Ken Fussichen's History Of The Day For
December 23rd

Home Click on * for the link to the relevant chronology. New Date
619*Boniface V is consecrated as Pope.Ref: 69
1482 Peace of Atrecht.Ref: 5
1617*First penal colony in US established in Virginia.Ref: 10
1681*Colonists repeal New England ban on Christmas celebrations after 22 years.Ref: 10
1688*English king Jacob II flees to France.Ref: 5
1690*American government floats first loan;Massachusetts Bay Colony issues tax certificates.Ref: 10
1724 Emperor Charles VI names Maria Elisabeth land guardian of Australia Netherlands.Ref: 5
1728 Prussian Emperor Karel VI sign Treaty of Berlin.Ref: 5
1751*France sets plan to tax clergymen.Ref: 5
1783*George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the army and retires to his home at Mount Vernon, Va,Ref: 70
1787*HMS Bounty under Captain William Bligh, sets sail for the South Seas.Ref: 10
1788*Maryland votes to cede a 10 square mile area for District of Columbia.Ref: 5
1788*Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat of the national government; about two-thirds of the area became the District of Columbia.Ref: 70
1793*Thomas Jefferson warned of slave revolts in West Indies.Ref: 5
1814*Village of Cleaveland is chartered. 
1876 Turkey's first constitution proclaimed.Ref: 5
1880*Billy the Kid is captured and taken to Sante Fe, NM. Ref 
1888*Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh arrived at House of Tolerance (brothel), asked for one Rachel, and handed her -- his ear, saying “Keep this and treasure it.” Then he disappeared. Informed of this action, which could only be that of a poor lunatic, the police went to the man’s address the next morning and found him lying in bed and giving almost no sign of life. The unfortunate was admitted to hospital as an emergency case.Ref: 4
1899*Tentative Turkish & German treaty on construction of Baghdad railway.Ref: 5
1900 The Federal Party, which recognizes American sovereignty, is formed in the Philippines.Ref: 2
1907*First all-steel passenger railroad coach completed, Altoona PA.Ref: 5
1909*Albert becomes king of Belgium.Ref: 5
1912 Aswan Dam in Nile begins operation.Ref: 5
1913*The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. It established 12 Federal Reserve Banks.Ref: 4
1919 Great Britain institutes a new constitution for India.Ref: 2
1920*Ireland divided into 2 parts, each with its own parliament.Ref: 5
1920*King George V signs Home Rule Act.Ref: 5
1921*President Warren G. Harding frees Socialist Eugene Debs and 23 other political prisoners.Ref: 2
1922*Lenin begins his TestamentRef: 89
1922*Pope Pius XI pleas for peace: encyclical Ubi arcano.Ref: 5
1929*A teletypewriter system connects the police departments of 95 cities and borroughs in Pennsylvania. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2000)Ref: 83
1930*Police Bureau of Criminal Alien Investigation started in New York NY.Ref: 5
1933*Marinus van der Lubbe sentenced to death.Ref: 5
1933*Pope Pius XI condemns the Nazi sterilization program.Ref: 2
1937*London warns Rome to stop anti-British propaganda in Palestine.Ref: 2
1940 Chiang Kai-shek dissolves all Communist associations in China.Ref: 2
1945*Pope Pius XII encyclical Orientals omnes, about Rutheense church.Ref: 5
1946 Belgian Council of State forms.Ref: 5
1946*Highest ridership in NYC subway history (8.8 million passengers).Ref: 5
1950*Pope Pius XII declared that the tomb of St. Peter had been discovered beneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.Ref: 5
1951 Last Belgian communities get electricity.Ref: 5
1958*Abdallah Ibrahim forms government of Morocco.Ref: 5
1960*De Quay's Dutch government falls.Ref: 5
1960*King Saudi of Saudi-Arabia takes power.Ref: 5
1961*Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62 million worth of food & medical supplies.Ref: 5
1962*Cuba starts returning US prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion.Ref: 5
1967*Lyndon B Johnson meets Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.Ref: 5
1967 Brussels: NATO-Council accept "Flexible Response" strategy.Ref: 5
1968*Eighty-two crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.Ref: 70
1970*French author Regis Debray freed in Bolivia.Ref: 5
1970*New York World Trade Center reaches highest point (411 m).Ref: 5
1970*USSR performs nuclear test.Ref: 5
1973 6 Persian Gulf nations double their oil prices.Ref: 5
1975*Congress passes Metric Conversion Act.Ref: 5
1979*USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR.Ref: 5
1980*A state funeral was held in Moscow for former Premier Alexei N. Kosygin, who had died December 18th at age 76. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2003)Ref: 83
1987*Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a life sentence for attempted assassination of President Gerald R Ford escapes from Alderson Prison.Ref: 5
1989*Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were captured while trying to flee the country.Ref: 70
1990*Slovenians vote to secede from Yugoslavia.Ref: 5
1991*President George H.W. Bush spoke by telephone with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, after which a senior Bush administration official said the United States would extend diplomatic recognition to the Russian republic.Ref: 64
