History Blog

December 22

Happy Birthday RIP Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson(1912–2007) Barbara Billingsley(Combes 1915–2010) Eugene Rayburn(Rubessa 1917–1999) Maurice and Robin Gibb(1949–2003;2012) ; Hector Elizondo–81 Lila Diana Sawyer–72 Bernadette Stanislaus–64 Ralph Fiennes–55 Heather Donahue–43 ; 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York, New York 

December 21

Happy Birthday RIP Francis “Frank” Zappa Jr(1940–1993) ; Phillip Donahue–82 Jayne Seymour Fonda–80 Samuel Leroy Jackson–69 Raymond Romano–60 Andrew Dick–52 Kiefer Sutherland–51 ; 1913 – Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross”, the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World

December 20

Happy Birthday RIP Charlie Callias(1927–2011)

Irene Dunne (1898–1990) Jack “John” Hillerman(1932–2017) ; George Criscuola(“Peter Criss”)–72 Uri Geller–71 Alan Parsons–69 Christopher Robinson–51 David Cook–35 Jonah Hill Feldstein–34 Emerson Collins–33 Allan Hyde–28 ; 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase was completed as the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans

December 19

Happy Birthday RIP Robert Urich(1946–2002) Maurice White(1941–2016) ; Timothy Reid–73 Elaine Joyce Pinchot–72 Christopher Hamill(“Limahl”)–59 Michael Lookinland–57 Jennifer Beals–54 Tilman Schweiger–54 Kristen Swanson–48 Alyssa Milano–45 Rosa Blasi–45 Jacob “Jake” Gyllenhaal–37 ; 1932 – BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service

December 18

Happy Birthday RIP Elizabeth “Betty” Grable(1916–1973) ; Cicely Tyson–93 Keith Richards–74 Steven Spielberg–71 Leonard Maltin–67 Raymond “Ray” Liotta–63 William Bradley Pitt–54 Casper Van Dien Jr–49 Kate Holmes–39 Christina Aguilera–37 ; 1957 – the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the first civilian nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States, went online as engineers synchronized the plant with the distribution grid of Duquesne Light Company

December 17

Happy Birthday RIP George Lindsey(1928–2012) David Madden(1931–2014) ; Jorge Bergoglio(Pope Francis)81 Earnest “Ernie” Hudson–72 Eugene Levy–71 Barry Livingston–64 William “Bill” Pullman–64 Heather Laurie Holden–48 Charles Liddell–48 Antonino Giovanni Ribisi–43 Sarah Paulson–43 Militza “Milla” Jovovich–42 ; 1892 – First issue of Vogue is published

December 16

Happy Birthday RIP Jane Austen(1775–1817) Patricia Deutsch(1943–2017) ; Joyce Boulifant–80 Harry “Ben” Cross–70 William “Billy” Gibbons–68 Sam Robards–56 Benjamin Bratt–54 Jonathan Scarfe–42 Scott Bailey–39 Theodore James Taptiklis–33 Anna Popplewell–29 ; 1773 – The Boston Tea Party took place as American colonists boarded a British ship and dumped more than 300 chests of tea overboard to protest tea taxes

December 15

Happy Birthday RIP Jean Paul Getty(1892–1976) Ira Grossel(“Jeff Chandler” 1918–1961) ; Thomas “Tim” Conway–84 Donnie Johnson–68 Marta DuBois–65 Garrett Wang–49 Michael Shanks–47 Stuart Townsend–45 Geoffrey Stults–40 Adam Brody–38 Charlie Cox–35 Camilla Luddington–34 ; 1939 – “Gone with the Wind” receives its premiere at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

December 14

Happy Birthday RIP Frances Bavier(1902–1989) Lee Remick(1935–1991) Anna Marie “Patty” Duke(1935–2016) ; Joyce Vincent Wilson(“Dawn”)–68 Theodore “Ted” Raimi–52 Matthew McNulty–35 ; 2000 – The FTC unanimously approved the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner ; 2012 – Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut

December 13

Happy Birthday Richard “Dick” Van Dyke–92 Arthur “Christopher” Plummer–88 John Davidson–76 Ben Bernanke–64 Morris Day–60 Steven Buscemi–60 “Jamie Foxx”(Eric Bishop)–50 “NeNe Leakes”(Linnethia Johnson)–50 Barton Johnson–47 Taylor Swift–28 ; 1949 – The Knesset votes to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem