Is It The End of History Yet?
Today is SaturdayTuesday, December 15th, the 349th day of 20079. There are 16 days left in the year. [Ten days 'til Christmas is up your ass! — Ed.]
Today's Highlight in History:
On December 15th, 1791, the Bill of Rights went into effect following ratification by Virginia. [It is expected that attention to parts other than the Second Amendment will be paid around the time of the Bill's tricentennial. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1890, Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and eleven other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian police.
In 1893, Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World," was rehearsed before the public at New York's Carnegie Hall (the official world premiere was held the next day).
In 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
In 1938, groundbreaking ceremonies for the Jefferson Memorial took place in Washington, DC.
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 1944, American forces invaded Mindoro Island in the Philippines.
In 1948, a federal grand jury in New York indicted former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss on perjury charges.
In 1961, former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
In 1964, Canada's House of Commons approved dropping the "Red Ensign" flag in favor of a new design.
In 1965, two U.S. manned spacecraft, Gemini 6A and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within ten feet of each other while in orbit.
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 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
In 1979, the deposed Shah of Iran left the United States for Panama, the same day the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Iran should release all its American hostages.
In 1989, a popular uprising began in Romania; it led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
In 1997, over Republican objections, President Clinton appointed Bill Lann Lee acting assistant attorney general for civil rights.
In 1999, with President Bill Clinton's close mediation, Syria reopened peace talks with Israel in Washington.
In 2002, former Vice President Al Gore, who'd come agonizingly close to winning the presidency two years earlier, said in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he would not run for the White House in 2004. Japan won golf's World Cup for the first time in 45 years.
In 2003, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
In 2004, Time Warner, Inc. agreed to pay over $500 million to resolve federal securities fraud and accounting investigations of its America Online unit. U.S. telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal. Pauline Gore, mother of former Vice President Al Gore, died in Carthage, Tenn.; she was 92.
In 2005, millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election; former Sen. William Proxmire, the Wisconsin Democrat who'd fought government waste with his "Golden Fleece" awards, died at age 90.
In 2007, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld bid farewell to the Pentagon in a splashy sendoff featuring lavish praise from President Bush. Governor Jeb Bush suspended Florida executions two days after the prolonged death of a condemned inmate because the needles had been wrongly inserted. In San Francisco, a federal judge declared California's lethal-injection procedure unconstitutional.
In 2008, President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. President-elect Barack Obama said a review by his own lawyer showed he had no direct contact with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the appointment of a Senate replacement, and that transition aides "did nothing inappropriate." Illinois lawmakers took the first steps toward removing Blagojevich, a Democrat, from office.
Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian Tim Conway is 76. Singer Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) is 70. Rock musician Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five) is 67. Rock musician Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) is 63. Actor Don Johnson is 60. Actress Melanie Chartoff is 59. Movie director Julie Taymor is 57. Movie director Alex Cox is 55. Former Governor of Virginia Mark Warner is 55. Actor Justin Ross is 55. Rock musician Paul Simonon (The Clash) is 54. Political strategist Donna Brazile is 50. Country singer Doug Phelps (Brother Phelps; Kentucky Headhunters) is 49. Movie producer-director Reginald Hudlin is 48. Actress Helen Slater is 46. Actress Molly Price is 44. Actor Michael Shanks is 39. Actor Stuart Townsend is 37. Figure skater Surya Bonaly is 36. "Crowd-hyper" Kito Trawick (Ghostown DJs) is 32.
The Dead: Roman emperor Nero (37 C. E.); George Romney, portrait painter (1734); Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, journalist and philanthropist (1831); Gustave Eiffel, engineer (1832); Polish linguist Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of the international language Esperanto (1859); playwright Maxwell Anderson (1888); J. Paul Getty, business executive (1892); bandleader Stan Kenton (1911); Muriel Rukeyser, poet (1913); pioneer rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed (19210; Edna O'Brien, writer (1932).
This Date in Meaningless Distraction:
On December 15th, 1939, "Gone with the Wind" had its world premiere in Atlanta. It starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
In 1943, keyboardist Fats Waller died during a cross-country trip to New York. He was 39. [Travel was a lot tougher in those days, what w/ the covered wagons & all. — Ed.]
In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying bandleader Glenn Miller disappeared during a flight over the English Channel while en route to Paris. He was a U.S. Army major at the time. Forty years later, British authorities said the plane was probably hit by explosives jettisoned from British bombers. [Friendly fire killed him. Great. — Ed]
In 1959, the Everly Brothers recorded "Let It Be Me" in New York. It was the first time they didn't record in Nashville and the first time they recorded with strings.
In 1966, movie producer Walt Disney died of lung cancer in Los Angeles. He was 65. [Not even his real signature. A total douchebag & an anti-semite. — Ed.]
In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band made its concert debut in London.
In 1977, members of the Sex Pistols were denied visas to enter the US, two days before they were to appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Their replacement was Elvis Costello and the Attractions.
In 1985, Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen were married.
In 1988, singer James Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for leading police on a chase through two states.
In 1990, singer Rod Stewart married model Rachel Hunter in Beverly Hills, California. They've since split up. [Good. We hope they're both miserable. — Ed.]