1991*New York Daily News publisher Kevin Maxwell resigns.Ref: 5
1993*President Clinton, under intense political pressure, instructs his attorney to give the Justice Dept all records of his investment in an Arkansas real estate partnership linked to a failed savings and loan. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2003)Ref: 83
1996 Russian President Boris Yeltsin returned to his office at the Kremlin after a six-month bout with a heart ailment.Ref: 64
1996*4 women ordained priests in Jamaica, first in 330-year Anglican history.Ref: 5
1997*A jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing, declining to find him guilty of murder.Ref: 70
1997*US Agriculture Department estimates it costs $149,820 to raise a child to 18.Ref: 5
1998 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat frees Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin from house arrest, a move denounced by Israel. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2003)Ref: 83
1998 Lebanese guerrillas attack Israel's northern border with rockets, in retaliation for an Israeli raid a day earlier. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2003)Ref: 83
2000 Pro-democracy forces claimed a sweeping victory in Serbia's parliamentary elections.Ref: 64
2001 Israel barred Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from making his annual Christmas Eve visit to Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.Ref: 70
2002*Senate Republicans unanimously elected Bill Frist to succeed Trent Lott as their leader in the next Congress.Ref: 70
2003*A Holstein cow in Washington State is found to have mad cow disease, the first such case found in the US. The US Agriculture Dept assured consumers that no infected parts of the cow made it to the food supply. (USA Today, p 1A, 12/24/2003)Ref: 13
2003*Gary Sampson, 44, a drifter, is sentenced to death for the murder of Phillip McCloskey, 69, and Jonathan Rizzo, 19, several days apart in July 2001. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/24/2003)Ref: 13
2003*California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger declares a quake emergency for central California. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/24/2003)Ref: 13
2012 The last day on the Mayan Calendar Ref 
1672*Giovanni Cassini discovers Rhea, a satellite of Saturn.Ref: 5
1690*John Flamsteed observes Uranus without realizing it's undiscovered.Ref: 5
1834*Joseph Aloysius Hansom patented his Patent Safety Cab on this day. The 2-wheeled, horse-driven vehicle with the driver seated above and behind the passengers (he talked with the them through a trap door) became known as the hansom cab. Hansom was also a well-known architect. The Englishman designed the Birmingham Town Hall, Plymouth Cathedral and many other churches, convents, schools and mansions. And it is a good thing he had his architectural business to fall back on. He never made any money from those hansom cabs, even though you can still spot them on the streets of many cities around the world.Ref: 4
1919*Alice H Parker patents gas heating furnace.Ref: 5
1919*The first ship designed to be used as an ambulance for the transport of sick and wounded patients was launched. The hospital ship was named USS Relief and had 515 beds.Ref: 4
1947*Bell Labs management is informed by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and Whilliam Shockley have developed the first transistor. Ref 
1968*First documented US case of space motion sickness.Ref: 5
1968*Borman, Lovell & Anders become first men to orbit Moon.Ref: 5
1973*Comet Kohoutek reached its perihelion.Ref: 62
1974*The B-1 bomber makes its first successful test flight.Ref: 2
1986*The experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California. (Go to article.)Ref: 70
1620*French huguenots declare war on King Louis XIII.Ref: 5
1715 Russian/Prussian troops occupy Stralsund.Ref: 5
1776*Continental Congress negotiates a war loan of $181,500 from France.Ref: 5
1779*Benedict Arnold court-martialed for improper conduct.Ref: 5
1832 Dutch troops in Antwerp surrender.Ref: 5
1861*Lord Lyons, the British minister to America presents a formal complaint to secretary of state, William Seward, regarding the Trent affair.Ref: 2
1862*Union General Ben "Beast" Butler is proclaimed a "felon, outlaw & common enemy of mankind" by Jefferson Davis.Ref: 5
1899*Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts departs Southampton to South Africa.Ref: 5
1917*3 British warships come close to Holland.Ref: 5
1925 Sultan Ibn Saud of Nedzjed conquers Djeddah.Ref: 5
1939*The first Canadian troops arrive in Britain.Ref: 2
1939*Finnish counter offensive at Summa.Ref: 5
1941*The Royal Rifles on Hong Kong Island are ordered to withdraw to Stanley Peninsula (near Hong Kong). 
1941*British troops overrun Benghazi Libya.Ref: 5
1941*Japan begins assault on Rangoon Burma.Ref: 5
1941*Despite throwing back an earlier Japanese amphibious assault, the U.S. Marines and Navy defenders on Wake Island capitulate to a second Japanese invasion.Ref: 2
1941*Gen. MacArthur begins withdrawal from Manila to Bataan. 
1942*Allies air attack on Den Helder.Ref: 5
1943*Canadian troops capture Ortona from German occupation. 
