On this date in history:

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On this date in history:


Today is Thursday, Dec. 14, the 348th day of 2006 with 17 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Pluto, Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include (Lang - ts4ms.com ) (Pat H - ts4ms.com ) French astrologer and prophet Nostradamus in 1503; Danish astronomer and mathematician Tycho Brahe in 1546; World War II U.S. air ace Jimmy Doolittle in 1896; former Sen. Margaret Chase Smith of Maine in 1897; slapstick bandleader Spike Jones in 1911; comedian Morey Amsterdam in 1914; horror novelist Shirley Jackson in 1919; TV news producer Don Hewitt in 1922 (age 84); country singer Charlie Rich in 1932; and actresses Lee Remick in 1935, Patty Duke in 1946 (age 60) and Dee Wallace Stone in 1948 (age 58) and Helen Slater in 1963 (age 43).

On this date in history:

In 1799, George Washington, first president of the United States, died at his Mount Vernon home in Virginia.

In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to reach the South Pole.

In 1984, bank robbers killed four customers and wounded three others in Geronimo, Okla., to grab $17,000.

In 1986, Nicaragua announced the arrest of American Sam Hall as a spy. Hall, a former Ohio state lawmaker, was freed less than seven weeks later.

In 1988, the United States announced the start of a "substantive dialogue" with the Palestine Liberation Organization for the first time.

In 1989, Andrei Sakharov, father of the Soviet H-bomb, dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner for defending human rights, died at age 68.

Also in 1989, opposition candidate Patricio Aylwin easily won Chile's first democratic presidential election since the 1973 coup that brought military leader Augusto Pinochet to power.

In 1993, Israel and the Vatican agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.

In 1995, in a ceremony in Paris, the 4-year civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina officially came to an end with the signing of a peace treaty.

In 1996, a runaway freighter crashed into the Riverwalk on the New Orleans waterfront.

In 1997, with an eye to the planned visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II in early 1998, President Fidel Castro announced that Christmas would be an official holiday for the first time since 1968.

In 1998, a federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced Johnny Chung, a Democratic Party donor, to five years' probation on charges that included $20,000 in illegal gifts to the Clinton-Gore campaign. The Democratic Party had returned donations from Chung totaling nearly $400,000 that were of dubious legality.

In 2002, some 330 members of 50 opposition groups in Iraq met in London to discuss a new government in the event Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

In 2003, violence continued uninterrupted in Iraq with a series of bombings and other lethal attacks, showing little effect from the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Also in 2003, an assassination attempt on the life of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf failed when a bomb blew up a bridge only seconds after the presidential motorcade had passed.

In 2004, Cuba's military was reportedly preparing for what its government said was eventual aggression from the United States.

Also in 2004, two passenger trains in India's Punjab district collided at high speed, killing at least 27 people and injuring scores of others. Some reports put the death toll at 50.

In 2005, U.S. President George Bush acknowledged flawed intelligence led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq but said the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was right.

Also in 2005, the U.S. government reported the nation's trade deficit hit a record $68.9 billion.

And, in 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed the Holocaust was a "myth" and called for Israel to be moved to Europe or North America.


A thought for the day: William James said, "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."

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On this date in history:


Today is Friday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2006 with 16 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Pluto, Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include the Roman emperor Nero in 37A.D.; Polish linguist Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of the international language Esperanto, in 1859; French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, builder of the Paris tower that bears his name and engineer of the Statue of Liberty, in 1832; playwright Maxwell Anderson in 1888; billionaire oilman J. Paul Getty in 1892; bandleader Stan Kenton in 1911; pioneer rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed in 1922; comic actor Tim Conway in 1933 (age 73); rock musician Dave Clark in 1942 (age 64); and actors Don Johnson in 1949 (age 57); Helen Slater in 1963 (age 43) and Garrett Wang ("Star Trek: Voyager") in 1968 (age 38).


On this date in history:

In 1791, the Bill of Rights, comprising the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, took effect.

In 1890, Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull was killed in a skirmish with U.S. soldiers along the Grand River, S.D.

In 1939, the movie version of "Gone With The Wind" premiered in Atlanta.

In 1943, the Battle of San Pietro between U.S. forces and a German panzer battalion left the 700-year-old Italian town in ruins.

In 1948, a federal grand jury in New York indicted former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss on perjury charges.

In 1954, what may be considered TV's first mini-series premiered. "Davy Crockett" aired in a series of five segments on Walt Disney's "Disneyland" show.

In 1961, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi SS officer regarded as the architect of the World War II Jewish Holocaust, was condemned to death by an Israeli war crimes tribunal.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association reversed its longstanding position and declared that homosexuality is not a mental illness.

Also in 1973, Jean Paul Getty III, grandson of U.S. billionaire J. Paul Getty, was found alive near Naples, five months after his kidnapping by an Italian gang.

In 1982, Teamsters Union President Roy Williams and four others were convicted in federal court of conspiring to bribe Sen. Howard Cannon, D-Nev.

In 1989, Panamanian lawmakers designated Gen. Manuel Noriega head of state and declared that a "state of war" existed with the United States.

In 1990, in a landmark right-to-die case, a Missouri judge cleared the way for the parents of Nancy Cruzan to remove their daughter from life-support systems.

In 1991, more than 400 people drowned when a ferry headed from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Egypt sank in the Red Sea. Some 150 people were rescued.

In 1992, the governor of Michigan signed a bill making assisted suicide a felony on the same day two chronically ill women killed themselves with the help of "Dr. Death" Jack Kevorkian.

Also in 1992, a college student in Great Barrington, Mass., went on a shooting rampage, killing a professor and another student and wounding four other people.

And in 1992, Salvadorans celebrated the formal end to their country's 12-year civil war.

Also in 1993, British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds issued a "framework for lasting peace" in Northern Ireland.

And in 1993, the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ended with agreement on new global-trade regulations.

