Further Evidence of Existence

Today is Thursday, December 6th, the 340th day of 2007. There are 25 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
Fifty years ago, on December 6th, 1957, America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed as Vanguard TV3 rose only about four feet off a Cape Canaveral launch pad before crashing back down and exploding.
In 1790, Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York.
In 1884, construction of the Washington Monument was completed.
In 1889, Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, died in New Orleans.
In 1907, the worst mining disaster in US history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia.
In 1917, some 2,000 people died when an explosives-laden French cargo ship collided with a Norwegian vessel at the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the city.
In 1921, British and Irish representatives signed a treaty in London providing for creation of an Irish Free State a year later on the same date.
In 1923, a presidential address was broadcast on the radio for the first time when Calvin Coolidge spoke before Congress.
In 1926, French impressionist painter Claude Monet died at age 86.
In 1947, Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Truman.
In 1957, AFL-CIO members voted to expel the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. (The Teamsters were readmitted in 1987, but disaffiliated themselves from the AFL-CIO in 2005.)
In 1973, House minority leader Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew.
In 1982, 11 soldiers and 6 civilians were killed when an Irish National Liberation Army bomb exploded at a pub in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland.
In 1989, 14 women were shot to death at at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.
In 1992, thousands of Hindu extremists destroyed a mosque in India, setting off two months of Hindu-Muslim rioting that claimed at least 2,000 lives.
In 1994, Orange County, Calif., filed for bankruptcy protection due to investment losses of about $2 billion.
Ten years ago: At least 69 people were killed when a Russian military cargo plane crashed in the Siberian city of Irkutsk seconds after takeoff.
In 1998, Hugo Chavez, who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the Venezuelan government six years earlier, was elected president.
Five years ago: President Bush pushed Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and economic adviser Larry Lindsey from their jobs in a Cabinet shakeup. Actress Winona Ryder was sentenced to community service as part of a probationary term for stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise from a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills, California.
Ten Palestinians, including two U.N. employees, were killed when Israeli forces poured into a Gaza Strip refugee camp, searching for a fugitive militant. Anti-war activist Philip Berrigan died in Baltimore at age 79.
In 2003, Army became the first team to finish 0-13 in major college football history after a 34-6 loss to Navy. [Ha ha. Navy rules. — Ed.]
In 2004, Al-Qaida struck the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, with explosives and machine guns, killing nine people.
One year ago: The bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded that President Bush's war policies had failed in almost every regard, and said the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating." [Emphasis ours. — Ed.] The Senate voted to confirm Robert Gates as defense secretary. Searchers found the body of San Francisco resident James Kim in the Oregon mountains, two days after his wife and two daughters were rescued from their car (Kim had set out on foot to find help for his family).

Today's Birthdays:
Dave Brubeck, jazzbo, 87. Patsy Takemoto Mink, first Asian-American Congresswoman, 80. Helen Cornelius, country singer, 66. James Naughton, actor, 62. Frankie Beverly, R&B singer, 61. Don Nickles, former U.S. senator, R-Okla., 59. JoBeth Williams, actress, 59. Kin Shriner, actor, 54. Wil Shriner, talk show host, 54. [Twins? Mere coincidence? — Ed.] Miles Chapin, actor, 53. Rick Buckler, musician (The Jam) 52. Tish Hinojosa, folk, country singer, 52. Bill Lloyd, country singer, 52. Steven Wright, comedian, 52. Peter Buck, musician (R.E.M.) 51. Judd Apatow, director ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up") 40. David Lovering, musician (Pixies) 46. Janine Turner, actress ("Northern Exposure") 45. Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, musician (Ace of Base) 37.

(Just a Few of the Billions of) Dead People Born on This Date:
Jean Eugene Robert Houdin, conjurer and magician (1805).
Joyce Kilmer, poet (1886).
Ira Gershwin, lyricist (1896).
Gunnar Myrdal, economist (1898).
Agnes Moorehead, actress (1906).
Eleanor Holm, swimmer, won gold medal in 100m backstroke at 1932 Olympics; thrown off '36 U.S. team for drinking champagne in public and shooting craps on boat to Germany (1913).

From the World of Show Biz:
In 1969, four people died at a free Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California. One of the victims was stabbed by a Hell's Angel.
In 1970, on the anniversary of the Altamont Speedway concert, the documentary "Gimme Shelter" premiered in New York. It was about the Rolling Stones' 1969 tour. [What, for December we get Stones items instead of Beatles items every day? — Ed.]
In 1988, singer Roy Orbison died of a heart attack near Nashville, Tennessee. He was 52.
In 2003, musician Elvis Costello married jazz singer Diana Krall.