History Blog

December 22

Happy Birthday RIP Barbara Billingsley(Combes 1915–2010) Gene Rayburn(Gene Rubessa 1917–1999) Maurice and Robin  Gibb(1949–2003,2012) ; Hector Elizondo–76 Lila Diane Sawyer–67 Ralph Fiennes–50 Heather Donahue–39 ; 1851 – The first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.

December 21

Happy Birthday RIP Frank Zappa(1940–1993) ; Phil Donahue–77 Jane Fonda–75 Samuel L. Jackson–64 Ray Romano–55 Andy Dick–47 Kiefer Sutherland–46 ; 1913 – The first crossword puzzle was published, in New York World.

December 20

Happy Birthday John Hillerman–80 George Criscuola(“Peter Criss”)–67 Uri Geller–66 Alan Parsons–64 Chris Robinson–46 David Cook–30 Jonah Hill Feldstein–29 Allan Hyde–23 ; 1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.

December 19

Happy Birthday RIP Robert Urich(1946–2002) ; Cicely Tyson–79 Maurice White–71 Elaine Joyce Pinchot–69 Tim Reid–68 Mike Lookinland–52 Jennifer Beals–49 Tilman Schweiger–49 Kristy Swanson–43 Alyssa Milano–40 Rosa Blasi–40 Jacob Gyllenhaal–32 ; 1843 Charles Dickens’ Yuletide tale, “A Christmas Carol,” was first published in Britain.

December 18

Happy Birthday RIP Elizabeth “Betty” Grable (1916–1973) ; Keith Richards–69 Steven Spielberg–66 Leonard Maltin–62 Raymond “Ray” Liotta–57 Casper Van Dien–44 William “Brad” Pitt–49 Katie Holmes–34 Christina Aguilera–32 ; 1957 – the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the first civilian nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States, went online.

December 17

Happy Birthday Earnest “Ernie” Hudson–67 Eugene Levy–66 Barry Livingston–59 William “Bill” Pullman–59 Antonino Giovanni Ribisi–38 Sarah Paulson–38 Milica “Milla” Jovovich–37 ; 1903 – Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful man-powered airplane flight, near Kitty Hawk, N.C.

December 16

Happy Birthday RIP Jane Austen(1775–1817) ; Lesley Stahl–71  Harry “Ben” Cross–65 Billy Gibbons–63 Benjamin Bratt–49 Jonathan Scarfe–37 Scott Bailey–34 Theo James(Taptiklis)–28 Anna Popplewell–24; 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) ; Thomas “Tim” Conway–79 Don Johnson–63 Marta DuBois–60 Garrett Wang–44 Stuart Townsend–40 Adam Brody–33 Camilla Luddington–29 ; 1939 – “Gone with the Wind” receives its premiere at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

December 14

Happy Birthday RIP Lee Remick (1935–1991) ; Anna Marie “Patty” Duke–66 Joyce Vincent Wilson(“Dawn”)–64 ; 2000 The FTC unanimously approved the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.

December 13

Happy Birthday Richard “Dick” Van Dyke–87 Arthur “Christopher” Plummer–83 John Davidson–71 Theodore “Ted” Nugent–64 Morris Day–56 Steve Buscemi–55 Jamie Foxx(Eric Bishop)–45 Taylor Swift–23