894 | * | Dutch coast hit by hurricane. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1900 | * | Mercedes makes its debut. A new 35-horsepower car built by Daimler from a design by Emil Jellinek was completed. The car was named for Jellinek's daughter, Mercedes. | Ref: 3 |
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| 1910 | * | Postal savings stamps were issued for the first time. They were discontinued in 1914. | Ref: 4 |
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| 1917 | * | Flanders declares it's independence, under Pieter Tack. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1918 | * | The last of the food restrictions, that had been enforced because of the shortages during World War I, are lifted. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1919 | * | Amid a strike for union recognition by 395,000 steelworkers (ultimately unsuccessful), approximately 250 "anarchists" including anarchist Emma Goldman, "communists," and "labor agitators" were deported to Russia, marking the beginning of the so-called "Red Scare." | Ref: 59 |
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| 1919 | * | Government of Ireland Act of Power (Home Rule for Ireland). | Ref: 5 |
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| 1922 | | Belgian parliament rejects Dutch University in Ghent. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1927 | * | Al Capone is arrested on a concealed weapons charge. | Ref: 52 |
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| 1929 | * | Soviet troops leave Manchuria after a truce is reached with the Chinese over the Eastern Railway dispute. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1930 | | 6 western Eurpoean countries sign the Convention of Oslo. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1936 | * | First common carrier license issued by ICC, Scranton PA. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1937 | * | Lincoln Tunnel (New York NY) opens to traffic. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1943 | * | WEB Du Bois elected first black member, National Institute of Arts & Letters. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1944 | * | First Fat Man bomb assembly is completed as production gets underway. Explosive lenses and nuclear material are not yet available, the bomb assemblies are used for airdrop and ground handling practice. | Ref: 91 |
|---|
| 1945 | | Utrecht: Catholic People's party (KVP) established. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1945 | * | The United States recognizes Tito's government in Yugoslavia. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1947 | | Italian constituent assembly adopts new constitution. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1952 | * | French government of Pinay, resigns. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1956 | * | Last British/French troops leave Egypt. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1958 | * | 2nd Dutch Beel government forms. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1960 | * | Sailors and helicopters of the USS Valley Forge rescue 27 men from the oil tanker SS Pine Ridge as it breaks up in heavy seas off Cape Hatteras, NC. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2000) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 1961 | * | US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1962 | * | Kinderman Place in the Bronx named. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1962 | * | USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1963 | * | An official 30-day mourning period following the assassination of President Kennedy came to an end. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1963 | * | Oakland Raider Tom Flores passes for 6 touchdowns vs Houston (52-49). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1965 | | Radio Mil (Dominican Republic) transmitter blown up. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1965 | * | Great-Britain sets maximum speed at 70 MPH. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1965 | * | Belgian government shuts down 6 coal mines. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1966 | * | The United States announces the allocation of 900,000 tons of grain to fight the famine in India. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1968 | * | Julie Nixon weds Dwight David Eisenhower. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1969 | * | Pete Marovich sets NCAA record of hitting 30 of 31 foul shots. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1970 | * | SS Commander Franz Stangl of Treblinka is sentenced to life in prison. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1971 | * | The United Nations General Assembly voted to ratify the election of Kurt Waldheim to be Secretary-General. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1971 | * | USSR performs underground nuclear test. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1973 | * | A federal speed limit of 55 miles per hour was imposed across the United States. | Ref: 3 |
|---|
| 1974 | * | Referenda in Comoros-3 islands for independence, 1 stays French. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1974 | * | 2nd cease-fire between IRA & British; lasts until approximately April 1975. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1976 | * | 35 Unification church couples wed in New York NY. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1977 | | Thomas Helms climbs to the edge of the observation deck on the eighty-sixth floor of the Empire State Building, and attempts to kill himself by leaping from the building and to the streets more than a thousand feet below. However, the suicidal twenty-six-year-old only falls twenty feet before landing on a narrow ledge on the eighty-fifth floor. | Ref: 3 |
|---|
| 1978 | * | Thailand adopts constitution. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1980 | * | President-elect Reagan appoints Jean Kirkpatrick (UN delegate) & James Watt (Interior). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1981 | * | Argentine General Leopoldo Galtieri sworn in as president. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1981 | | Belgium's 5th government of Martens forms. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1983 | | Egyptian President Mubarak meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1984 | * | On the New York City subway, Bernhard Goetz, a forty-five-year-old white male, shoots four young black men after they ask him for five dollars. | Ref: 3 |
|---|
| 1988 | * | 2 robbers wearing police uniforms rob armored truck of $3 million in New Jersey. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1988 | * | South Africa signs accord granting independence to South-West Africa. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1988 | | Tug hits oil barge, spreads 231,000 gal on 300 miles of Western Australia & British Columbia coast. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1989 | | (Berlin Wall) The Brandenburg Gate is opened for the first time since the Berlin Wall was erected. | Ref: 62 |
|---|