1943*General Montgomery told he is appointed commandant for D-day.Ref: 5
1944*General Dwight D. Eisenhower confirms the death sentence of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American shot for desertion since the Civil War.Ref: 2
1945*General Dwight D. Eisenhower confirms the death sentence of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American shot for deserition since the Civil War.Ref: 2
1947*President Harry S Truman grants a pardon to 1,523 who had evaded the World War II draft.Ref: 2
1950*General Walton H. Walker, the commander of the Eighth Army in Korea, is killed in a jeep accident. Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgeway is named his successor.Ref: 2
1967*U.S. Navy SEALs are ambushed during an operation southeast of Saigon.Ref: 2
1905*Thirty-eight year old A's third baseman Lave Cross is sold to the Senators.Ref: 1
1923*Yankees pitcher Carl Mays sold to Reds for $85,000.Ref: 5
1933*Howie Morenz takes over NHL career goal lead at 251.Ref: 5
1946*University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne University, because they may use a black player in their basketball game.Ref: 5
1951*First coast-to-coast televised football game (Dumont paid $75,000); Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17 in NFL championship game.Ref: 5
1953*Jim 'Junior' Gilliam (.278, 6, 63) wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Dodger second baseman easily beats Harvey Haddix and Ray Jablonski.Ref: 1
1960*Rip Collins joins the Cubs' college of coaches.Ref: 1
1962*Dallas Texans beat Houston Oilers 20-17 in AFL championship game.Ref: 5
1972*"Immaculate Reception" Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against the Raiders to win 13-7.Ref: 5
1972*Islanders end 15 games winless streak.Ref: 5
1975*A landmark decision by Peter Seitz begins a new era in major league baseball as the arbitrator's judgment makes pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally the first true free-agents in baseball history.Ref: 1
1978*Islanders score 7 goals in 1 period against the Rangers, Trottier scores 8 points vs Rangers, 5 goals-NHL record 6 points in 1 period.Ref: 5
1979*New York Islanders greatest shutout lose (8-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks.Ref: 5
1982*Chaminade defeated previously unbeaten Virginia at home in Honolulu. Chaminade was a school hardly anyone had ever heard of until that upset. Ralph Samson, one of the ‘Twin Towers’ of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, was held to 12 points, as the school of only 850 students won, 77-72. Even Chaminade’s students were at a loss as to how they won. After all, they were never known for their sports. Chaminade alumni still talk about this one.Ref: 4
1983*Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman was named Offensive Player of the Year by the National Football League.Ref: 4
1991*Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons. He was the only coach to have four Super Bowl wins (1975-1976, 1979-1980) and was the fifth winningest coach in the NFL (209-156-1).Ref: 4
1994*Major league owners implement a salary cap and revenue sharing on striking players.Ref: 1
1997*Chicago Bull coach Phil Jackson is quickest to reach 500 wins (682 games).Ref: 5
1997*Colorado Avalanche Jari Kurri is 8th NHLer to score 600 career goals.Ref: 5
1823 The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore is first published, in the Troy (NY) Sentinel.Ref: 70
1852 First Chinese theater in US, Celestial John, opens in San Francisco.Ref: 5
1871*First Gilbert & Sullivan collaboration, ThespisRef: 62
1893*The Engelbert Humperdinck opera "Haensel und Gretel" was first performed, in Weimar, Germany.Ref: 5
1894*Debussy's ballet "L'apr‚s-midi d'un faune" premieres in Paris.Ref: 5
1911*The opera "I Giojelli Della Madonna" is produced (Berlin).Ref: 5
1911*Frank Wedekind's "Oaha, die Satire der Satire" premieres in Munich.Ref: 5
1912 First "Keystone Kops" film, titled "Hoffmeyer's Legacy".Ref: 5
1915*J Kern/S Greene's musical "Very Good Eddie" premieres in New York NY.Ref: 5
1922*BBC Radio began daily newscasts.Ref: 5
1928 NBC sets up a permanent, coast-to-coast radio network.Ref: 5
1930*An unknown actress, like so many others, arrived in Hollywood, under contract to Universal Studios. She was Ruth Elizabeth Davis. Universal changed her name for the movies. Five years later, the actress won an Academy Award for her performance in Dangerous; followed by another Oscar in 1938 for Jezebel. We remember Bette Davis.Ref: 4
1938*Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month.Ref: 5
1938 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch was heard for the final time on the radio. The program was about life in a Kentucky shanty town. It had been on the air for three years.Ref: 4
1940*John Van Druten's "Old Acquaintance" premieres in New York NY.Ref: 5
1942*Bob Hope agrees to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska. It was the first of his many famous Christmas shows for American armed forces around the world. The tradition continued for more than three decades.Ref: 4
1943*The first complete opera to be televised was aired on WRBG in Schenectady, NY. (WRGB was named after GE engineer Dr. W.R.G. Baker. It was not named, as many have thought over the years, for red, blue and green, the three primary colors of a TV picture tube.) Humperdinck’s "Hansel and Gretel" was the opera presented. (And that’s not Engelbert, the singer. Hansel and Gretel’s creator was the original Engelbert Humperdinck.)Ref: 4
1945 Frederick Astons "Cinderella" premieres in London.Ref: 5
1953*Comedian Mort Sahl makes stand-up debut at San Francisco nightclub Hungry i.Ref: 10
1954*The classic movie, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, was released. The film was one of Walt Disney’s most successful. Kirk Douglas and James Mason starred.Ref: 4
1957*Actor Dan Blocker makes his debut on television in the Restless Gun production of The Child. Two years later, Blocker starred in the very popular Bonanza on NBC, as Hoss Cartwright.Ref: 4
1958*"Party with Comden & Green" opens at John Golden NYC for 38 performances.Ref: 5
1963*Beach Boys first appearance on "Shindig".Ref: 5
1964 Radio Caroline and Radio Atlanta (later known as Caroline South and North) were joined at sea by Radio London, which arrived off Frinton (northeast of London) this day. The new ship/station brought a team of ‘Americanised’ deejays, experienced in the art of selling themselves as much as the music. With catchy jingles and contagious slogans like ‘Wonderful Radio London’ and ‘Big L’, Radio London soon became king of the U.K. pirate-radio scene.Ref: 4
1966*Britain's rock TV show, "Ready Steady Go", last program.Ref: 5
1969*B.J. Thomas received a gold record for the single, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head -- from the motion picture, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Raindrops hit number one on the pop charts on January 3, 1970 and stayed there for 4 weeks.Ref: 4
1969*Elton John met with arranger Paul Buckmaster, writer Bernie Taupin and producer Gus Dudgeon. The collaboration marked the start of one of the most successful milestones of music in the 1970s. Together, they created Your Song, Friends, Levon, Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man and many more.Ref: 4
1970 7,511th performance of Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap" (record).Ref: 5
1973*"The Young and the Restless" premiers on TV.Ref: 5
1974*"Good News" opens at St James Theater NYC for 16 performances.Ref: 5
1974 Leningrad: premier of Dmitri Shostakovich's Michelangelo-liederen.Ref: 5
1980*Sam Shepard's "True West" premieres in New York NY.Ref: 5
1983*Journal Science publishes first report on nuclear winter.Ref: 5
1990*"Lettice & Lovage" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 284 performances.Ref: 5
1997*Woody Allen, 62 weds Soon-Yi Previn 27, adopted daughter of Mia Farrow.Ref: 5
1999*And, speaking of kids born in 1999: Saul Bellow, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize for Literature, was the father of a baby girl. Bellow’s fifth wife, Janis Freedman, 41, gave birth to Naomi Rose Bellow this day. So, what’s the big deal, you ask? Bellow was 84 years old at the time.Ref: 4
2003*Lenny Bruce is post-humously pardoned by New York Governor George Pataki, 39 years after being convicted of giving an obscene performance. (USA Today, p 1D, 12/24/2003)Ref: 13
1174*Louis I Duke of Wittelsbach, is born.Ref: 5
1544*Anna duchess of Saxon/wife of prince Willem of Orange (1561-71), is born.Ref: 5
1548*Pieter C Bockenberg historian (Annales Hollandiae et Zeelandiae), is born.Ref: 5
1582*Severo Bonini composer, is born.Ref: 5
1597*Martin Opitz Germany, poet "Father of Modern German Poetry", is born.Ref: 5
1644*Tomas de Torrejon y Velasco composer, is born.Ref: 5
1648*Birth of Robert Barclay, Scottish Quaker theologian. He published his most famous work, "An Apology for the True Christian Divinity," in 1676, making him the most prominent theologian in the early Quaker Church.Ref: 5
1682*James Gibbs, Scottish architect, is born.Ref: 70
1689*Joseph Bodin de Boismortier composer, is born.Ref: 5
1699*Joseph Gibbs composer, is born.Ref: 5
1709*Jean-Noel Hamal composer, is born.Ref: 5
1714*Johann Siebenkas composer, is born.Ref: 5
1716*Johann Heinrich Rolle composer, is born.Ref: 5
1732*Sir Richard Arkwright inventor (spinning frame), is born.Ref: 5
1734*Filinto El¡sio [Francisco M do Nascimento] Portuguese poet, is born.Ref: 5
1749*Johann Lukas Schubaur composer, is born.Ref: 5
1750*Frederik Augustus I the Righteous, king of Saxony (1806-27), is born.Ref: 5
1763*John Davy composer, is born.Ref: 5
1777*Aleksandr I P Romanov Tsar of Russia (1801-25), is born.Ref: 5
1780*Charles-Louis Panckoucke French publisher, is born.Ref: 5
1790*Birth of Jean Francois Champollion, French Egyptologist. In 1822 he successfully decoded the hieroglyphics of the Rosetta Stone (uncovered in 1799), and is recognized today as the founder of modern Egyptology.Ref: 5
1795*Philippe Vandermaelen Flemish cartographer (Atlas Universel), is born.Ref: 5
1804*Charles-Augustin de Sainte-Beuve France, critic/writer (deax violes esgales), is born.Ref: 5
1805*Joseph Smith Jr, Mormon leader, founding prophet, first elder/president of the church, is born in Sharon, Vermont.Ref: 4
1808*Thomas Turner Commander (Union Navy), died in 1883, is born.Ref: 5
