In 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the so-called "Mad Monk" who'd wielded great influence with Czar Nicholas II, was murdered by a group of Russian noblemen in St. Petersburg.
WAR!
In December 29, 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.
In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as "The Second Great Fire of London."
TERRORISM
In 1975, a bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
In 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell, making the rounds of the Sunday TV talk shows, said there was still time to find a diplomatic resolution to North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, and that the situation hadn't yet reached the crisis stage.
POLITICS
In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.
In 1989, playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country's Federal Assembly, becoming the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.
EXECUTION
In 2006, word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of December 30th in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President Bush called Saddam's execution a milestone on Iraq's road to democracy.
DISASTER
In 2006, more than 400 people died when a crowded Indonesian ferry sank in the Java Sea.
DISEASE
In 1997, Hong Kong began killing 1.4 million chickens to stem the spread of a mysterious bird flu that had already killed four people.
DEATH
In 2006, Gerald R. Ford's flag-draped casket was carried into a church in Palm Desert, California, for a public viewing that marked the start of six days of mourning for the former president.
MURDER
In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England by knights loyal to King Henry II.
BIRTH
In 1808, the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
CULTURE
In 1851, the first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston.
In 1957, singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were married in Las Vegas, Nevada.
BIRTHDAYS
Actor Clarence Swensen ("The Wizard of Oz")
is 90. Actress Inga Swenson is 75. ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel is
73. Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 70. Actor Jon Voight is 69. Country
singer Ed Bruce is 68. Rock musician Ray Thomas is 66. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 61. Jockey Laffit Pincay Junior is 61. Actor Ted Danson is 60. Actor Jon Polito is 57. Singer-actress Yvonne Elliman is 56. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 48. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 48. Rock singer-musician Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) is 46. Rock singer Dexter Holland (The Offspring) is 42. Actor-comedian Mystro Clark is 41. Actor Jason Gould is 41. Movie director Andy Wachowski is 40. Actress Jennifer Ehle is 38. Rock singer-musician Glen Phillips is 37. Actor Kevin Weisman is 37. Actor Jude Law is 35. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 33. Actor Shawn Hatosy is 32. Actor Diego Luna is 28. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 24.
December 29, the 363rd day of 2007. There are two days left in the year.
compiled by Mondoreb
[image: curiouschapbooks]
Source: Today in History
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave your name/nic.
We've changed the comments section to allow non-registered users to comment.
We'll continue like that until it's being abused.
We reserve the right to delete all abusive or otherwise inappropriate comments.