Thought for Today: "Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills." — Minna Antrim, American writer (1856-1950).
Today's Highlight in History:
On December 15th, 1791, the Bill of Rights went into effect following ratification by Virginia. [It is expected that attention to parts other than the Second Amendment will be paid around the time of the Bill's tricentennial. — Ed.]
On this date:
In 1890, Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and eleven other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian police.
In 1893, Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, "From the New World," was rehearsed before the public at New York's Carnegie Hall (the official world premiere was held the next day).
In 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
In 1938, groundbreaking ceremonies for the Jefferson Memorial took place in Washington, DC.
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 1944, American forces invaded Mindoro Island in the Philippines.
In 1948, a federal grand jury in New York indicted former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss on perjury charges.
In 1961, former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
In 1965, two U.S. manned spacecraft, Gemini 6A and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within ten feet of each other while in orbit.
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 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
In 1979, the deposed Shah of Iran left the United States for Panama, the same day the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Iran should release all its American hostages.
In 1989, a popular uprising began in Romania; it led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
In 1997, over Republican objections, President Clinton appointed Bill Lann Lee acting assistant attorney general for civil rights.
In 1999, with President Bill Clinton's close mediation, Syria reopened peace talks with Israel in Washington.
In 2002, former Vice President Al Gore, who'd come agonizingly close to winning the presidency two years earlier, said in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he would not run for the White House in 2004. Japan won golf's World Cup for the first time in 45 years.
In 2003, the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
In 2004, Time Warner, Inc. agreed to pay over $500 million to resolve federal securities fraud and accounting investigations of its America Online unit. U.S. telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal. Pauline Gore, mother of former Vice President Al Gore, died in Carthage, Tenn.; she was 92.
In 2005, millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election; former Sen. William Proxmire, the Wisconsin Democrat who'd fought government waste with his "Golden Fleece" awards, died at age 90.
In 2007, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld bid farewell to the Pentagon in a splashy sendoff featuring lavish praise from President Bush. Governor Jeb Bush suspended Florida executions two days after the prolonged death of a condemned inmate because the needles had been wrongly inserted. In San Francisco, a federal judge declared California's lethal-injection procedure unconstitutional.
In 2008, President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. President-elect Barack Obama said a review by his own lawyer showed he had no direct contact with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the appointment of a Senate replacement, and that transition aides "did nothing inappropriate." Illinois lawmakers took the first steps toward removing Blagojevich, a Democrat, from office.
Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian Tim Conway is 76. Singer Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) is 70. Rock musician Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five) is 67. Rock musician Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) is 63. Actor Don Johnson is 60. Actress Melanie Chartoff is 59. Movie director Julie Taymor is 57. Movie director Alex Cox is 55. Former Governor of Virginia Mark Warner is 55. Actor Justin Ross is 55. Rock musician Paul Simonon (The Clash) is 54. Political strategist Donna Brazile is 50. Country singer Doug Phelps (Brother Phelps; Kentucky Headhunters) is 49. Movie producer-director Reginald Hudlin is 48. Actress Helen Slater is 46. Actress Molly Price is 44. Actor Michael Shanks is 39. Actor Stuart Townsend is 37. Figure skater Surya Bonaly is 36. "Crowd-hyper" Kito Trawick (Ghostown DJs) is 32.
The Dead: Roman emperor Nero (37 C. E.); George Romney, portrait painter (1734); Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, journalist and philanthropist (1831); Gustave Eiffel, engineer (1832); Polish linguist Ludwik Zamenhof, creator of the international language Esperanto (1859); playwright Maxwell Anderson (1888); J. Paul Getty, business executive (1892); bandleader Stan Kenton (1911); Muriel Rukeyser, poet (1913); pioneer rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed (19210; Edna O'Brien, writer (1932).
This Date in Meaningless Distraction:
On December 15th, 1939, "Gone with the Wind" had its world premiere in Atlanta. It starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
In 1943, keyboardist Fats Waller died during a cross-country trip to New York. He was 39. [Travel was a lot tougher in those days, what w/ the covered wagons & all. — Ed.]
In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying bandleader Glenn Miller disappeared during a flight over the English Channel while en route to Paris. He was a U.S. Army major at the time. Forty years later, British authorities said the plane was probably hit by explosives jettisoned from British bombers. [Friendly fire killed him. Great. — Ed]
In 1959, the Everly Brothers recorded "Let It Be Me" in New York. It was the first time they didn't record in Nashville and the first time they recorded with strings.
In 1966, movie producer Walt Disney died of lung cancer in Los Angeles. He was 65. [Not even his real signature. A total douchebag & an anti-semite. — Ed.]
In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band made its concert debut in London.
In 1977, members of the Sex Pistols were denied visas to enter the US, two days before they were to appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Their replacement was Elvis Costello and the Attractions.
In 1985, Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen were married.
In 1988, singer James Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for leading police on a chase through two states.
In 1990, singer Rod Stewart married model Rachel Hunter in Beverly Hills, California. They've since split up. [Good. We hope they're both miserable. — Ed.]
Thought for Today: "Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills." — Minna Antrim, American writer (1856-1950).
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