In 1996, Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas agreed to merge to form the world's largest aerospace company.

In 1997, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered all 1.4 million men and women in uniform to be inoculated against anthrax.

Also in 1997, 85 people were killed when a Tajik charter airliner crashed in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2000, first lady and senator-elect Hillary Clinton signed an $8 million book deal to write a memoir of her years in the White House.

In 2002, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore announced he would not seek the presidency in 2004. Gore narrowly lost the 2000 election to George W. Bush.

In 2003, as Iraqi leaders urged that a war crime tribunal try Saddam Hussein, U.S. President George W. Bush said he favored "ultimate justice" and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the trial must meet international standards.

In 2004, an interceptor rocket designed to test the United States' emerging missile-defense system failed to take off as scheduled from the Marshall Islands.

Also in 2004, a 14-hour bus hostage siege in Athens, Greece, ended when the two Albanian gunmen released the last of their 23 captives and surrendered.

In 2005, U.S. President George Bush authorized surveillance without warrants on citizens suspected of terrorist connections, news reports said.

Also in 2005, as many as 11 million Iraqis turned out to select their first permanent parliament since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

And, in 2005, U.S. President George Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., announced a tentative deal to ban interrogation torture by U.S. troops and personnel.


A thought for the day: the title of a poem by Stephane Mallarme is "A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance."

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On this date in history:


Today is Saturday, Dec. 16, the 350th day of 2006 with 15 to follow.

This the first day of Hanukkah.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Pluto, Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of England's King Henry VIII, in 1485; German composer Ludwig von Beethoven in 1770; novelist Jane Austen in 1775; philosopher George Santayana in 1863; playwright and composer Noel Coward in 1899; anthropologist Margaret Mead in 1901; science fiction novelist Arthur C. Clarke in 1917 (age 89); actress Liv Ullmann in 1939 (age 67); journalist Leslie Stahl in 1941 (age 65); TV producer Steven Bochco in 1943 (age 63), and actor Benjamin Bratt in 1963 (age 43).


On this date in history:

In 1773, some 50 American patriots, protesting the British tax on tea, dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston harbor in "The Boston Tea Party."

In 1835, a fire swept New York City, razing 600 buildings and causing $20 million damage.

In 1893, Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In 1913, British actor Charles Chaplin reported to work at Keystone Studios in Hollywood to launch a legendary film career.

In 1944, Germany launched a great counteroffensive in World War II that became known as "The Battle of the Bulge."

In 1953, Chuck Yeager set an airborne speed record when he flew a Bell X-1A rocket-fueled plane over 1,600 miles an hour.

In 1960, 131 people were killed when two planes collided over foggy New York harbor.

In 1989, U.S. District Appeals Court Judge Robert Vance was killed by a package bomb at his Alabama home.

In 1990, a Roman Catholic priest, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was elected president of Haiti in that nation's first fully free vote since the 1986 fall of the "Baby Doc" Duvalier regime.

In 1991, the U.N. General Assembly repealed a resolution equating Zionism with racism. It had been a major stumbling block in achieving peace in the Middle East.

In 1997, more than 700 children in Japan were hospitalized after a televised cartoon triggered a condition called "light epilepsy" or "Nintendo epilepsy," which is caused by intense flashes of light viewed up close.

Also in 1997, the highest wind speed ever measured -- 236 mph -- was recorded at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam as Typhoon Paka slammed into the Pacific island.

In 1998, U.S. and British jetfighters began a 4-night campaign of bombing more than 100 Iraqi military targets. The long threatened action came after the allies concluded Iraq would not cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

In 2001, police in India said four suspects in custody had named Pakistan-based terrorist groups as being responsible for the Dec. 13 attack on the Indian Parliament building in New Delhi that left 14 people dead.

In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush named former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean to lead the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Also in 2002, North Korea blamed the United States for using humanitarian aid to disarm the famine-hit country, saying it would not accept such aid if political conditions are attached.

In 2003, Saddam Hussein, the captured former Iraqi president, denied playing any direct role in planning attacks on coalition troops, according to reports.

Also in 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing the creation of a museum honoring African-Americans.

In 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law legislation mandating a sweeping revamp of U.S. intelligence-gathering agencies, including the creation of a national director of intelligence.

Also in 2004, the World Health Organization launched its opening strategy on dealing with what it considers an inevitable pandemic of avian, or bird, flu.

In 2005, the Palestinian militant group Hamas won a sweeping victory in West Bank municipal elections.

Also in 2005, British scientists calculated 2005 was the warmest year in the Northern Hemisphere since recordkeeping began in the 1860s.

And, in 2005, fire claimed 39 lives at a hospital in China's northeastern city of Liaoyuan.


A thought for the day: it was George Santayana who said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

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On this date in history:


Today is Sunday, Dec. 17, the 351st day of 2006 with 14 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn and Mars. The evening stars are Pluto, Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include (Nadonahoe - ts4ms.com) (awsherm - ts4ms.com); American Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, who fought as a man under the alias Robert Shurleff, in 1760; poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1807; conductor Arthur Fiedler in 1894; novelist Erskine Caldwell in 1903; composer/bandleader Ray Noble also in 1903; Western swing bandleader/violinist Spade Cooley in 1910; columnist William Safire in 1929 (age 77); publisher Bob Guccione in 1930 (age 76); British singer/actor Tommy Steele in 1936 (age 70); actor Ernie Hudson ("Ghostbusters") in 1945 (age 61); comedian Eugene Levy in 1946 (age 60) and actor Bill Pullman in 1953 (age 53).



On this date in history:

In 1790, the Aztec Calendar or Solar Stone was uncovered by workmen repairing Mexico City's Central Plaza.

In 1903, Orville Wright made history's first sustained airplane flight, lasting 12 seconds and covering 120 feet near Kitty Hawk, N.C. His brother Wilbur flew 852 feet later that day.

In 1925, Army Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, outspoken advocate of a separate U.S. Air Force, was found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the good of the armed services. He was awarded the Medal of Honor 20 years after his death.

In 1939, the Nazi warship Graf Spee was scuttled off the coast of Uruguay as British vessels pursued it.

In 1944, the more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans who had been relocated from the West Coast shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were told they would be allowed to return home on Jan. 2.

In 1967, the Clean Air Act was passed by the U.S. Congress.

In 1975, a federal jury in Sacramento, California, sentenced Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme to life in prison for her attempted assassination of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford.

In 1981, U.S. Brig. Gen. James Dozier was kidnapped in Rome by Italy's Red Brigades. He was freed 42 days later in a raid by Italian anti-terrorist forces.

In 1986, a Las Vegas federal jury awarded entertainer Wayne Newton $19.3 million in his defamation suit against NBC. A judge reduced the award to $5.3 million.

Also in 1986, a federal jury in Detroit cleared automaker John DeLorean of all 15 charges in his fraud and racketeering trial.

In 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a radical Roman Catholic priest and opponent of the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier, was elected president of Haiti in a landslide victory. It was the first free election in Haiti's history.

In 1991, 15 people were killed and 20 wounded in clashes between Soviet troops and guerrillas in a disputed Armenian enclave.

In 1992, Israel tried to deport hundreds of Palestinians to Lebanon but Beirut closed the border, trapping them in the Israeli-controlled "security zone."

Also in 1992, U.S. President George H.W. Bush formally signed the North American Free Trade Treaty simultaneously with the leaders of Mexico and Canada.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton acknowledged the $500 million gift of philanthropist Walter Annenberg to public-education reform.

In 1994, North Korea said it shot down a U.S. Army helicopter in North Korean airspace, killing one pilot. The second pilot was reportedly uninjured but was held in North Korea.

In 1996, the United Nations elected Kofi Annan of Ghana as secretary-general.

In 1997, New Jersey became the first state in the United States to permit homosexual couples to adopt children.

In 1998, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization said 1998 was the warmest year recorded.

In 2001, U.S. officials said they believed they had destroyed Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network in Afghanistan but it became evident in a few days that hundreds of bin Laden's men were escaping through the mountains into Pakistan.

In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush ordered the Pentagon to proceed with construction by 2004 of a limited missile defense shield.

In 2003, the U.S. State Department urged family members of non-emergency employees at the U.S. Embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia to leave the country. Private U.S. citizens also were asked to leave.

In 2004, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer warned that its popular painkiller Celebrex substantially increased the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death among those taking high doses.

In 2005, an anti-illegal immigration bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives calls for hundreds of miles of border fences and new regulations for employers. The Senate, with some changes, was expected to follow suit in 2006.

Also in 2005, New Jersey became the first state to use public money to fund human stem cell research.

And, in 2005, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist Jack Anderson died at his home in Bethesda, Md., at age 83.


A thought for the day: in "Hawthorne," Henry James wrote, "It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature."

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On this date in history:

Today is Monday, Dec. 18, the 352nd day of 2006 with 13 to go.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include Joseph Grimaldi, known as the "greatest clown in history," in 1778; English physicist Joseph Thompson, discoverer of the electron, in 1856; British short story writer Saki (H.H. Munro) in 1870; Swiss modernist painter Paul Klee in 1879; baseball star Tyrus "Ty" Cobb in 1886; film director George Stevens ("Shane," "A Place in the Sun," "Giant") in 1904; actress Betty Grable in 1916; West German statesman Willy Brandt in 1913; actor Ossie Davis in 1917; Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in 1943 (age 63); film director Steven Spielberg ("Jaws,""E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Schindler's List") in 1946 (age 60); movie critic/historian Leonard Maltin in 1950 (age 56); actors Ray Liotta in 1955 (age 51), Brad Pitt in 1963 (age 43) and Katie Holmes in 1978 (age 28); and singer Christina Aguilera in 1980 (age 26).


On this date in history:

In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.

In 1912, after three years of digging in the Piltdown gravel pit in Sussex, England, amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson announced the discovery of two skulls that appeared to belong to a primitive hominid and ancestor of man. The find turned out to be a hoax.

In 1915, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, a widower for one year, married the widow Edith Bolling Galt.

In 1972, the United States resumed heavy bombing and mining operations against North Vietnam after the communists refused to agree to end the war.

In 1985, the U.S. Congress approved the biggest overhaul of farm legislation since the Depression, trimming price supports.

In 1989, a pipe bomb killed Savannah, Ga., City Councilman Robert Robinson, hours after a bomb was discovered at the Atlanta federal courthouse. A racial motive was cited in a rash of bomb incidents.

Also in 1989, the Romanian government sealed the borders amid reports of a deadly crackdown on dissidents.

In 1990, Moldavia became the sixth Soviet republic to refuse to participate in a 10-day meeting in a mounting affront to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 1991, General Motors announced it would close 21 plants and eliminate 74,000 jobs in the next four years to offset record losses.

In 1997, South Koreans elected longtime leftist opposition leader Kim Dae-jong president, marking the first time in the nation's history that a member of the opposition had defeated a candidate of the New Korea Party and its predecessors.

Also in 1997, the 6-mile-long Tokyo Bay tunnel connecting the cities of Kawasaki and Kisarazu opened. The project took 8 1/2 years to complete and cost $17 billion.

In 2002, insurance giant Conseco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, third-largest such action in U.S. history behind only Enron and Worldcom.

In 2003, teenager Lee Malvo was convicted of murder in the Washington area sniper attacks. His adult companion, John Muhammad, was convicted earlier by a jury that recommended the death penalty.

In 2004, the United States officially forgave all of the $4.1 billion owed the government by Iraq and urged other creditors to do the same.

Also in 2004, Britain's Prince Charles was reported leading efforts to end the death penalty imposed in some cases under Islamic law for Muslims who convert to other religions.

In 2005, U.S. President George Bush's confirmation of reports he had authorized government wiretaps without court approval of U.S. citizens with suspected terrorist ties drew immediate negative response from Congress.

Also in 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, 77, was hospitalized after suffering what was described as a mild stroke.

And, in 2005, Bolivia elected Eso Morales as its first Indian president.


A thought for the day: Anatole France said, "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything."

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On this date in history:


Today is Tuesday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2006 with 12 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include (jgtragesser-ts4ms.com); (Jim in Cancun-ts4ms.com); women's suffrage leader Mary Livermore in 1820; novelist Eleanor Porter ("Pollyanna") in 1868; actor Ralph Richardson in 1902; Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in 1906; French dramatist Jean Genet, a pioneer in the theater of the absurd, in 1910; singer Edith Piaf in 1915; and actors Cicely Tyson in 1933 (age 73), Tim Reid in 1944 (age 62), Robert Urich in 1946, Jennifer Beals in 1963 (age 43) and Alyssa Milano in 1972 (age 34).


On this date in history:

In 1777, Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army began a winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pa.

In 1958, the U.S. satellite Atlas transmitted the first radio voice broadcast from space, a 58-word recorded Christmas greeting from U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower.

In 1972, the splashdown of Apollo XVII ended the United States' manned moon exploration program.

In 1984, the United States formally withdrew from UNESCO in a effort to force reform of the U.N. cultural organization's budget and alleged Third World bias.

Also in 1984, the prime ministers of Britain and China signed an accord, returning Hong Kong to China in 1997.

In 1986, U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese said U.S. President Ronald Reagan did not know that money Iran paid for U.S. arms was going to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 1990, a judge in Oshkosh, Wis., dismissed the case against a man convicted of sex assault against a woman with at least 46 personalities.

In 1991, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International agreed to plead guilty to federal racketeering charges, forfeiting $550 million.

In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton became only the second U.S. president to be impeached when the House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment, charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice. He was acquitted in the subsequent trial.

In 2002, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Iraq it was risking war by lying and refusing to cooperate on the issue of weapons of mass destruction.

Also in 2002, South Korea elected Roh Moo-hyun as its president.

In 2003, Libya announced it would abandon efforts to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

In 2004, at least 60 people were killed in Iraq by car bombings in the Shiite Muslim holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.

In 2005, a Shiite Muslim coalition showed a strong overall lead in preliminary returns from Iraq's parliamentary election.


A thought for the day: George Bernard Shaw said, "There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses."

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On this date in history:

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2006 with 11 to follow.

The moon is new. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include (Danny Titus - ts4ms.com); (KathyR- ts4ms.com); (odaddy- ts4ms.com); author and decorator Elsie de Wolfe (Lady Mendl) in 1865; industrialist Harvey Firestone in 1868; philosopher Susanne K. Langer in 1895; actress Irene Dunne in 1898; nuclear physicist Robert Van de Graaff in 1901; movie director George Roy Hill ("Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting") in 1921; actor John Hillerman in 1932 (age 74); psychic Uri Geller in 1946 (age 60); and actress Jenny Agutter in 1952 (age 54).




On this date in history:

In 1803, the United States formally took over territory acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1812, Sacagawea, the young Indian woman who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died.

In 1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman completed his "march to the sea" across the South and arrived in Savannah, Ga.

In 1946 the first Indochina war began with Vietnamese troops under Ho Chi Minh clashing with the French at Hanoi.

In 1956, the Montgomery, Ala., public bus boycott officially ended but not until it had given a major boost to the civil rights struggle in the South. The boycott had been called in reaction to the Dec. 1, 1955, arrest of Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.

In 1987, nearly 1,600 people died in the Philippines when a passenger ferry was struck by an oil tanker and sank. It was the century's worst peacetime maritime disaster.

In 1989, the United States invaded Panama to oust Manuel Noriega and install the duly elected civilian government. Twenty-three U.S. troops were killed.

In 1990, Eduard Shevardnadze abruptly resigned as Soviet foreign minister, warning against a dictatorship of hard-liners.

In 1991, Philippines prosecutors filed nine counts of graft against former first lady Imelda Marcos, charging she used bogus front companies to bilk millions of dollars from the nation.

In 1993, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic's governing Socialist Party claimed victory in parliamentary elections held the day before.

In 1994, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that the warring parties in Bosnia had agreed to a 4-month cease-fire starting Dec. 23.

In 1995, 160 people were killed when an American Airlines 757 crashed into a mountain shortly before it was scheduled to land in Cali, Colombia.

Also in 1995, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II had sent letters to her son, Prince Charles, and his estranged wife, Princess Diana, urging them to seek a divorce as quickly as possible.

Further in 1995, NATO assumed peacekeeping duties in Bosnia from the United Nations.

In 1996, guerrillas in Peru took an estimated 380 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence.

In 1998, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared that the 4-night U.S.-British bombing campaign of his country was a victory for Iraq over the "enemies of God and humanity."

Also in 1998, a Houston woman gave birth to seven more babies after delivering the first infant 12 days earlier. They were the only known set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. The smallest baby died a week later.

In 1999, Macau reverted to Chinese rule.

In 2001, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua resigned amid mass protest demonstrations but chaos continued in his troubled country.

In 2002, U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., resigned as Senate majority leader amid an intense furor growing from remarks that seemed to praise the 1948 segregationist presidential candidacy of Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.

In 2003, a New York Times/CBS News poll says most Americans would support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages.

In 2004, a published report said experts were estimating that Medicare will exhaust its hospital-care trust fund by 2019.

Also in 2004, the United Nations said sub-Saharan Africa, ravaged this year by drought, civil strife and swarms of crop-devouring locusts, faced a worsening food crisis.

In 2005, a 3-day transit strike idled New York City's 6,300 subway cars and 4,600 buses and hampered the 7 million people who ride on the system every week day.

