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–87 Lila Diana Sawyer–78 Bernadette Stanislaus–70 Ralph Fiennes–-61 Heather Donahue–49 ; 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–88 Jayne Seymour Fonda–86 Samuel Leroy Jackson–75 Raymond Romano–66 Andrew Dick–58 Kiefer Sutherland–57 ; 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”)–78 Uri Geller–77 Alan Parsons–75 Christopher Robinson–57 David Cook–40 Jonah Hill Feldstein–40 Emerson Collins–39 Allan Hyde–34 ; 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–79 Elaine Joyce Pinchot–78 Christopher Hamill(“Limahl”)–65 Michael Lookinland–63 Jennifer Beals–60 Tilman Schweiger–60 Kristen Swanson–54 Alyssa Milano–51 Rosa Blasi–51 Jacob “Jake” Gyllenhaal–43 ; 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–80 Steven Spielberg–77 Leonard Maltin–73 William Bradley Pitt–60 Casper Van Dien Jr–55 Katie Holmes–45 Christina Aguilera–43 ; 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–78 Eugene Levy–77 Barry Livingston–70 William “Bill” Pullman–70 Heather Laurie Holden–54 Charles Liddell–54 Antonino Giovanni Ribisi–49 Sarah Paulson–49 Militza “Milla” Jovovich–48 Katherine Winnick–46 ; 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”)–95 Joyce Boulifant–86 William “Billy” Gibbons–74 Sam Robards–62 Benjamin Bratt–60 Jonathan Scarfe–48 Scott Bailey–45 Theodore James Taptiklis–39 Anna Popplewell–35 ; 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–74 Garrett Wang–55 Michael Shanks–53 Stuart Townsend–51 Geoffrey Stults–46 Adam Brody–44 Charlie Cox–41 Camilla Luddington–40 ; 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”)–77 Dee Wallace (Deanna Bowers)–75 Theodore “Ted” Raimi–58 Matthew McNulty–41; 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 RIP Arthur “Christopher” Plummer 1929–2021);Richard “Dick” Van Dyke–98 John Davidson–82 Morris Day–66 Steven Buscemi–66 “NeNe Leakes”(Linnethia Johnson)–57 “Jamie Foxx”(Eric Bishop)–56 Barton Johnson–53 Taylor Swift–34 ; 1949 – The Knesset votes to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem