On this date:
In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII.
In 1823, President Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his Oct. 16 raid on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry in present-day West Virginia. (Brown had hoped to start an anti-slavery rebellion.)
In 1927, Ford Motor Company formally unveiled its Model A automobile, the successor to its Model T.
In 1939, New York's La Guardia Airport began operations.
In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time, at the University of Chicago. [Just a matter of time until we destroy ourselves. — Ed.]
In 1954, the Senate voted to condemn Wisconsin Republican Joseph R. McCarthy for conduct that "tends to bring the Senate into disrepute."
In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the first full-scale commercial nuclear facility in the US, began operations as its reactor went critical. (The reactor ceased operating in 1982.)
In 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism.
In 1967, Cardinal Francis Spellman died in New York at age 78.
In 1969, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet debuted.
In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency began operating under director William Ruckelshaus.
In 1980, four American churchwomen were raped and murdered outside San Salvador. (Five national guardsmen were convicted in the killings.)
In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device.
Ten years ago: Attorney General Janet Reno declined to seek an independent counsel investigation of telephone fund-raising by President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, concluding they did not violate election laws, a decision that drew jeers from Republicans.
In 2001, Enron Corp., under CEO Kenneth Lay, filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. ["Kenny who?" — Ed.]
Five years ago: A statement attributed to al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the car-bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya and the attempted shoot-down of an Israeli airliner, both on November 28th.
One year ago: Fidel Castro failed to attend a military parade marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution, fueling speculation he might not return to power. A triple car bombing in a predominantly Shiite district of Baghdad killed dozens of people.
Today's Birthdays: Character actor Bill Erwin is 93. Former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig is 83. [According to both the Associated Press & infoplease, Gen. Haig was also born on 27 November. Wikipedia & nndb have him on 2 December only. Looks like the AP has wised up. And we'll repeat our 27 November funny: "Here at the White House, I'm in control." Whatta maroon. — Ed.] Actress Julie Harris is 82. Former Attorney General Edwin Meese the Third is 76. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Democrat, Nevada) is 68. Actress Cathy Lee Crosby is 63. Movie director Penelope Spheeris is 62. [No shit. Many happy returns, Penelope.— Ed.] Actor Dan Butler is 53. Broadcast journalist Stone Phillips is 53. Tennis Hall-of-Famer Tracy Austin is 45. Actress Rena Sofer is 39. Actress Lucy Liu is 39. Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 37. Tennis player Monica Seles is 34. Singer Nelly Furtado is 29. Pop singer Britney Spears is 26.
The Dead Born on This Date:
Georges Seurat, painter (1859)
Peter Carl Goldmark, inventor and engineer; 33 1/3 RPM phonograph record, first color television system (1906)
Maria Callas, soprano (1923)
Gianni Versace, fashion designer (1946)
From The World of Show Bidness:
In 1933, "Dancing Lady," Fred Astaire's first film, was released. Joan Crawford was his dance partner.
In 1943, "Carmen Jones" opened on Broadway. It was Oscar Hammerstein the Second's contemporary reworking of the Bizet opera "Carmen" with an all-black cast.
In 1949, Gene Autry's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" hit the pop charts.
In 1973, mail-in ticket requests for a Bob Dylan U.S. tour went on sale. At one San Francisco post office, there was a five block-long traffic jam. [Snail mail. Frisco. Hippies. Bob Dylan. Remember? — Ed.]
Also in 1973, The Who spent the night in jail in Montreal after causing $6,000 worth of damage to a hotel room. The incident inspired John Entwistle to write "Cell Block Number Seven."
In 1979, Stevie Wonder appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. He performed selections from his album "Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants" with the National Afro-American Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1986, Jerry Lee Lewis checked into the Betty Ford Clinic to overcome an addiction to painkillers.
In 1990, actress Katharine Hepburn made a rare appearance in Washington to accept the Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement.
In 1996, actor Burt Reynolds filed for bankruptcy.
In 2000, Smashing Pumpkins played their last concert, at a club in Chicago. It was the same club where they had played their first show 13 years earlier. [Whatever. — Ed.]
No comments:
Post a Comment