History Blog

Tag Archives: History

December 23

Happy Birthday RIP Corey Haim(1971–2010) ; Ronald Schell–93 Japanese Emperor Akihito(昭仁)–91 Robert “Bob” Kahn(TCP Creator)–86 Harry Shearer–81 Susan Lucci–78 “Eddie Vedder”(Edward Severson III)–60 ; 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve Bank

December 22

Happy Birthday RIP Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson(1912–2007) Barbara Billingsley(Combes 1915–2010) Eugene Rayburn(Yelyenich Rubessa 1917–1999) Maurice and Robin Gibb(1949–2003;2012) ; Hector Elizondo–88 Lila Diana Sawyer–79 Bernadette Stanislaus–71 Ralph Fiennes–-62 Heather Donahue–50 ; 1877 – Thomas Edison’s phonograph is announced by Scientific American ; 1932 – “The Mummy” directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff is released in the US – 1st Mummy horror film ; 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City

December 21

Birthday RIP Francis “Frank” Zappa Jr(1940–1993) Phillip Donahue(1935–2024) ; Jayne Seymour Fonda–87 Samuel Leroy Jackson–76 Raymond Romano–67 Andrew Dick–59 Kiefer Sutherland–58 ; 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) Audrey Totter(1917–2013) Jack “John” Hillerman(1932–2017) ; George Criscuola(“Peter Criss”)–79 Uri Geller–78 Dick Wolf–77 Alan Parsons–76 Christopher Robinson–58 David Cook–42 Jonah Hill Feldstein–41 Emerson Collins–40 Bob Morley–40 Allan Hyde–35 ; 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) Cicely Tyson 1924–2021) ; Timothy Reid–80 Elaine Joyce Pinchot–79 Christopher Hamill(“Limahl”)–66 Michael Lookinland–64 Jennifer Beals–61 Tilman Schweiger–61 Kristen Swanson–55 Alyssa Milano–52 Rosa Blasi–52 Jacob “Jake” Gyllenhaal–44 ; 1932 – BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service

December 18

Happy Birthday RIP Gladys Cooper 1888–1971) Elizabeth “Betty” Grable(1916–1973) Raymond “Ray” Liotta(1954–2022) ; Keith Richards–81 Steven Spielberg–78 Leonard Maltin–74 William Bradley Pitt–61 Casper Van Dien Jr–56 Katie Holmes–46 Christina Aguilera–44 ; 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) ; Earnest “Ernie” Hudson–79 Eugene Levy–78 Barry Livingston–71 William “Bill” Pullman–71 Heather Laurie Holden–55 Charles Liddell–55 Antonino Giovanni Ribisi–50 Sarah Paulson–50 Militza “Milla” Jovovich–49 Katherine Winnick–47 ; 1892 – First issue of Vogue is published

December 16

Happy Birthday RIP Jane Austen(1775–1817) Patricia Deutsch(1943–2017) Harry “Ben” Cross(1947–2020) John Decoste(“Terry Carter” (1928–2024) ; Joyce Boulifant–87 William “Billy” Gibbons–75 Sam Robards–63 Benjamin Bratt–61 Jonathan Scarfe–49 Scott Bailey–46 Theodore James Taptiklis–40 Anna Popplewell–36 ; 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) Marta DuBois(1952–2018) Thomas “Tim” Conway(1933–2019) ; Donnie Johnson–75 Garrett Wang–56 Michael Shanks–54 Stuart Townsend–52 Geoffrey Stults–47 Adam Brody–45 Charlie Cox–42 Camilla Luddington–41 ; 1939 – “Gone with the Wind” receives its premiere at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

December 14

Happy Birthday RIP Castello “Lillian” Randolph(1898–1980) Frances Bavier(1902–1989) Lee Remick(1935–1991) Anna Marie “Patty” Duke(1935–2016) ; Joyce Vincent Wilson(“Dawn”)–78 Dee Wallace (Deanna Bowers)–76 Theodore “Ted” Raimi–59 Matthew McNulty–42; 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