1812*Samuel Smiles Scotland, author (Self-Help, Character, Duty), is born.Ref: 5
1812*William Hauser composer, is born.Ref: 5
1815*Henry Highland Garnet Maryland, minister/abolitionist/diplomat, is born.Ref: 5
1818*David Addison Weisiger Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1899, is born.Ref: 5
1823*Alexandru Flechtenmacher composer, is born.Ref: 5
1827*Wilhelm Freiherr von Tegetthoff Austrian admiral (Helgoland/Lissa), is born.Ref: 5
1828*Mathilde Wesendonk German writer/poet (Tagebuchblatter), is born.Ref: 5
1830*Adam Minchejmer composer, is born.Ref: 5
1834*Thomas R Malthus English vicar/economist (moral restraint), is born.Ref: 5
1841*Birth of Handley C.G. Moule, Anglican theologian. He succeeded B.F. Westcott in 1901 as Bishop of Durham. A profound scholar, he could nevertheless speak and write for ordinary people, and published commentaries on nearly all of Paul's letters in the New Testament.Ref: 5
1845*Emmanuel-Persillier Lachapelle doctor (founder of Notre Dame Hospital Montréal), is born.Ref: 5
1845*Gustave Ador union President of Austria (1919), is born.Ref: 5
1850*Oscar Solomon Straus, American member of President Wilson's cabinet, is born.Ref: 70
1853*Giacomo Puccini Italy, composer, is born.Ref: 5
1853*Maria Teresa Carreno composer, is born.Ref: 5
1855*Alan Gray composer, is born.Ref: 5
1856*James Buchanan Duke, American tobacco magnate, is born.Ref: 70
1858*Vladimir Nemirovitch-Dantshenko playwright (Life in Russian Theater), is born.Ref: 5
1860*Harriet Monroe Chicago IL, poet/editor of Poetry magazine (You & I), is born.Ref: 5
1862*Baseball Hall of Famer, Manager Connie Mack (Cornelius McGillicuddy) is born. Ref 
1862*Henri Pirenne Belgian historian (History of Belgium), is born.Ref: 5
1862*Birth of Amos R. Wells, American Christian educator. He was first editorial secretary of the newly organized Christian Endeavor Society (forerunner of modern church "youth fellowships") from 1891 until his death in 1933.Ref: 5
1865*Albrecht duke of Woerttemberg/general-fieldmarshal, is born.Ref: 5
1867*Madam CJ Walker [Sarah Breedlove] is born in Delta LA. She is the first black American female to become a millionaire. She sold hair straightener.Ref: 2
1870*John Marin painter (1948 Fine Arts Medal), is born.Ref: 5
1883*Hubert M E Pierlot Belgian advocate/premier (1939-45), is born.Ref: 5
1886*Albert Ehrenstein Austria writer (Message from the Madhouse), is born.Ref: 5
1887*Eric Blore London England, actor (Great Gatsby, Bowery to Baghdad), is born.Ref: 5
1887*John Cromwell Toledo OH, actor/director (Spitfire, Of Human Bondage), is born.Ref: 5
1888*Friedrich Wolf writer, is born.Ref: 5
1889*Emil Brunner, Swiss theologian, is born.Ref: 70
1893*Ann O'Neal Missouri, actress (Nana-Professional Father), is born.Ref: 5
1896*Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Sicilian writer (Der Leopard), is born.Ref: 5
1896*Alberto Hemsi composer, is born.Ref: 5
1897*Julien Carette Paris France, actor (Sylvia & the Phantom), is born.Ref: 5
1900*Marc Alligret French director (Voyage ouch Congo), is born.Ref: 5
1901*Gene Sarazen golfer (PGA 1922, 23, 33), is born.Ref: 5
1903*Fredi [Fredericka] Carolyn Washington actress (Black & Tan), is born.Ref: 5
1903*Michael Kalatozov Russian producer (When the Cranes Fly), is born.Ref: 5
1905*Arn Bjornsson composer, is born.Ref: 5
1906*Ross Lee Finney Wells MN, composer (Landscapes Remembered), is born.Ref: 5
1907*Don McNeill radio host: The Breakfast Club [The Pepper Pot], ABC Radio, 34 years with Eddie Ballantine, Sam Cowling and Fran Allison; is born in Galena IL.Ref: 4
1908*Yousuf Karsh portrait photographer (Life Magazine), is born.Ref: 5
1909*Barney Ross New York NY, Welterweight Boxing Champion (1934), is born.Ref: 5
1909*Maurice Denham Beckenham England, actor (Mr Love, Damn the Defiant), is born.Ref: 5
1911*James Gregory actor: The Manchurian Candidate, Barney Miller, PT 109, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Captain Newman, M.D., is born in Bronx NY.Ref: 68
1911*Niels Jerne immunologist, is born.Ref: 5
1913*Hans Henkemans composer, is born.Ref: 5
1913*Leo A Ketelaars Dutch oratorio vocalist, is born.Ref: 5
1914*Dezider Kardos composer, is born.Ref: 5
1918*Helmut Schmidt Chancellor of Germany (SPD, 1974-82), is born.Ref: 5
1918*José Greco, Italy, flamenco dancer (Holiday for Lovers), is born.Ref: 5
1920*Alan North Bronx NY, actor (Captain Ed Hocken-Naked Gun), is born.Ref: 5
1921*Gerald S O'Loughlin New York NY, actor (Storefront Lawyer, Rookies, Wheels), is born.Ref: 5
1922*Micheline Ostermeyer France, shot-put/discus thrower (Olympics-gold-1948), is born.Ref: 5
1922 Ian Powell Bancroft civil servant, is born.Ref: 5
1922*Ruth Roman actress: The Killing Kind, Love has Many Faces, Since You Went Away, The Window, Knots Landing; is born.Ref: 4
1923*Milt Okun Brooklyn NY, orchestra leader (Starland Vocal Band Show), is born.Ref: 5
1923*Ruth Roman Boston MA, actress (Sylvia-Knots Landing, Dallas), is born.Ref: 5
1923*Bob Barker Darrington WA, TV host (Price is Right), is born.Ref: 5
1923*James Stockdale admiral (Vietnam)/Ross Perot's 1992 running mate, is born.Ref: 5
1923*Kenneth Henry Lowry Lamb broadcaster, is born.Ref: 5