| 1989 | * | Cold wave: -4ºF in Oklahoma City OK, -6ºF in Tulsa OK, -12ºF in Pittsburgh PA, -18ºF in Denver CO, -23ºF in Kansas City MO, -42ºF in Scottsbluff NE, -47ºF in Hardin MT & -60ºF in Black Hills SD. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1989 | * | Chad adopts its Constitution. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1989 | * | Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe's hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1990 | * | Iraq announces it will never give up Kuwait. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1990 | * | Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1994 | * | Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi resigns. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1995 | * | David Cone signs $19.5 million 3 year contract with New York Yankees. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1996 | * | Peruvian guerrillas holding more than 360 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima freed all but 140 of their captives. Eight workers were killed in an explosion at the Wyman Gordon Forgings metal-fabricating plant in northwest Houston. | Ref: 64 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | Three armed robbers stormed into Stockholm's National Museum and made off with a Rembrandt self-portrait and two masterpieces by Renoir (eight men were later sentenced to prison for their roles in the theft; only one of the three paintings has been recovered). | Ref: 64 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | President-elect Bush chose John Ashcroft to be his attorney general. President Clinton granted Christmastime clemency to 62 people, including former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, who had been convicted of misuse of public funds. | Ref: 64 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | President Clinton granted Christmastime clemency to 62 people, including former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, who had been convicted of misuse of public funds. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 2001 | * | Hamid Karzai is sworn in as prime minister of Afghanistan. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 2001 | * | Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 2002 | * | A defiant North Korea said that it had begun removing UN seals and surveillance cameras from nuclear facilities that the US said could yield weapons within months. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2003) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 2002 | * | Joe Strummer, lead singer of the legendary British punk band The Clash, died at age 50. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 2003 | * | A 6.5 earthquake hits central California. There are no reported deaths. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/24/2003) | Ref: 13 |
|---|
| 1870 | * | Jules Janssen flies in a balloon in order to study a solar eclipse. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1882 | * | Thomas Alva Edison's friend, Ed Johnson, turns on first electrically lighted Christmas tree. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1895 | * | Willhelm von Rontgen makes first radiograph or X-ray of his wife's hand. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1934 | * | First flight from Netherlands to Cura‡ao (Christmas flight 1934). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1964 | * | Lockheed SR-71 spy aircraft reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1985 | * | STS 51-L vehicle moves to Launch Pad 39B. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1997 | * | Merck baldness pill for men approved by FDA. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1999 | * | Two astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle "Discovery" started three days of spacewalks to repair the crippled Hubble Space Telescope so it could focus correctly on stars, galaxies and other celestial objects. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1731 | | Dutch people revolt against meat tax. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1775 | * | Esek Hopkins takes command of the Continental Navy, a total of seven ships. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1790 | * | Russian troops occupy Ismail on Turks. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1862 | * | Raid on Morgan's: Bardstown to Elizabethtown KY. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1864 | * | During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah." (Go to article.) | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1915 | * | Henry Ford leaves his peace party at Christiania and returns to the United States. | Ref: 38 |
|---|
| 1917 | * | Central Powers and Soviets open peace negotiations at Brest-Litovsk. | |
|---|
| 1939 | * | Finnish counter offensive at Petsamo. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | Japanese troops make an amphibious landing on the coast of Lingayen Gulf on Luzon, the Philippines. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for a wartime conference with President Roosevelt. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | One company of the Grenadiers near the Wong Nei Chong Gap (near Hong Kong) surrenders to the Japanese after holding their position for three days. | |
|---|
| 1941 | * | Tito establishes first Proletarian Brigade in Yugoslavia. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | Japanese conquer Wake Island after 15 day battle against 400 U.S. Marines. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1942 | * | The Soviets drive German troops back 15 miles at the Don River. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1943 | * | President Franlin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchhill and General Chiang Kai-shek come to an agreement on measures to be taken to defeat Japan. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2000) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Major Glenn Miller disappears crossing the English Channel. | Ref: 62 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | American forces in Bastogne, Belgium, are told by a German commanding officer to surrender or be annihilated. US General Anthony McAuliffe replies "NUTS!". | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Sub Swordfish departs Pearl Harbor for Japan. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1965 | * | The EF-105F Wild Weasel makes its first kill over Vietnam. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1888 | * | Heavyweight Boxing Champion John L Sullivan challenges Jake Kilrain. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1894 | * | United States Golf Association is formed (New York NY). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1899 | * | The fledging American League owners meet to map a strategy against the established National League. They agree to place a team in Chicago with Charles Comiskey as the owner-manager of the franchise. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1915 | * | Federal Baseball League is dissolved. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1915 | * | Organized baseball & Federal League sign a peace treaty at Cincinnati OH. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1924 | * | Babe Dye of NHL's Toronto St Patricks scores 5 goals beat Bruins 10-2. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1934 | | Miss Theo Trowbridge sets female bowling record 702 pins. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1939 | | Gloria Jacobs became the first girl to hold a world pistol record as she shot 299 out of a possible 300 points. Gloria was only 17 years old. She bettered the world mark by one point. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1943 | * | Manufacturers get permission to use synthetic rubber for baseball core. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | Cleveland Browns beat New York Yankees 14-9 in AAFC championship game. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1953 | * | Jack Dunn III officially turns over the name Orioles to the major league franchise. His family had successfully operated the International League Orioles franchise for years in Baltimore. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1957 | * | The Detroit Lions came from 20 points down to post a 31-27 playoff victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Ref | |
|---|