Also in 2005, a judge in Harrisburg, Pa., ruled the concept of "intelligent design" cannot be taught in Pennsylvania public high school science classes.


A thought for the day: Bertrand Russell said, "To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."

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On this date in history:


Today is Thursday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2006 with 10 to follow.

Winter begins at 7:22 p.m. EST.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include (Carol - ts4ms.com); (net3240 - ts4ms.com); British statesman Benjamin Disraeli in 1804; Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in 1879; Austrian President Kurt Waldheim in 1918 (age 88); former talk show host Phil Donahue in 1935 (age 71); actress Jane Fonda in 1937 (age 69); rock musician Frank Zappa in 1940; Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson in 1946; actor Samuel L. Jackson in 1948 (age 58); former tennis star Chris Evert in 1954 (age 52); comedian Ray Romano in 1957 (age 49); track athlete Florence Griffith-Joyner in 1959; and actors Kiefer Sutherland in 1966 (age 40) and Andy Dick in 1965 (age 39).




On this date in history:

In 1620, the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, Mass., following a 63-day voyage from England aboard the Mayflower.

In 1913, the first crossword puzzle in an American newspaper appeared in The New York Sunday World.

In 1937, Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first full-length animated feature film, opened in Los Angeles.

In 1958, three months after a new French constitution was approved, Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of the Fifth Republic by a sweeping majority of French voters.

In 1968, Apollo VIII, the first manned voyage to the moon, was launched.

In 1975, the notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal led a raid on a meeting of OPEC oil ministers in Vienna. German and Arab terrorists stormed in with machine guns, killed three people and took 63 others hostage, including 11 OPEC ministers.

In 1987, in a case that highlighted racial tensions, three young white men were convicted of manslaughter in an attack on a black man in New York's predominantly white Howard Beach section.

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded and crashed in Lockerbie, Scotland, killing everyone aboard and 11 people on the ground for a total death toll of 270.

In 1989, Kentuckian Larry Mahoney was convicted on 27 counts of manslaughter in a 1988 collision with church bus, the nation's deadliest drunken-driving accident.

In 1990, a boat carrying about 100 U.S. sailors involved in Operation Desert Shield capsized off the Israeli coast. Twenty-one people died.

In 1991, 11 former Soviet republics declared an end to the Soviet Union and forged a commonwealth that guaranteed independence.

In 1992, 54 people were killed when a chartered jetliner carrying 340 people on a holiday to southern Portugal crashed in bad weather.

In 1993, Hungary's parliament endorsed the nomination of Peter Boross as president, succeeding Jozsef Antall, who died in office on Dec. 12.

In 1994, more than 40 people were injured when an incendiary device exploded on a crowded subway in New York's lower Manhattan. Police later arrested one of the burn victims who reportedly was carrying a firebomb that went off.

In 1995, a commuter train rammed the rear of a passenger train in heavy fog near Cairo, Egypt, killing 75 people.

In 1997, a fire swept through Tokyo's Tsukji wholesale fish market, destroying more than 100 shops and stores.

In 1998, the shaky coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed when Israel's parliament voted 81-30 to dissolve the government.

In 2002, U.S. President George Bush set in motion the first U.S. smallpox vaccination program in three decades. Bush had voiced fears terrorists might use the virus as a biological weapon.

In 2004, U.S. President George Bush's approval rating slipped 6 percent to 49 percent, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll said, making Bush the first incumbent president to have an approval rating below 50 percent one month after winning re-election.

In 2005, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a $445 million defense appropriations bill that included a provision against torture and without a proposal for oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Also in 2005, the trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein resumed in Baghdad with graphic testimony of government abductions, torture and executions.

A thought for the day: Ambrose Bierce defined a bore as "a person who talks when you wish him to listen."

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On this date in history:


Today is Friday, Dec. 22, the 356th day of 2006 with nine to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include (maiwah- ts4ms.com); opera composer Giacomo Puccini in 1858; Philadelphia A's Manager Connie Mack, the "Dean of Baseball," in 1862; former first lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson in 1912 (age 94); TV game show host Gene Rayburn in 1917; actress Barbara Billingsley in 1922 (age 84); actor Hector Elizondo in 1936 (age 70); TV journalist Diane Sawyer in 1945 (age 61); Robin Gibb (age 57) and twin brother Maurice Gibb in 1949, members of the Bee Gees pop group; and actor Ralph Fiennes in 1962 (age 44).




On this date in history:

In 1785, the American Continental Navy fleet was organized, consisting of two frigates, two brigs and three schooners. Sailors were paid $8 a month.

In 1864, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent U.S. President Abraham Lincoln this message: "I beg to present you as a Christmas present the city of Savannah."

In 1894, French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason by a military court-martial on flimsy evidence in a highly irregular trial and sentenced to life in prison for his alleged crime of passing military secrets to the Germans.

In 1944, ordered to surrender by Nazi troops who had his unit trapped during the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division replied with one word: "Nuts!"

In 1956, the first gorilla to be born in captivity arrived into the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.

In 1971, the U.N. General Assembly chose Austrian diplomat Kurt Waldheim to lead the United Nations.

In 1972, 5,000 people died when a series of earthquakes left the Nicaraguan capital of Managua in ruins.

In 1984, "subway vigilante" Bernard Goetz shot and wounded four would-be hold-up men on a New York City subway. He ended up serving eight months in prison for carrying an illegal weapon but was cleared of assault and attempted murder charges.

In 1986, political dissident and Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov and his wife, Yelena Bonner, were allowed to return to Moscow after seven years of internal exile.

In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last hard-line communist holdout against East Bloc reforms, fell from power in the face of continuing massive demonstrations.

In 1992, all 158 people aboard a Libyan Boeing 727 died when the jetliner crashed, apparently following an in-air collision with a military plane.

In 1993, the daughter of Cuban President Fidel Castro was granted political asylum in the United States.

