Today's Highlight in Personal History: The parents of Malignant Bouffant, the editor & most prolific writer at Just Another Blog (From L. A.)™ were married on this date in 1947 (they divorced in 1968, the male parent died in 1969, the female one holding on to make our life miserable until 2007) setting forth a rather unfortunate chain of events that led directly to the nihilism that is this web log. Don't blame us, blame our parents: Not only did we not ask to be born, we certainly would have chosen better & wealthier parents, even though the two often seem mutually exclusive.
Today's Highlight in [Impersonal] History:
On December 17th, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer:
Also on this date:In 1777, France recognized American independence.
In 1807, American Quaker poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
In 1830, South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar died in Colombia. [The North Carolina tee vee station web site whence we steal this used the word "patriot" instead of "revolutionary." As a commie, & as it's hard to be a "patriot" to all of South America, we changed it even before seeing that the AP site also uses "revolutionary." More damn media bias. — Ed.]
In 1925, Colonel William "Billy" Mitchell was convicted at his court-martial of insubordination for accusing senior military officials of incompetence and criminal negligence; he was suspended from active duty.
In 1939, the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled by its crew, ending the World War II Battle of the River Plate off Uruguay.
In 1944, the US Army announced it was ending its policy of excluding Japanese-Americans from the West Coast.
In 1957, the United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
In 1969, the U. S. Air Force ended its "Project Blue Book" and concluded that there was no evidence of extraterrestrial activity behind UFO sightings.
In 1975, Lynette Fromme was sentenced in Sacramento, California, to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Ford. ["Squeaky" omitted by telebision station website. — Ed.]
In 1981, members of the Red Brigades kidnapped Brigadier General James L. Dozier, the highest-ranking US Army official in southern Europe, from his home in Verona, Italy. (Dozier was rescued 42 days later.)
In 1986, Eugene Hasenfus, the American convicted by Nicaragua for his part in running guns to the Contras, was pardoned, then released.
In 1996, Peruvian guerrillas took hundreds of people hostage at the Japanese embassy in Lima. Kofi Annan of Ghana became United Nations secretary-general.
Ten years ago: The United States and 33 other countries signed a convention in Paris aimed at eradicating bribery in international business. President Clinton's panel on race relations met at Annandale High School in Virginia.
Five years ago: Insurance and finance company Conseco Incorporated filed for Chapter 11 protection. Congo's government, rebels and opposition parties signed a peace agreement to end four years of civil war. In 2004, President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.
In 2005, President George W. Bush acknowledged he'd personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11, calling it "crucial to our national security."
One year ago: Gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms kidnapped two dozen employees at the Red Crescent offices in downtown Baghdad. Searchers on Mount Hood in Oregon found the body of missing climber Kelly James; two other climbers remain missing. Dodgers reliever Larry Sherry, the most valuable player of the 1959 World Series, died in Mission Viejo, California, at age 71.
Today's Birthdays:
Newspaper columnist William Safire is 78. Magazine publisher Robert Guccione is 77. Actor George Lindsey is 72. Singer-actor Tommy Steele is 71. Rock singer-musician Art Neville is 70. Comedian-actor Eugene Levy is 61. Actor Wes Studi is 60. Pop musician Jim Bonfanti (The Raspberries) is 59. Rock singer Paul Rodgers is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer Wanda Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 56. Actor Bill Pullman is 54. Actor Barry Livingston is 54. Country singer Sharon White is 54. Producer-director-writer Peter Farrelly is 51. Rock musician Mike Mills (R.E.M.) is 49.
Pop singer Sarah Dallin (Bananarama) is 46.People Born on This Date Who Have Since Died: Sir Humphry Davy, chemist, physicist (1778) "He investigated the properties of nitrous oxide (laughing gas)." [Does that mean he was the first person to discover that it gives one a buzz, or that he kept messing w/ it? — Ed.]; W.L. Mackenzie King, political leader (1874) [Canadian P. M. during WWII, later sold the Canucks out to the U. S. — Ed.]; Arthur Fiedler, conductor (1894); Sylvia Ashton-Warner, novelist and educator (1905).
Dep't. of Distraction & Trivia:
On 1969, an estimated 50 million TV viewers watched as singer Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki on NBC's "Tonight Show." The event earned the show its highest ratings to that date. [Another famous wedding on 17 December! — Ed.]
Also in 1969, Chicago's first album, "Chicago Transit Authority," was certified gold.
In 1970, the Beach Boys played a command performance for Princess Margaret in London.
In 1977, Elvis Costello and the Attractions performed on "Saturday Night Live" as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who were denied US visas. Costello was told not to play his song "Radio, Radio" because of its criticisms of the broadcasting industry, but he interrupted another song to play it.
In 1982, The Who played the last show of its farewell tour at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. By the end of the decade, they had reunited for another tour.
Also in 1982, bluesman Big Joe Williams died of natural causes in Macon, Mississippi, at the age of 79. His best know songs include "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Big Fat Mama."
In 1986, a jury in Las Vegas found NBC guilty of defaming singer Wayne Newton by linking him to organized crime.
In 1989, "The Simpsons" made its debut on Fox.
In 1992, Barbra Streisand signed a movie and music deal with Sony. Terms weren't revealed, but sources estimated the deal was worth $60million.
In 1997, The Presidents of the United States of America announced their breakup. They have since gotten back together.
In 2001, comedian Tom Green filed for divorce from actress Drew Barrymore after less than six months of marriage.
In 2002, playwright Frederick Knott, who wrote "Dial M For Murder" and "Wait Until Dark," died in New York City at age 86.
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