1923*Leonard Stern New York NY, producer/TV writer (Phil Silvers Show, Get Smart), is born.Ref: 5
1923*Lucas M Mangope first President of Bophuthatswana (1977-94), is born.Ref: 5
1924*Floyd Kalber Omaha NE, newscaster (NBC Weekend News Anchor-1973), is born.Ref: 5
1924*Ruth Roman is born.Ref: 10
1924*Dan Devine football coach: Green Bay Packers, Univ. of Notre DameRef: 4
1925*Harry Guardino New York NY, actor (Monty Nash, Perry Mason, Hill St Blues), is born.Ref: 5
1925*Pierre Beregovoy French premier (1992-93), is born.Ref: 5
1926*Robert Bly US, poet/editor/translator (Loving a Woman in 2 Worlds), is born.Ref: 5
1926*Dusan Kostic composer, is born.Ref: 5
1926*James Dewar journalist/documentary film-maker, is born.Ref: 5
1926*Oscar Solomon Straus, American member of President Wilson's cabinet, dies at age 75.Ref: 70
1927*Joseph Castaldo composer, is born.Ref: 5
1929*Dick Weber bowler: shares record for most wins [4] in US Open Bowling Tournament [1962-63, 1965-66], is born.Ref: 4
1930*Barbara Ruick Pasadena CA, actress (Apache War Smoke, T£ Para Mi), is born.Ref: 5
1931*Ronnie Schell, Richmond CA, comedian (Gomer Pyle, Good Morning World), is born.Ref: 5
1932*Reverend James Cleveland Chicago IL, gospel musician (Old Time Religion, It's Me O Lord), is born.Ref: 5
1932 Tertius Metcalf businessman, is born.Ref: 5
1933*Akihito, Emperor of Japan; first son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako, Emperor of Japan (1989- ), is born.Ref: 4
1935*Paul Hornung ‘The Golden Boy’: football: Green Bay Packers’: NFL Individual Record for points [176] scored in season [1960]; Notre Dame: Heisman Trophy winner [1956], is born.Ref: 4
1935*‘Little’ Esther Phillips (Esther Mae Jones) pianist, singer: Release Me, What a Diff’rence a Day Makes; Grammy nomination: Best female R & B vocalist [1973], Aretha Franklin won but gave award to Esther; is born.Ref: 4
1936*James Stacy Los Angeles CA, actor (Fred-Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), is born.Ref: 5
1936*Bobby Ross NFL coach (San Diego Chargers), is born.Ref: 5
1936*Claude Albert Coppens composer, is born.Ref: 5
1936*Frederic Forrest Waxahachie TX, actor (Music Box, Lonesone Dove), is born.Ref: 5
1937*Karol Joseph Bobko New York NY, Colonel USAF/astronaut (STS 6, STS 51D, STS 51J), is born.Ref: 5
1939*Johnny Kidd (Frederick Heath) singer, songwriter: Please Don’t Touch; group: Johnny Kidd & The Pirates: You’ve Got What It Takes, Shakin’ All Over, Restless, Linda Lu, A Shot of Rhythm and Blues, I’ll Never Get Over You, Hungry for Love, Always and Ever; is born.Ref: 4
1940*Jorma Kaukonen musician: guitar: groups: Jefferson Airplane: It’s No Secret, Runnin’ Round This World, Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, Triad, Greasy Heart, Lather, Meadowlands, Wooden Ships, We Can Be Together; Hot Tuna: LPs: Thirty Seconds Over Winterland, Early Flight, Flight Log, Black Kangaroo, is born in Washington DC.Ref: 4
1940*Eugene Record singer: group: Chi-Lites: Give It Away, [For God’s Sake] Give More Power to the People, Have You Seen Her, Oh Girl, Homely Girl, Too Good to Be Forgotten, is born.Ref: 4
1941*Elizabeth Hartman Youngstown OH, actress (Walking Tall, Beguiled), is born.Ref: 5
1941*Tim Hardin singer, composer: If I Were a Carpenter, Reason to Believe, Hang on to a Dream, Misty Roses, Tippy-Toein’; is born.Ref: 4
1942*Friedrich Schenker composer, is born.Ref: 5
1942*Jerry (Jerome Martin) Koosman baseball: pitcher: NY Mets [all-star: 1968, 1969/World Series: 1969, 1973], Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, is born.Ref: 4
1943*Harry Shearer Los Angeles CA, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live, Simpsons, Pure Luck), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Queen Silvia (Sommerlath) of Sweden (born in Heidelberg, Germany), wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf, is born.Ref: 5
1943*Derek Small rocker (Spinal Tap), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Peter Quaife Devon England, rock bassist (Kinks-Long Tall Sally), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Roelof den Ambtman Dutch actor/director (One Evening at Eva), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Ross Edwards composer, is born.Ref: 5
1943*Stephen Wallace director (For Love Affair, Hunger, Mail Order Bride), is born.Ref: 5
1943*Harry Shearer actor: The Return of Spinal Tap, The Fisher King, Portrait of a White Marriage, This is Spinal Tap, The Right Stuff, One Trick Pony, Saturday Night Live, voice of Smithers & Otto the Bus Driver: The Simpsons, is born in Los Angeles CA.Ref: 4
1944 D J D Dees pharmacist/Dutch minister of WVC (VVD), is born.Ref: 5
1944 Enneos Heerma Dutch minister of Housing (CDA), is born.Ref: 5
1944*Hans Tentije [Johann Kr„mer] Dutch poet (Nachtwit), is born.Ref: 5
1945*Richard C Wohlhuter 800 meter runner (Olympics-bronze-1976), is born.Ref: 5
1945*Ronald Bushy rocker (Iron Butterfly-In A Gadda Da Vida), is born.Ref: 5
1945*Georges Aperghis composer, is born.Ref: 5
1946*Tony Craig [Kulasa] Pittsburgh PA, actor (That Boy Next Door), is born.Ref: 5
1946*Susan Lucci Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress: All My Children [1999]; Dallas, French Silk, Lady Mobster, Mafia Princess, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, Invitation to Hell, Secret Passions, is born in Scarsdale NY.Ref: 4