Also in 1993, South Africa's Parliament gave a strong endorsement to an interim constitution that ended centuries of white-minority rule.

In 1994, North Korea released the body of the slain U.S. helicopter pilot it had shot down five days earlier.

Also in 1994, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned after seven months in office, following corruption charges against him.

In 1996, the hostage standoff at the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru, continued, although 200 hostages were released.

In 1997, members of a pro-government militia attacked the village of Chenalh, Mexico, killing 45 people, including a number of children.

In 2001, American Airlines passengers and attendants overpowered a man trying to light a match to detonate powerful explosives hidden in his sneakers on a flight from Paris to Miami.

In 2003, the White House urged Americans to be vigilant over the holidays but not to curtail travel or other plans because of the high-risk terrorist threat.

In 2004, 13 U.S. soldiers and nine others were killed in a suicide bomber attack on a U.S. military dining hall near Mosul, Iraq.

Also in 2004, the White House was reported to be seeking an investigation into allegations of widespread abuse of prisoners by the U.S. military.

In 2005, Wal-Mart was ordered to pay more than 100,000 California employees $172 million for depriving them of breaks to eat.


A thought for the day: James Dewar has been quoted as saying, "Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open."

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Today is Saturday, Dec. 23, the 357th day of 2006 with eight to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include (jlee2070 - ts4ms.com);Egyptologist Jean Francois Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta Stone, in 1790; Mormon church founder Joseph Smith in 1805; poet Harriet Monroe, founder of Poetry magazine, in 1860; Manhattan restaurateur Vincent Sardi Sr. in 1885; British film executive J. Arthur Rank in 1888; actor James Gregory in 1911; former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in 1918 (age 88); actor Harry Guardino in 1925; Japanese Emperor Akihito in 1933 (age 73); marathon runner Bill Rodgers in 1947 (age 59); and actors Susan Lucci in 1946 (age 60) and Corey Haim in 1972 (age 34).



On this date in history:

In 1620, construction began of the first permanent European settlement in New England, one week after the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth harbor in present day Massachusetts.

In 1783, Gen. George Washington resigned his commission with the U.S. Army and retired to Mount Vernon, Va. He became the new nation's first president in 1789.

In 1913, the U.S. Federal Reserve System was established.

In 1928, the National Broadcasting Company established a permanent coast-to-coast radio hookup.

In 1947, the transistor was invented, leading to a revolution in communications and electronics.

In 1948, former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo of Japan and six other Japanese war leaders were hanged in Tokyo under sentence of the Allied War Crimes Commission.

In 1973, the shah of Iran announced that the petroleum-exporting states of the Persian Gulf would double the price of their crude oil.

In 1987, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yaeger landed the experimental aircraft Voyager at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.,completing a record 9-day, 25,012-mile global flight without refueling.

In 1991, floods in Texas killed 13 people.

In 1992, the first U.S. casualties of the U.S.-led relief operation in Somalia occurred when a vehicle hit a land mine near the city of Badera, killing one civilian and injuring three others.

In 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced he would instruct his lawyers to give investigators all documents relating to the Whitewater scandal.

In 1994, major league baseball team owners declared an impasse in their negotiations with the players' association and unilaterally imposed a salary cap the players had rejected.

In 1995, more than 500 people, including entire families, were killed in Mandi Dabwali, India, when fire engulfed a tent set up for a school ceremony.

In 1997, Terry Nichols, the second defendant in the Oklahoma City bombing trial, was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter by a federal jury in Denver.

In 2002, North Korea, preparing to resume development of nuclear weapons, said it was reopening a plutonium reprocessing plant.

In 2003, a jury recommended life in prison without parole for Lee Malvo, the teenager convicted of taking part in the deadly month-long sniper attacks in the Washington area that killed 10 people a year earlier. His adult companion drew the death penalty.

Also in 2003, the first case of mad cow disease was reported in the United States when a Holstein in Washington state tested positive for the ailment.

In 2004, China reported its Bohai Bay Basin in the north may contain 20.5 billion tons of offshore oil reserves.

Also in 2004, the Transportation Security Administration announced that most women's breasts will no longer be patted down at U.S. airports.

In 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a Senate plan to extend the Patriot Act by six months, opting instead for only a 1-month extension.

Also in 2005, reports said that before he was captured, Osama bin Laden's top operational commander planned to assassinate U.S. President George Bush.


A thought for the day: Anatole France wrote, "People who have no weaknesses are terrible; there is no way of taking advantage of them."

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On this date in history:


Today is Monday, Dec. 25, the 359th day of 2006, with six to follow.

This is Christmas Day.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include British mathematician, physicist and astronomer Isaac Newton in 1642; American Red Cross founder Clara Barton in 1821; French painter Maurice Utrillo in 1883; jazz pioneer Edward "Kid" Ory in 1886; hotelier Conrad Hilton in 1887; English author Rebecca West in 1892; Robert "Believe It or Not" Ripley in 1893; actor Humphrey Bogart in 1899; jazz bandleader Cab Calloway in 1907; Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1918; TV writer Rod Serling in 1924; singers Jimmy Buffett in 1946 (age 60) and Barbara Mandrell in 1948 (age 58); actors Gary Sandy in 1945 (age 61) and Sissy Spacek in 1949 (age 57), and singer Annie Lennox in 1954 (age 52).


On this date in history:

In about 3 B.C., according to Christian belief, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Calendar miscalculations of the time make it impossible to be certain of the year.

In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King William I of England.

In 1818, the first known Christmas carol was sung at Oberndorf, Austria. It was "Silent Night, Holy Night," composed by organist Franz Gruber and the Rev. Joseph Mohr.

In 1938, after auditioning hundreds for the role, producer David O. Selznick chose British actress Vivien Leigh to play Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind."

In 1941, British Hong Kong surrendered to advancing Japanese forces.