| 1959 | * | The upstart Continental League awards its last franchise to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1959 | * | New York Ranger goalie Marcel Paille wears a customized mask. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1962 | * | Harris County voters approve a bond issue to complete the financing of an all-weather stadium for the Colt 45's. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1962 | * | 1,000,000th NBA point scored. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1974 | * | Phil Esposito, Boston, became 6th NHLer to score 500 goals. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1980 | * | The Red Sox mail Fred Lynn and Carlton Fisk their new contracts two days after the Basic Agreement December 20 deadline. Boston's inaction make their All-Stars eligible for free agency. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1980 | * | Cardinals release outfielder Bobby Bonds. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1982 | * | Lee Mazzilli is traded for the third time this season. The Yankees move the first baseman/outfielder to the Pirates for four minor leaguers including Tim Burke. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1983 | * | Islanders score 3 shorthanded goals against Capitals. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1985 | * | Kansas City wide receiver Stephone Paige catches passes for 309 yards in a single game, an NFL record. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2000) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 1985 | * | 74th Davis Cup: Sweden beats Germany in Munich (3-2). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1996 | * | Wendy's Three Tour Golf Challenge. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1996 | * | Kordell Stewart of the Pittsburgh Steelers ran 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of an 18-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers. His was the longest scoring run by a quarterback in NFL history. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1996 | * | The Carolina Panthers go 12-4, winning the NFC West. (USA Today, p 3C, 2/02/2004) | Ref: 13 |
|---|
| 1998 | * | The American Basketball League (ABL) suspended operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The league blamed its problems on a lack of both TV exposure and sponsor support. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | The Mariners sign Bret Boone to a $3.25 million, one-year deal. The former Padre second baseman played in only 127 games season due to a bruised right knee which ended his season in late August. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | Hoping to fill the void creating by the departure of Ellis Burks, the Giants sign veteran outfielder Eric Davis to a $1.5 million, one-year contract. The Players Choice Awards 'Man of the Year' had considered retirement, but the lure of more playing time change his mind. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 2001 | * | Highly sought free agent Chan Ho Park (15-11, 3.50) signs a five-year, $65 million deal with the Rangers. The Korean right-hander led the Dodgers last year in wins, starts, innings pitched, strikeouts and opponents' batting average. | Ref: 1 |
|---|
| 1808 | * | First performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in Vienna. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1877 | | The American Bicycling Journal, the first bicycling magazine published in the US, is first published. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1883 | | August Strindberg's "Lycko-Pers Reja" premieres. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1907 | | Saint-Saëns/Fokines ballet "Le Cygne" premieres in St Petersburg. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1920 | * | WEAF, in New York City, aired the first broadcast of a prize fight from ringside. The fight was broadcast from Madison Square Garden where Joe Lynch defeated Peter Herman to retain the bantamweight title. Bantamweights top the scales at 118 pounds. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1921 | * | The first U.S. commercial radio license assigned to a religious broadcaster was awarded to the National Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. Within five years, there were over 60 other licensed religious broadcasters, including KJS_Biola (L.A.), KFUO_Concordia Seminary (St. Louis), and WMBI_Moody Bible Institute (Chicago). | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1922 | | WEAF once again proved to be the pillar of radio promotion. This time they broadcast radio’s first double wedding ceremony. 4,000 spectators watched as the two couples exchanged vows at Grand Central Palace. The broadcast was made in conjunction with the American Radio Exposition. The couples each got $100; a hefty sum in 1922. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1924 | * | Philip Barry's "Youngest" premieres in New York NY. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra recorded Blues in the Night on Decca. The song became one of Lunceford’s biggest hits. Between 1934 and 1946 Jimmy Lunceford had more hits (22) than any other black jazz band (except Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway). | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | "Bal Negre" closes at Belasco Theater NYC after 54 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1948 | * | KPIX TV channel 5 in San Francisco CA (CBS) begins broadcasting. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1956 | * | "New Faces of 1956" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 221 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1958 | * | "Whoop-Up" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 56 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1958 | * | The Chipmunks were at the #1 position on the music charts. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore sang with David Seville. "The Chipmunk Song", the novelty tune that topped the charts for a month, is still a Christmas favorite today. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1964 | | James Bond film "Goldfinger" opens.Grosses $23 million. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1965 | | Director David Lean's "Dr Zhivago" premieres. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1965 | | Radio Mil (Dominican Republic) transmitter blown up. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Folk singer Joni Mitchell received a gold record for the album, "For the Roses". The album included the song, "You Turn Me on, I’m a Radio". | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1975 | * | Fiction: Mike and Gloria Stivic (Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers) had a baby on "All In the Family" on CBS-TV. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1976 | * | "Your Arm's Too Short to Box with God" opens at Lyceum NYC for 429 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1976 | * | German Democratic Republic banishes singer Nina Hagen. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1976 | * | The last deal was made as production ended for Let’s Make A Deal. TV’s big dealer, Monty Hall, gave away an estimated $35 million in prizes and over 20,000 kisses during the 3,200 shows. Most of the prizes were behind door number... We forget. We do remember that Jay Stewart was the announcer and Carol Merrill was the spokesmodel. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1978 | * | Kenny Jones becomes The Who's new drummer. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1981 | * | London was the scene of a rock ’n’ roll auction where buyers paid $2,000 for a letter of introduction from Buddy Holly to Decca Records. John and Cynthia Lennon’s marriage certificate was worth $850 and an autographed program from the world premiere of the Beatles film "Help!" brought $2,100. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1982 | * | William Mastrosimone's "Extremities" premieres in New York NY. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1984 | * | Madonna's "Like a Virgin" single goes #1 for 6 weeks. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1984 | * | CBS Records announced plans for the release of Mick Jagger’s first solo album, set for February, 1985. The Rolling Stone went solo after a 20-year career with the self-proclaimed “greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world.” The album: "She’s the Boss". | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1985 | * | "Wind in the Willows" closes at Nederlander Theater NYC after 4 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1986 | * | Joe Paterno was named Sportsman of the Year by "Sports Illustrated" magazine. It marked only the second time a coach had won the honor. The first to do so was UCLA’s basketball legend, John Wooden. The magazine also chose this issue to change its own logo to a two-line design (which had absolutely nothing to do with Joe Paterno). | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1993 | * | Singer Michael Jackson, fighting back against child molestation allegations, issues a video statement in which he said he was "totally innocent of any wrongdoing". (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2003) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 1994 | * | "Christmas Carol" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 18 performances. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1997 | * | Hunter Tylo awarded $4 million in Melrose Place breach of contract. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1997 | * | Nancy Kerring & Tonya Harding pre-record a show to air on FOX on Feb 5 | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 2000 | * | Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie were married in Scotland. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 2002 | | Time Magazine chose as its Persons of the Year for 2002 three female whistleblowers: FBI agent Coleen Rowley, WorldCom auditor Cynthia Cooper and former Enron VP Sherron Watkins. (XDG, p 4A, 12/22/2003) | Ref: 83 |
|---|
| 1400 | * | Luca della Robbia Italy, sculptor (Madonna of Rose Garden), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1428 | * | -Richard Neville Warwick 2nd earl of Salisbury, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1452 | * | Jakob Obrecht Brabant, composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1459 | * | Djem Sultan son of Turks sultan Mehmed II, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1515 | * | Mary of Lorraine France, pro-French Regent of Scotland, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1523 | * | Charles "Cardinal" of Bourbon archbishop Rouen, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1573 | * | Ernst Casimir count of Nassau-Dietz/mayor of Frisia/Groningen, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1624 | * | Tomas Micieres composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1643 | * | Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle France, French explorer (Louisiana), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1684 | * | Johann J Dillenius [Dillen] German botanist (Historia Muscorum), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1696 | * | James Oglethorpe, English founder of the British colony of Georgia, is born. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1700 | * | Egbert de Vrij Temminck Amsterdam regent, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1702 | * | Jean E Liotard [Turk] Swiss painter (Madame d'Epinay), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1710 | * | Wilhelm Friedemann Bach composer, son of J.S. Bach, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1723 | * | Carl Friedrich Abel German/British viola-da-gamba-player/composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1727 | * | (Declaration of Independence) William Ellery, lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence, is born in Newport, RI. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1728 | | Charles Frederick Baden, liberal ruler of Baden, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1735 | * | Ulrich Broker writer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1753 | * | Dugald Stewart Edinburgh Scotland, philosopher (Scottish common sense), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1761 | * | Dorothea Jordan Ireland, French comedic actress, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1764 | | Barbara Juliane Krudener Latvia, mystic visionary renounced nobility, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1767 | * | Andreas Hofer South Tirol, military leader (fought Napoleon's France), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1768 | * | John Crome [Old Crome] English landscape painter/etcher, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1770 | * | Birth of Father Demetrius Gallitzin, a Dutch Catholic priest. Arriving in America in 1792, he spent his remaining years as a frontier missionary, building up the Catholic church in parts of PA, MD, VA and WV. Gallitzin became known as the "Apostle to the Alleghenies." | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1787 | * | Rasmus Rask Denmark, language scholar, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1795 | | Thomas Ainsworth English/Netherlands industrialist (Twentse textile), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1803 | * | Joseph King Fenno Mansfield Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1862, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1808 | * | Thomas Cook England, tour director (Thomas Cook & Son), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1809 | * | Benedict Augustin Morel Vienna, French psychologist (dementia praecox), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1812 | * | Johanne Luise Heiberg Copenhagen Denmark, actress (Romeo & Juliet), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1815 | * | Johann J Bachofen Swiss judicial historian, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1815 | * | Lucien Petipa French dancer/choreographer/ballet leader, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1819 | * | Franz Wilhelm Abt German composer/choir conductor, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1819 | * | George Eliot England, Victorian novelist (Adam Bede), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1821 | * | Giovanni Bottesini composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1823 | * | Jean Henri Fabre, French entomologist, is born. | Ref: 68 |
|---|
| 1823 | * | Thomas Higginson, American abolitionist, is born. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1826 | * | James Scott Negley (Union volunteers Major General, died in 1901), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1830 | * | Justin M'Carthy Ireland, Irish politician/novelist (Miss Misanthrope), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1831 | * | Mark Rutherford writer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1831 | * | Robert Ogden Tyler Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1874, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1832 | * | Edward Hatch Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1889, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1842 | * | Jose Maria de Heredia Cuba, French sonnet poet, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1842 | * | Nicola d' Arienzo composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1844 | * | Izydor Lotto composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1846 | * | Andreas Hallen composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1846 | * | Oscar Carr‚ Dutch circus director, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1847 | * | Heihatjir“ Tojo Japan, admiral (Russian-Japanese war), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1849 | * | Fritz Mauthner Bohemia, German author/philosopher (skepticism), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1856 | * | Frank Kellogg, Secretary of State who tried to outlaw war with the Kellogg-Briand Pact (Nobel-1929), is born. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1857 | * | George [Robert] Gissing England, novelist, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1858 | * | Composer of "La Boheme", and "Madame Butterfly", Giacomo Puccini, is born. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1859 | * | Cecil [James] Sharp London England, folk musician, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1861 | * | Erich Schaeder German theologist (Theocentric Theology), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1863 | * | Ch'i Pai-shih China, traditional Chinese painter, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1863 | * | Jean-Baptiste Marchand Thoissey France, soldier/explorer (Sudan), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1866 | * | Mieczyslaw Surzynski composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1867 | * | [Karl Eduard] Wilhelm Groener Germany, general, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1867 | * | Frantisek X Salda Czechoslovakian writer/critic, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1867 | * | Joseph [Maria] Olbrich Silesia, German architect (Wiener Sezession), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1869 | * | Andre[-Paul-Guillaume] Gide Paris France, writer (Nobel 1947), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1869 | * | Edwin Arlington Robinson (Pulitzer prize-winning poet: Collected Poems [1922], The Man Who Died Twice [1925], Tristram [1928]; Richard Cory, Miniver Cheevy) is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1873 | * | L[eopold] S[tennett] Amery, British politician, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1873 | | Matteo Giulio Bartoli Austria-Hungary, linguist, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1874 | * | Franz Schmidt composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1874 | * | Herman Harrell Horne Clayton NC, philosopher (idealism), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1875 | * | Antoine Mariotte composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1875 | * | John P "Jan" Musch Dutch actor (Dead Water), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1876 | * | Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Italian writer (Futurism e Futurista), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1877 | * | Endre Ady Hungary, lyric poet, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1879 | * | Ralph Hawtrey Buckinghamshire England, economist (multiplier), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1879 | * | Stanislas Bizot French world checker champion (1925), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1881 | | Enver Pasa Istanbul Turkey, Turkish politician, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1882 | * | Charles Vildrac Paris France, poet/playwright, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1883 | * | Arthur Wergs Mitchell, first African-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, is born. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1883 | * | Arthur James Cook, England, union leader (coal miners), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1883 | * | Edgard Victor Achille C VarŠse Paris France, composer (Innisation), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1885 | * | Edgard VarŠse Paris France, composer (Innisation), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1885 | * | Joseph Deems Taylor composer: operas: The King’s Henchman, Peter Ibbetson; writer; music critic: New York World [1921-25], New York American [1931-32]; intermission commentator for Sunday radio broadcasts of NY Philharmonic [1936 to 1943]; president of ASCAP; married to poet and playwright Mary Kennedy; is born in New York, NY. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1887 | * | Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of the most brilliant mathematicians to ever live, was born | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1888 | * | Joseph Arthur Rank English film magnate/baron, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1889 | * | Mikha`il Na'imah Lebanon, playwright, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1889 | * | Minor Watson Marianna AR, actor (Woman of the Year, Viva Cisco Kid), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1890 | * | Mark Tobey US abstract painter (Broadway Norm), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1891 | | Edward L Bernays Vienna Austria, first public relations agent, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1896 | * | Nikolay Semyonovich Tikhonov St Petersburg Russia, poet, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1898 | * | Lionel Charles Robbins Middlesex England, economist, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1899 | * | Gustaf Gruendgens Duesseldorf Germany, actor/director (M), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1899 | * | Wiley Post Texas, aviation pioneer | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1900 | * | Alan Dudley Bush composer pianist/teacher, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1901 | * | Andre Kostelanetz, St Petersburg Russia, conductor (Lincoln Portrait), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1901 | * | Joaquin Rodrigo Spain, composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1902 | * | Jacques-Philippe Leclerc France, WWII hero (liberator of Paris), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1903 | * | Dr Barbara Moore walked across US in 86 days in 1960, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1903 | * | H Keffer Hartline US, biophysicist (Nobel 1967), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1903 | * | Marc Lavry composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1904 | * | Louis-Eugene-Felix Neel Lyon France, physicist (Nobel 1970), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1905 | * | Kenneth Rexroth US, poet/critic/translator (Birds in the Bush), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1905 | * | Pierre Brasseur [Espinasse] French actor (Enfants du Paradis), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1907 | * | Yoshio Hasegawa composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1907 | * | Dame Peggy (Edith Margaret Emily) Ashcroft Academy Award-winning actress: Passage to India [1984]; The Heat of the Day, The Jewel in the Crown, Secret Ceremony, The Nun’s Story, The 39 Steps; British Olivier Award [lifetime achievement 1991]; is born in Croydon England, | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1908 | * | Giacomo Manzú Italy, sculptor (St Peter, Laurenskerk, Lenin Prize), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1908 | * | Marius F Duintjer Dutch architect, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1908 | * | Max Bill Swiss painter/sculptor/politician (Ruban Sans Fin), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1909 | * | Alan Carney [David Boughal] Brooklyn NY, actor (Zombies on Broadway), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1910 | * | Richard Ainley Middlesex England, actor (I Dood It, Above Suspicion), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1911 | * | Grote Reber US, astronomer (1st parabolic radio telescope), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1912 | * | Wife of 36th U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Lady Bird (Claudia Alta) Johnson is born. | Ref: 68 |
|---|
| 1912 | * | Henry Armstrong held feather/light/welterweight boxing titles (1938), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1912 | * | Doris Duke New York NY, heiress (American Tobacco Company), is born. | Ref: 68 |
|---|
| 1913 | * | Anthony Barber Doncaster bookseller, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1913 | * | Benjamin Britten Suffolk England, opera composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1917 | * | Andrew Fielding Huxley London England, physiologist (Nobel 1963), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1917 | * | Piet De Somer Belgian rector (University of Leuven), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1917 | * | Gene Rayburn (Rubessa) comedian: The Steve Allen Show, Tonight; TV game-show host: Match Game, Make the Connection, Break the Bank; TV panelist: The Name’s the Same; is born in Christopher IL. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1918 | * | William Kennedy baseball player, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1918 | * | Frankie Darro (Johnson) actor: Vanishing Legion, Westward the Women, Broadway Bill, Riding High, Black Gold, Irish Luck; is born in Chicago IL. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1921 | * | Hawkshaw Hawkins Huntington WV, country singer (Ozark Jubilee), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1921 | * | Robert Frank Kurka composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1922 | * | Actress Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver from "Leave It To Beaver") is born in Los Angeles CA. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1922 | * | James C Wright Jr (Representative-D-TX), Speaker of the House (1987-89), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1922 | * | Calder Willingham novelist/scriptwriter, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1923 | * | Heinz Bernard Lowenstein actor/director, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1924 | * | Frank Corsaro New York harbor, opera director, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1924 | * | Geraldine Page Kirksville MO, actress (Interiors, Beguiled), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1925 | * | Gunther Schuller New York NY, jazz composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1925 | * | Thomas Christian David composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1926 | * | Peggy Castle Appalachia VA, actress (Lily Merrill-Lawman), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1927 | * | Peggie Castle (Blair) (actress: The White Orchid, The Finger Man) is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1928 | * | Piero Angelo Italian writer (Control), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1929 | * | Jan Wiegel director/producer (Classroom of Anne Frank, Myrada), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1930 | * | Peter Hall Suffolk England, director (Royal Shakespeare Company), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1932 | * | Joe Clark Los Angeles CA, WLAF off coordinator coach (Amsterdam Admirals), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1934 | * | David Pearson (International Motorsports Hall of Famer: Daytona 500 winner [1976]), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1935 | * | John L Finley USAF/astronaut, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1935 | * | Oleg Alekseyevich Protopopov Russia, pairs skater (Olympics-gold-1964, 68), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1936 | * | Hector Elizondo actor: Chicago Hope, Popi, Freebie and the Bean, Foley Square, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Casablanca, Perfect Alibi, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Frankie and Johnny, Pretty Woman, The Flamingo Kid, Young Doctors in Love, The Fan, Cuba, American Gigolo, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, Pocket Money, Born to Win, is born in New York NY. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1937 | | Marco J de Castro Dutch Antillian politician, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1938 | * | Matty (Mateo Rojas) Alou (baseball: SF Giants [World Series: 1962], Pittsburgh Pirates [all-star: 1968, 1969], SL Cardinals, Oakland Athletics [World Series: 1972], NY Yankees, SD Padres), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1940 | * | Ellie (Elrod Jerome) Hendricks (baseball: catcher: Baltimore Orioles [World Series: 1969-1971], Chicago Cubs, NY Yankees [World Series: 1976]), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1943 | * | Billie Jean King Long Beach CA, tennis pro, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Steve (Norman) ‘Lefty’ Carlton Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher: SL Cardinals [World Series: 1967, 1968/all-star: 1968, 1969, 1971], Philadelphia Phillies [all-star: 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979-1982/Cy Young Award: 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982/World Series: 1980, 1983], Chicago White Sox, SF Giants, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins; won 329 games [second only to Warren Spahn among lefties]; his 4,136 strikeouts exceeded only by Nolan Ryan; shares N.L. record w/19 strikeouts in a game; six 20-win seasons; first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Barry Jenkins rocker (Animals-House of the Rising Sun), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1945 | * | Diane Sawyer Glasgow KY, newscaster (60 Minutes, ABC Prime Time), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1945 | * | Joris J C Voorhoeve Dutch Defense minister (1994-, VVD), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1945 | * | Marianne van Wijnkoop [Bosscher] Dutch actress (Les Mis‚rables), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | TV journalist Diane Sawyer is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | Roberta Speer LPGA golfer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | WBD middleweight boxing champion Rodrigo Valdez is born in Bolivar, Columbia. | Ref: 97 |
|---|
| 1946 | * | Rick Nielsen musician: guitar, singer: group: Cheap Trick: I Want You to Want Me, Ain’t That a Shame, Dream Police, Voices, is born in Rockford IL. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1947 | * | Brian C Daley US, sci-fi author (Exploits of Han Solo, Tron), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1948 | * | -Lynne Thigpen Joliet IL, actress (Nancy-Love Sidney), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1948 | * | Noel Edmonds British TV personality (Foul-ups, Bleeps & Blunders), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1948 | * | Steve (Steven Patrick) Garvey baseball: L.A. Dodgers: [World Series: 1974, 1977, 1978/all-star: 1974-1981/N.L. Baseball Writers’ Award: 1974]; SD Padres [World Series: 1984/all-star: 1984, 1985], is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1949 | * | Manfred Burgsmuller WLAF kicker (Rhein Fire), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1949 | * | Maurice Gibb, Manchester England, rocker/twin of Robin (Bee Gees-Saturday Night Fever), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1949 | * | Michael Osborne rock guitarist/vocalist (Axe), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1949 | * | Robin Gibb, Manchester England, rocker/twin of Maurice (Bee Gees-Saturday Night Fever), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1949 | * | Ray Guy (football: star punter for Southern Mississippi [1970-72], Oakland Raiders: Super Bowl XI, XV, XVII), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1950 | * | -Rick Nielsen guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist (Cheap Trick-Surrender), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1950 | * | Bob Fitchner (hockey: NHL: Quebec Nordiques), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1951 | * | Jan Stephenson Sydney Australia, golfer (LPGA Rookie of Year-1974), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1951 | * | Charles de Lint Netherlands, sci-fi author (Moonhear, Mulengro, Yarrow), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1951 | * | Gerald Grosvenor English 6th duke of Westminster/billionaire, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1952 | * | Charles Phillips (football: Oakland Raiders safety: Super Bowl XI), is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1953 | * | Bernnadette Stanis Brooklyn NY, actress (Thelma-Good Times), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1953 | * | David Leisner composer, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1953 | * | Ian Turnbull (hockey: NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs, LA Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins) | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1954 | * | Jayaseelan Naidoo South African worker's union leader, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1955 | * | -Lynne Thigpen actress (Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1956 | * | Cojo, Columbus OH, first gorilla born in captivity, is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1956 | * | Marcy Hanson Galveston TX, playmate (October 1978), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1956 | * | Erica Boyer (Amanda Gantt) (actress: X-rated films) is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1957 | * | -Lynne Thigpen Joliet IL, actress (Nancy-Love Sidney), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1957 | * | Ricky Ross British rock vocalist (Deacon Blue-Raintown), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1957 | * | Susan Powter diet guru/author/talk show host (Susan Powter Show), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1958 | * | Lenny Von Dohlen Augusta GA, actor (Love Kills, Electric Dreams), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1960 | * | Jean-Michel Basquiat Haiti/US graffiti artist/painter (Gray, SAMO), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1960 | * | Tyrell Biggs Philadelphia PA, super HW boxer (Olympics-gold-1984), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1961 | * | Catherine Oxenberg New York NY, actress (Amanda-Dynasty), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1961 | * | Yuri Ivanovich Malinchenko Russian Lieutenant-Colonel/cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-19), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1962 | * | Ralph Nathaniel Fiennes, Tony Award-winning actor: Hamlet [1995]; Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Avengers, The Prince of Egypt, The End of the Affair, The Miracle Maker, Double Down, is born in Suffolk England. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1964 | * | Mike Jackson Houston TX, pitcher (Seattle Mariners), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1967 | * | Mike Sullivan NFL center (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1967 | * | Sean Foster WLAF wide receiver (Rhein Fire), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1968 | * | Dina Meyer actress: Poodle Springs, Johnny Mnemonic, Dragonheart, Starship Troopers, Deadly Little Secrets, is born. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1968 | * | Lauralee "Bug" Bell Chicago IL, actress (Cricket-Young & Restless), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1969 | * | Andrew Scott Australian baseball infielder (Olympics-1996), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1969 | * | Marcie Aguilar Tucson AZ, female infielder (Colorado Silver Bullets), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1970 | * | Brooks Findlay CFL linebacker (British Columbia Lions), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Andrew Moore WLAF tackle (Frankfurt Galaxy), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Anthony Edwards Australian rower (Olympics-96), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Kirk Maltby Guelph, NHL right wing (Edmonton Oilers), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Mike Thompson NFL defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1972 | * | Vanessa Paradis France, model (Channel)/actress (White Wedding), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1973 | * | Annie Pelletier Montreal Quebec, 3 meter diver (Olympics-bronze-96), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1973 | * | Jamel Williams safety (Washington Redskins), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1975 | * | Stanislav Neckar Pisek CZ, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators, Olympics-gold-98), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1977 | * | Joanna Hughes Victoria Australia, gymnast (Olympics-96), is born. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1986 | * | Jeffery Wood actor (Austin Warren-In The House) | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 856 | * | An earthquate kills 200,000 in Damghan, Iran. | Ref: 85 |
|---|
| 1337 | * | Daito Kokushi leader of O-To-Kan Rinzai school in Japan, dies at 54. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1419 | * | John XXIII [Baldassare Cossa] Italian Pope (1410-15), dies. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1440 | * | The pirate Bluebeard is executed. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1552 | * | Saint Francis Xavier dies. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1596 | * | Ferryboat Meuniers crashes in Paris, 150 die. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1603 | * | Mehmed III sultan of Turkey (1595-1603), dies at 37. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1641 | * | Maximilien de B‚thune duke of Sully PM of France, dies at 81. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1666 | * | Il Guercino, Italian fresco painter, dies at age 75. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1668 | * | Stephen Day first British colonial printer, dies. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1721 | * | Nathaniel Hawes tortured & executed in England for robbery. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1723 | * | Jacques Basnage French/Dutch historian/vicar, dies at 70. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1745 | * | Jan Dismas Zelenka composer, dies at 66. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1767 | * | John Newberry English publisher, dies. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1797 | * | Giovanni Marco Rutini composer, dies at 74. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1810 | * | British frigate Minotaur sinks killing 480. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1815 | * | José Maria Morelos Mexican revolutionary priest executed by Spaniards. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1828 | * | Rachel Jackson (Donelson Robards), wife of President Andrew Jackson, dies just a few weeks before her husband's inauguration as President. | Ref: 2 |
|---|
| 1832 | * | Ishmail Spicer composer, dies at 72. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1863 | * | Michael Corcoran Union Brigadier-General, dies at 36. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1867 | * | Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician (kinematics), dies at 79. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1867 | | Theodore Rousseau dies. | Ref: 10 |
|---|
| 1870 | * | Constantine D Uschinsky Russian educator, dies at 46. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1870 | * | Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, Spanish poet and author, dies at age 34. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1874 | * | Johann Peter Pixis composer, dies at 86. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1875 | * | Nikolay Alexeyevich Titov composer, dies at 75. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1880 | * | George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), English novelist (Silas Marner, Middlemarch), dies on her 61st birthday. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1887 | * | Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden, US geologist (Geograph Survey 1859-86), dies at age 58. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1890 | * | Harry Pollitt chairman British communist (1956-60), dies. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1893 | * | Benedikt Randhartinger composer, dies at 91. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1893 | * | Johann Czerski German chaplain, dies at 80. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1899 | * | Dwight L Moody US evangelist (Student Volunteer Movement), dies. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1902 | * | Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, psychiatrist, dies at 62. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1908 | * | Marie Jungius Dutch teacher/fairy tale writer, dies at 44. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1913 | * | Menelik II King of Ethiopia (1896-1913), dies at 69. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1917 | * | Francesca Saveria Cabrini US saint/patron of immigrant, 1st US saint, dies at 67. | Ref: 68 |
|---|
| 1918 | * | Albijn van de Abeele Flemish author/mayor/painter, dies at 83. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1923 | * | Arthur H Bird composer, dies at 67. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1925 | * | Frank Andrew Munsey, American newspaper and magazine publisher, dies at age 71. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1934 | * | Wallace Henry Thurman, African-American editor, critic, novelist and playwright, dies at age 32. | Ref: 70 |
|---|