1947*Bill Rodgers marathon runner (Boston, New York), is born.Ref: 5
1948*Jack Ham football: Pittsburgh Steelers LB, Super Bowls IX, X, XIII, XIV, is born.Ref: 4
1949*Luther Grosvenor rocker (Spooky Tooth), is born.Ref: 5
1951*Johnny Contardo singer: group: Sha-Na-Na, formerly Eddie and The Evergreens, Dirty Dozen, is born.Ref: 4
1951*John McDaniel football: Washington RedskinsRef: 4
1951*Kevin Restani basketball: Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio SpursRef: 4
1952*Hans Abrahamsen composer, is born.Ref: 5
1953*John Callahan Brooklyn NY, actor (Craig-Santa Barbara, Falcon Crest), is born.Ref: 5
1953*Tatsumi Fujinami wrestler (WWF/NWA), is born.Ref: 5
1954*Brian Teacher San Diego CA, tennis star, is born.Ref: 5
1955*Dave Murray English pop guitarist (Iron Maiden-Number of the Beast), is born.Ref: 5
1956*Michele Alboretto formula-1 racer (Ferrari), is born.Ref: 5
1958*Denise McConnell Wiesbaden Germany, playmate (March, 1979), is born.Ref: 5
1958*Joan Severance Houston TX, actress (Hear No Evil, See No Evil), is born.Ref: 5
1958*Dave Murray musician: guitar: group: Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, Running Free: LPs: Killers, Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Power Slave, Live After Death, Somewhere in Time, is born.Ref: 4
1960*William Sinnot Scottish pop musician (Shamen-Move Any Mountain), is born.Ref: 5
1960*Zindzi Mandela daughter of Nelson & Winnie Mandela, is born.Ref: 5
1962*Jerry Reynolds NBA guard/forward (Milwaukee Bucks), is born.Ref: 5
1963*Singer Terry Weeks is born.Ref: 64
1963*Carol Peterka Little Falls MN, team handball back court (Olympics-92, 96), is born.Ref: 5
1963*Jim Harbaugh NFL quarterback (Indpls Colts), is born.Ref: 5
1963*Keiji Muto wrestler (NWA/WWC/NJPW), is born.Ref: 5
1964*Andy Gabel Chicago IL, short track skater (Olympics-1994), is born.Ref: 5
1964*Petr Klima Chaomutov Czechoslovakia, NHL right wing (Tampa Bay Lightning), is born.Ref: 5
1964*Eddie Vedder (Mueller) songwriter, singer: group: Pearl Jam: LP: TenRef: 4
1965*Rock singer Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) is born. (TWA, 1997)Ref: 95
1965*Slash rocker (Guns N' Roses), is born.Ref: 5
1966*Hans van Arum Dutch soccer player (Vitesse, Willem II), is born.Ref: 5
1967*Lamar Lathon NFL linebacker (Carolina Panthers), is born.Ref: 5
1969*Rodney Culver NFL running back (San Diego Chargers), is born.Ref: 5
1969*Stephen Grant NFL linebacker (Indpls Colts), is born.Ref: 5
1970*Shannon Noelle DePuy Lynchburg VA, Miss Virginia-America (1991-top 10), is born.Ref: 5
1970*Kimberly Ann Cooley Grand Forks ND, Miss America-North Dakota (1996), is born.Ref: 5
1970*Martha Byrne actress (Lily Snyder-As the World Turns), is born.Ref: 5
1970*Raymont Harris NFL running back (Chicago Bears), is born.Ref: 5
1971*Pete Bercich NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings), is born.Ref: 5
1971*Steve Stenstrom quarterback (Chicago Bears), is born.Ref: 5
1971*Corey Haim actor: Life 101, Dream a Little Dream series, Oh, What a Night, Fast Getaway, Dream Machine, The Lost Boys, Lucas, A Time to Live, Silver Bullet, Murphy’s Romance, First Born, Demolition University, Without Malice, is born in Toronto Canada.Ref: 4
1973*Tony Graziani quarterback (Atlanta Falcons), is born.Ref: 5
1977*Becky Ruehl Lakeside Park KY, diver (Olympics-4th-1996), is born.Ref: 5
1977*Helen Mahmastol Miss Universe-Estonia (1996)Ref: 5
558*Childebert king of France (511-58), dies at about 62.Ref: 5
679*Dagobert II king of Austrasia (676-679), murdered.Ref: 5
918*Conrad I East Frankish/German king (911-18), dies.Ref: 5
1116*Ivo van Chartres French canonist/bishop of Chartres/saint, dies.Ref: 5
1236*Philippus Cancellarius French theologist/poet (Summa Cum Laude), dies.Ref: 5
1502*Margaretha English princess of Burgundy, dies at 57.Ref: 5
1569*St Philip metropolitan of Moscow, martyred by Ivan the Terrible.Ref: 5
1588*Hendrik de Guise French leader of Catholic League, murdered at 37.Ref: 5
1619*Johan Sigismund elector of Brandenburg/duke of Prussia, dies at 47.Ref: 5
1652*John Cotton, Massachusetts Bay Puritan preacher, dies at 68.Ref: 5
1688*Jean-Louis Lully composer, dies at 21.Ref: 5
1696*Johann David Mayer composer, dies at 60.Ref: 5
1789*Charles-Michel abbé de l'Epéé (school for the deaf), dies at 77.Ref: 5
1812*Michel Delalande composer, dies at 73.Ref: 5
1834*Thomas Malthus Rookery Surrey UK, economist/demographer/population expert (Law of Malthus), dies at age 68.Ref: 68
1872*George Catlin artist: of North [Catlin’s Indian Gallery] and South American natives; dies.Ref: 4
1873*Sarah Moore Grimke antislavery/women’s rights advocate; dies at age 81.Ref: 70
1891*Holger Simon Paulli composer, dies at 81.Ref: 5
1908*Eduard Wachmann composer, dies at 72.Ref: 5
1909*King Leopold II of Belgium dies.Ref: 5
1911*Karl L Hoschna composer, dies at 34.Ref: 5
1915*Roland Leighton dies at 20.Ref: 5
1925*A S C Wallis [AdŠle von Antal-Opzoomer] writer (Vorstengunst), dies.Ref: 5
1930*Johannes H Been Brielle archivist, dies at 71.Ref: 5
1933*Train crash in Eastern Paris; 230 die.Ref: 5
1938*Robert Herrick US writer (Chimes), dies at 70.Ref: 5