In 1985, Mexico City police discovered a major museum theft of pre-Colombian treasures.

In 1986, the hijackers of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 737 en route from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, exploded grenades, causing a fiery crash in Saudi Arabia. Sixty-seven of the 107 people aboard died.

In 1989, ex-Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife and second-in-command, Elena, were executed. The United States officially recognized the new Romanian government.

In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev was given direct control of the Soviet Cabinet and all government ministries in a major widening of his power.

In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the Soviet president. The next day, the Supreme Soviet voted to end the Soviet Union.

In 1995, actor-singer Dean Martin died at the age of 78.

In 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton offered a Middle East peace plan that, among other things, included proposals for Israel to give up sovereignty over the Temple Mount and for Palestinians to surrender right of refugees to return to Israel.

In 2002, Iran and Russia signed an agreement to complete a nuclear power plant in southern Iran.

In 2003, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf survived a second assassination attempt in a little over a week, but 14 others were killed and 40 injured in the suicide attack.

In 2004, a frail but determined Pope John Paul II delivered his traditional Christmas sermon in Rome's St. Peter's Square, calling for peace and prosperity.

Also in 2004, authorities said Colombian guerrillas stormed a spa near San Rafael and kidnapped an estimated 40 tourists.

In 2005, U.S. congressional leaders called for a deeper inquiry into the National Security Agency's eavesdropping program and the role of the nation's telecommunications giants.

Also in 2005, Libya's supreme court ordered new trials for six condemned healthcare workers convicted of infecting 426 children with the HIV virus.


A thought for the day: Thomas Tusser said, "At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year."

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On this date in history:


Today is Tuesday, Dec. 26, the 360th day of 2006 with five to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include (tomolly651-ts4ms.com) English poet Thomas Gray in 1716; English inventor Charles Babbage, who developed the first speedometer, in 1791; Adm. George Dewey, the U.S. naval hero of Manila, in 1837; writer Henry Miller in 1891; Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese communist revolution, in 1893; actor Richard Widmark in 1914 (age 92); entertainer Steve Allen in 1921; comedian Alan King in 1927; music producer Phil Spector in 1940 (age 66); and sled dog racer Susan Butcher in 1954.




On this date in history:

In 1776, American forces under Gen. George Washington, having crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, defeated Hessian mercenary troops fighting for the British at the Battle of Trenton, N.J.

In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African-American to win the world heavyweight boxing title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in the 14th round near Sydney, Australia.

In 1917, the federal government took over operation of U.S. railroads for the duration of World War I.

In 1972, Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, died at age 88.

In 1974, legendary comedian Jack Benny died of cancer. He was 80.

In 1990, Nancy Cruzan, the focus of a right-to-die case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, died in a Missouri hospital.

In 1993, members of China's Communist Party gathered in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong.

In 1996, child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, 6, was found slain in a basement room of her family's posh Boulder, Colo., home.

In 2001, the man captured as he tried to ignite explosives hidden in his sneakers aboard an American Airlines jet was identified as Richard Reid, a 28-year-old unemployed British citizen.

In 2003, more than 26,000 people were reported killed and thousands injured when an earthquake struck the ancient Iranian city of Bam.

Also in 2003, the death toll reached 135 in the crash of a Boeing 727 in Benin.

And, powerful mudslides struck southern California, killing at least seven.

In 2004, a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami in South and Southeast Asia, with massive tidal waves, some 40 feet high, slamming into India, Thailand, Indonesia and several other countries, killing thousands of people.

Also in 2004, Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko claimed victory in the court-ordered second vote in the country's presidential run-off. The earlier vote, which favored Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, was annulled after strong allegations of fraud.

In 2005, a report said U.S. President George Bush decided to skip seeking warrants for international wiretaps because the court that handles such matters was challenging his requests at an unprecedented rate.


A thought for the day: Michel Eyquem de Montaigne said, "A man of understanding has lost nothing, if he has himself."

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On this date in history:


Today is Wednesday, Dec. 27, the 361st day of 2006 with four to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include German astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1571; English engineer George Cayley, father of the science of aerodynamics, in 1773; French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur in 1822; actress Marlene Dietrich in 1901; news correspondent Cokie Roberts in 1943 (age 63); French actor Gerard Depardieu in 1948 (age 58); and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon in 1951 (age 55).


On this date in history:

In 1932, Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.

In 1941, Japanese warplanes bombed Manila in the Philippines, even though it had been declared an "open city."

In 1947, the first "Howdy Doody" show, under the title "Puppet Playhouse," was telecast on NBC.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts returned to Earth after orbiting the moon 10 times, paving the way for moon-landing missions.

In 1985, terrorists killed 20 people and wounded 110 in attacks on passengers of the Israeli airline El Al at the Rome and Vienna airports. U.S. President Ronald Reagan blamed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

In 1991, a Scandinavian Airlines jet with 129 aboard crashed and broke apart after taking off from Stockholm. No one was killed.

In 1992, a U.S. jet shot down an Iraqi fighter over southern Iraq's "no-fly" zone in the first such incident since the Persian Gulf War.

In 1997, Britain's Windsor Castle was reopened to the public following restoration work. One hundred rooms of the palace were damaged in a 1992 fire.

In 1998, the smallest of the Chukwu octuplets, born earlier in the month in Houston, died.

In 2001, Arab TV played a tape of fugitive terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in which he said he wanted to destroy the U.S. economy.

In 2002, Chechen rebels, seeking independence from Russia, killed 52 people with two vehicle bombs at pro-Russian government offices.

In 2003, the search continued for bodies in the aftermath of the Christmas Day mudslide in California's San Bernardino Mountains. At least a dozen people were feared dead.

Also in 2003, the Italian government took control of Parmalat, the dairy conglomerate, and arrested its chairman in a major accounting scandal.

In 2004, the death toll jumped to 23,500 in the Asian tsunami with hundreds of thousands reported hurt and many thousands missing.