| 1937 | | Daito Kokushi Zen founder of Daitokuji, dies in Kyoto at 55. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1939 | * | Ma Rainey "Mother of the Blues", US blues singer/composer, dies at 53. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1939 | * | 125 die in train wreck at Magdeburg Germany; 99 die in 2nd wreck at Friedrichshafen Germany. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1940 | * | Nathanael West [Weinstein] US writer (Cool Million), dies at 37. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1941 | * | Leopoldo Mugnone composer, dies at 83. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1943 | * | Beatrix Potter, writer of children's stories including "Peter Rabbit", dies at age 77. | Ref: 68 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Antoine Mariotte composer, dies on 69th birthday. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1944 | * | Harry Langdon US comic/director (Heart Trouble), dies at 60. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1945 | * | Otto Neurath Austrian/British philosopher, dies at 63. | Ref: 5 |
|---|
| 1948 | * | Hideki Tojo Prime Minister of Japan; WWII war criminal, is hanged. | Ref: 4 |
|---|
| 1950 | * | Julius Weismann composer, dies at 70. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1950 | * | 2 self-propelled trains of Long Island RR collide, killing 77. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1950 | * | Walter Johannes Damrosch, Prussian-bn.American conductor/composer, dies at age 88. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1951 | * | Powell Weaver composer, dies at 61. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1958 | * | Fjodor W Gladkow Russian author (Cement), dies at 75. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1958 | * | Lion Feuchtwanger German/US philosopher (Jüdische Krieg), dies at 74. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1959 | * | Gilda Gray actress (Piccadilly), dies of heart attack at 60. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1964 | * | Bonifacio Gil Garcia composer, dies at 66. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1965 | * | Al Ritz actor (Gorilla, Hi Ya Chum), dies at 62. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1965 | * | Richard Dimbleby, English reporter and pioneering broadcast journalist, dies at age 52. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1966 | * | Lucy Burns, American woman suffragist, dies at age 87. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1967 | * | Lee Krieger actor (Clambake, One Way Wahini), dies at 48. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1968 | * | Louise Granville entertainer, dies of influenza at 73. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1969 | * | Donald Foster actor (Herbert Johnson-Hazel), dies at 80. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1969 | * | Ilse Steppat actress (Invisible Terror), dies at 52. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1969 | * | Josef von Sternberg Austrian director (Shanghai Express), dies at 75. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1971 | * | Godfried Jan Arnold Bomans Dutch writer (Eric), dies at 58. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1971 | * | Renee Evans entertainer, dies of heart attack at 63. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1972 | * | 6.25 earthquake strikes Managua Nicaragua, 12,000+ killed. | Ref: 72 |
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| 1973 | * | Domingo Julio Gomez Garcia composer, dies at 87. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1973 | * | Irna Phillips creator of 5 TV soap operas, dies at 72. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1974 | * | Fosco Giachetti entertainer, dies at 70. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1974 | * | Lorraine Gauguin entertainer, dies at 50. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1977 | * | Johann Nepomuk David composer, dies at 82. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1977 | * | 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1979 | * | Darryl F. (Francis) Zanuck producer: The Jazz Singer, The Grapes of Wrath, Forever Amber, The Snake Pit; cofounder of 20th Century Studios; dies at age 77. | Ref: 4 |
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| 1980 | * | Dick Kallman actor (Hank Dearborn-Hank), murdered at 47. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1986 | * | Celius Dougherty composer, dies at 84. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1987 | * | Alice Terry [Taaffe] actress (4 Horsemen of Apocalypse), dies. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1987 | * | Leonidas Zoras composer, dies at 82. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1987 | * | Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx overdoses from Heroin. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1988 | * | Tucker Smith singer/dancer (Cool-West Side Story), dies. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1989 | * | Samuel Beckett, the Irish-born author, critic, and playwright who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, dies. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1989 | * | Playwright Samuel Beckett died in Paris at age 83. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1990 | * | Cecil Effinger composer, dies at 76. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1990 | * | Helene Stanley actress (Carnival Story, Roar of the Crowd), dies. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1990 | * | Israeli ferry capsizes killing 21 US servicemen. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1991 | * | The body of Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage murdered by his captors, was found dumped along a highway in Lebanon. | Ref: 70 |
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| 1991 | * | Ernst Krenek Austrian/US composer (Orpheus & Eurydike), dies at 91. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1991 | * | Beaver Harris (William Godwin Harris) musician: drums: co-led 360 Degree Music Experience [w/Roswell Rudd, Marion Brown, Grachan Moncur III]; dies. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1992 | * | Frederick W Franz CEO (Watch Tower), dies at 99. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1992 | * | Libyan MIG-23UB attacks Boeing 727 at Souk al-Sabt, 158 die. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1993 | * | Alexander Mackendrick director (Whiskey Galore!), dies at 81. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1993 | * | Don DeFore actor (George Baxter-Hazel), dies of cardiac arrest at 76. | Ref: 68 |
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| 1995 | * | James Edward Meade, English Nobel Prize-winning economist (1977), dies at age 88. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1995 | * | (Thelma) Butterfly McQueen actress: The Mosquito Coast, Duel in the Sun, Gone with the Wind; dies in a fire at 84. | Ref: 4 |
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| 1996 | * | Hetta Empson artist, dies at 81. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | * | Dawn Steel producer/president (Columbia TriStar), dies of brain tumor at 51. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | * | Douglas Ranger surgeon, dies at 81. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | | Hugh Edward Conway Seymour marquis of Hertford, dies at 67. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | * | John Pinkerton computer scientist, dies at 78. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | * | Johnny Coles trumpeter, dies at 71. | Ref: 5 |
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| 1997 | * | Juzo Itami Japanese director, commits suicide at 64 | Ref: 5 |
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| 2002 | * | Susan Fleming actress: Range Feud, Gold Diggers of 1937; widow of Harpo Marx; dies. | Ref: 4 |
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| 2003 | * | A 6.5 quake rocks California's central coast, killing at least two people. (XDG, p 1, 12/23/2003) | Ref: 83 |
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