1939*Anthony H G Fokker Dutch airplane builder (Spider), dies at 49.Ref: 68
1943*Theo[dorus J] Thijssen Dutch writer (Kees de Jongen), dies at 64.Ref: 5
1944*Charles Dana Gibson, American artist and illustrator, dies at age 77.Ref: 70
1945*Mogens Klitgaard Danish author (Brunkul), dies at 39.Ref: 5
1948*Japan's Prime Minister, Hideki Tojo and six other collaborators are hanged for war crimes.Ref: 2
1950*Vincenzo Tommasini composer, dies at 72.Ref: 5
1951*Alfreds Kalnins composer, dies at 72.Ref: 5
1951*Benito Lynch Irish/Argentine writer (Palo Verde), dies at 66.Ref: 5
1953*Lavrenti P Beria, Soviet minister of internal security, is executed at age 54.Ref: 5
1959*Lester Lonergan Jr actor (Growing Paynes), dies at 65.Ref: 5
1959*Edward Halifax English viscount/viceroy of India, dies at 78.Ref: 5
1959*Lord Irwin ambassador to US (1940-46), dies at 78.Ref: 5
1961*Train accident in Italy, 70 die.Ref: 5
1962*George Saiko writer, dies at 70.Ref: 5
1962*Luis Alberni actor (Topaze), dies at 76.Ref: 5
1963*Fire on Greek ship Laconia, 128 die.Ref: 5
1964*Arrigo Pedrollo composer, dies at 86.Ref: 5
1964*India & Ceylon hit by cyclone, about 4,850 killed.Ref: 5
1966*Heimito von Doderer writer, dies at 70.Ref: 5
1966*Robert Keith actor (Battle Circus, Men in War), dies at 68.Ref: 5
1967*Karen Verne actress (Ships of Fools, Underground), dies at 49.Ref: 5
1967*Richard Flury composer, dies at 71.Ref: 5
1967 Ruth Fuller Sasaki head of first Zen Institute of America, dies at 75.Ref: 5
1969*Donald Foster actor (Scaramouche), dies after long illness at 80.Ref: 5
1970*Charlie Ruggles actor (Ruggles, Aesop-Bullwinkle Show), dies at 84.Ref: 5
1971*Carlo Jachino composer, dies at 84.Ref: 5
1972*Charles Atlas (Angelo Siciliano), bodybuilder: 97-lb. weakling who had sand kicked in his face advertisement, dies.Ref: 4
1972*George Catlin artist: of North [Catlin’s Indian Gallery] and South American natives; dies.Ref: 4
1972*Andrej N Tupolev Russian aircraft builder, dies at 84.Ref: 5
1972*16 plane crash survivors rescued after 70 days, survived by cannibalism.Ref: 5
1972*6.25 Earthquake destroys central Managua Nicaragua, 10,000 die.Ref: 5
1973*French Caravelle crashes in Morocco, 106 killed.Ref: 5
1973*Charles AtlasRef: 10
1975*Richard S. Welch, the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Athens, was shot and killed outside his home.Ref: 5
1976*Paul M Frank Forest actor (Big Broadcast of 1937, Champagne Waltz), dies at 80.Ref: 5
1976*Walter Bauer writer, dies at 72.Ref: 5
1979*Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector and patron, dies at age 81.Ref: 70
1982*Norman Dinnerstein composer, dies at 45.Ref: 5
1982*Jack (John Randolph) Webb director, actor: Joe Friday-Dragnet, Pete Kelly’s Blues; actor: Sunset Boulevard, The Halls of Montezuma, dies at 62 of a heart attack.Ref: 5
1983*(Green River Killer) Lisa Yates, 26, is last seen. She is the 38th of 48 women Gary Ridgway admits killing. (USA Today, p 3A, 11/06/2003)Ref: 13
1985*James Vance (20) & Raymond Belknap (18) commit suicide, sparking their families to sue rock group Judas Priest for subliminal messages.Ref: 5
1989*Josef Alexander composer, dies at 82.Ref: 5
1991*Byron Q Griffith producer/actor, dies at 73.Ref: 5
1992*Eddie Hazel US pop guitarist (Funkadelic-Knee Deep), dies at 42.Ref: 5
1993*Ronnie Scott (Schatt) jazz musician: tenor sax, bandleader; jazz club owner in London; dies.Ref: 4
1993*Gertrude "Trudi" Duby Blom actress, shot to death at about 92.Ref: 5
1994*Charles Shirley jazz arranger, dies at 74.Ref: 5
1994*Didier Rocher son of French cosmetic maker Yves Rocher, dies at 41.Ref: 5
1994*Nora Dunfree US actress (Grass Harp), dies at 78.Ref: 5
1994*Sebastian Lewis Shaw actor (High Season, Ace of Spades), dies at 89.Ref: 5
1994*Charles Shirley jazz arranger, dies at 74.Ref: 5
1995*David Land impressario, dies at 77.Ref: 5
1995*Gabrielle Keiller collector/golfer, dies at 87.Ref: 5
1995*Patric Reginald Lawrence Knowles actor (Chisum, Mutiny), dies at 84.Ref: 5
1995*A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school.Ref: 70
1996*Rina Ketty singer, dies at 85.Ref: 5
1996*Ronnie Scott (Schatt) jazz musician: tenor sax, bandleader; jazz club owner in London; dies at age 69.Ref: 4
1997*Austin Whitaker schoolmaster classical scholar/archivist, dies at 90.Ref: 5
1997*Brian Malzard Foss psychologist, dies at 76.Ref: 5
1997*Donald Gunn MacRae sociologist, dies at 76.Ref: 5
1997*Hrvoje Horvatic video artist, dies at 39.Ref: 5
1997*Keith Bentley international racing cyclist, dies at 72.Ref: 5
1997*Stanley Cortez cinematographer (Magnificent Ambersons), dies at 92Ref: 5
2000*Victor Borge (Borge Rosenbaum) pianist, comedian: phonetic punctuation: "bpft"; dies in Greenwich, Conn., at age 91.Ref: 5
2000*Billy Barty Millsboro Pa, 3'9" actor (Under the Rainbow, Foul Play), dies at age 76 in Glendale, CA.Ref: 5
2002*A passenger plane crashes in central Iran during a flight from Turkey, killing 45 people, mostly from Ukraine. (XDG, p 4A, 12/23/2003)Ref: 83
2003*At least 191 people are killed when a natural gas well in southwestern China burst and released a cloud of toxic fumes. (USA Today, p 3A, 12/26/2003)Ref: 13

Last Update: October 27th, 2005
© 2000-2005   Kenneth Fussichen