In 2005, workmen installing a water main in the Iraqi Shiite city of Karbala unearthed a grave containing dozens of bodies from a 1991 massacre.


A thought for the day: an anonymous saying goes, "Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned."

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On this date in history:


Today is Thursday, Dec. 28, the 362nd day of 2006 with three to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States, in 1856; jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines in 1905; actors Lew Ayres in 1908, Martin Milner in 1931 (age 76) and Maggie Smith in 1934 (age 72); rock musician Edgar Winter in 1946 (age 60); and actors Denzel Washington in 1954 (age 52) and Malcolm Gets in 1964 (age 42).


On this date in history:

In 1732, the Pennsylvania Gazette carried the first known advertisement for the first issue of "Poor Richard's Almanack" by Richard Saunders (Benjamin Franklin).

In 1832, John Calhoun, at odds with U.S. President Andrew Jackson, became the first U.S. vice president to resign.

In 1865, French film pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed the first commercial motion pictures at a Paris cafe.

In 1869, The Knights of Labor, a group of tailors in Philadelphia, staged the first Labor Day ceremonies in U.S. history.

In 1908, nearly 80,000 people were killed when an earthquake struck the ancient town of Messina, Sicily.

In 1945, the U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.

In 1950, advancing Chinese troops crossed the 38th Parallel, dividing line between North and South Korea, to help the communist North Koreans fight U.S.-led U.N. forces.

In 1985, warring Lebanese Muslim and Christian leaders signed a peace agreement backed by Syria.

In 1991, a stampede at a New York charity basketball game killed eight people and injured three dozen more.

In 1992, in a violent day in Lima, Peru, car bombs exploded outside two embassies, police thwarted a bank raid and rebels launched a missile attack on a police station. Five people were killed, 24 injured.

In 1997, Hong Kong officials announced that all chickens in the territory would be killed in an attempt to eradicate carriers of the avian flu, which had killed several people.

In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau announced a total of 281,421,906 people in the nation. The figure was a 13.2-percent increase in the last 10 years.

In 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush granted permanent normal trade status to China, reversing a 20-year policy.

In 2003, as aid poured in from scores of nations, including the United States, officials in Iran's ancient city of Bam said perhaps half the city's population of 80,000 were killed or injured in the earthquake that struck the area.

In 2004, at least 18 Iraqi policemen were reported killed by insurgents in several attacks on police stations.

Also in 2004, record numbers of Britons turned out with horses and hounds for a fox hunt on what could be Britain's last legal Boxing Day hunt with a hunting ban scheduled to go into effect in two months.

In 2005, many Sunni Arabs claimed voter fraud but U.N. observers said the Iraqi parliamentary elections were "transparent and credible."


A thought for the day: it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright."

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On this date in history:


Today is Friday, Dec. 29, the 363rd day of 2006 with two to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mercury, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Capricorn. They include (Jestjoan-ts4ms.com) Madame de Pompadour, mistress of French King Louis XV, in 1721; Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh, who patented a waterproof fabric, in 1766; industrialist Charles Goodyear in 1800; Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States, in 1808; British statesman William Gladstone, in 1809; Clyde "Sugar Blues" McCoy, bandleader, trumpet, in 1903; former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in 1917; actors Ed Flanders ("St. Elsewhere") in 1934, Mary Tyler Moore in 1936 (age 70) and Jon Voight in 1938 (age 68); singer Marianne Faithfull in 1946 (age 60); actors Ted Danson in 1947 (age 59) and Jon Polito ("Homicide: Life on the Street") in 1950 (age 56); and comedian Paula Poundstone in 1959 (age 47).


On this date in history:

In 1170, Anglican churchman/politician Thomas a' Becket was killed at Canterbury Cathedral in England.

In 1845, Texas was admitted into the United States as the 28th state.

In 1848, gaslights were installed at the White House for the first time.

In 1851, the first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston.

In 1890, more than 200 Indian men, women and children were massacred by the U.S. 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek, S.D.

In 1940, London suffered its most devastating air raid when Germans firebombed the city.

In 1967, Paul Whiteman, the "King of Jazz" and most popular bandleader of the pre-swing era, died in Doylestown, Pa., at age 77.

In 1975, a terrorist bomb exploded at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 people and injuring 75.

In 1983, the United States announced its withdrawal from UNESCO, charging the U.N. cultural and scientific organization was biased against Western nations.

In 1989, playwright Vaclav Havel was sworn in as the first non-communist president of Czechoslovakia since 1948.

In 1992, a Cuban airliner was hijacked to Miami as part of a mass defection. Forty-eight of the 53 people aboard sought and were granted political asylum.

Also in 1992, convicted "Scarsdale Diet Doctor" killer Jean Harris was granted clemency just minutes before undergoing open-heart surgery.

And in 1992, a suburban Chicago couple returning from a nine-day Mexican vacation were arrested for leaving their young daughters home alone. The couple would later give the children up for adoption.

In 2001, London scientists studying seized documents concluded that accused terrorist leader Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organization had tried to develop a range of weapons that include a ''dirty'' nuclear bomb.

In 2002, Kenyan voters ousted the party that had ruled the nation since 1963 in an election that also ended the 24-year presidency of Daniel Arap Moi.

In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security announced that armed air marshals would be placed on certain foreign flights entering U.S. airspace that were believed to be at risk of terrorist attacks.

Also in 2003, five bodies were recovered from the Christmas Day mudslide in California's San Bernardino Mountains, running the total to 12 with two others missing.

In 2004, Jerry Orbach, star of stage, film and TV, best known for his starring role on TV's "Law and Order," died of prostate cancer at the age of 69.

In 2005, wind-driven grass fires in Texas and Oklahoma destroyed thousands of acres, hundreds of buildings and countless cattle. At least four people died. The entire Texas farming community of Cross Plains was demolished.


A thought for the day: poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."