Today in History

December 26 1906
The world's first feature-length film The Story of the Kelly Gang premieres in Melbourne Australia.

It is an 1906 Australian bushranger film that traces the exploits of 19th-century bushranger (escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement in Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under arms" as a way of life) bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang.
The original silent film ran for more than an hour making it the longest fictional film yet seen in the world.
 

On This Day In History, December 27th

2007 Benazir Bhutto assassinated
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan was killed after a shooting and the detonation of a suicide bomb while campaigning for the upcoming elections in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

1949 Indonesian Independence
The Southeast Asian country's independence came after 4 years of revolution and struggle. In August 1945, Sukarno signed the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, which was formally accepted and recognized by the Dutch in 1949.

1918 Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919 begins
The revolt against the Germans began in Poznań after a speech by the Polish Prime Minster, Ignacy Paderewski. The uprising led to the newer territory being added to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles.

1845 Anesthesia was used for the first time for childbirth
Dr. Crawford W. Long, an American physician, gave ether to his wife during the birth of their second child. The event revolutionalized the use of anesthesia in medicine and surgery.

1831 Charles Darwin begins his journey on the HMS Beagle
It was during this 5-year long voyage that the English naturalist worked on his Theory of Evolution. He published the evidence supporting it in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species.
 


Births On This Day, December 27th 🎂

1980 Antonio Cesaro
Swiss wrestler

1948 Gérard Depardieu
French actor

1901 Marlene Dietrich
German/American actress, singer

1822 Louis Pasteur
French chemist, microbiologist

1571 Johannes Kepler
German astronomer

Deaths On This Day, December 27th 🪦

2007 Benazir Bhutto
Pakistani politician, first female Prime Minister of Pakistan

1997 Billy Wright
English/Irish commander

1985 Dian Fossey
American zoologist

1979 Hafizullah Amin
Afghan politician

1958 Harry Warner
Polish/American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros.
 
Dec 27th:
1932
Radio City Music Hall in NYC opens
1934
Persia is renamed Iran by the last shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi
1947
The debut of children's show' Howdy Doody' on NBC, Howdy was a cowboy puppet from fictious, 'Doodyville' with human companions 'Buffalo Bob' Smith, Clarebell the Clown
1964
The Supremes 1st appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, they sang' Come See About Me'
1978
Spain becomes a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship. King Juan Carlos ratifies Spain's 1st democractic constitution
2001
China is granted permanent normal trade relations with U.S.
 
Dec 27th Birthdays:
1822
Louis Pasteur- French bacterologist
1901
Marlena Dietrich- German actress 'The Blue Angel, Shanghai Express
1952
David Knopfler- British singer/songwriter w band' Dire Straits' Sultan of Swing'
1995
Timothee Chalament- French/American actor-'Call Me BY Your Name, Dune, Bones&All'
Deaths:
1972
Lester B. Pearson- 14th Canadian Prime Minister 75
1981
Hoagy Carmichael- U. S. composer,'Stardust, Georgia On My Mind.Old Buttermilk Sky 82
2002
George Roy Hill- film director 'Butch Cassidy&Sundance Kid, The Sting, Slap Shot, World According to Garp 80
2015
"Meadowlark' Lemon- basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters 83
 
On This Day In History, December 28th

2007 Nepal abolishes the monarchy
The amendment to the Nepalese constitution that declared the country a federal republic was passed by the parliament. The transition was completed on May 28, 2008. Established in 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Kingdom of Nepal lasted for over 200 years. Nepal is the world's only country with Hinduism as the state religion.

1972 Kim il Sung becomes the first president of North Korea
Kim Il-sung became the first and only president of North Korea under an amended constitution. He was elected to the post by the members of the North Korean parliament, which is also known as the Supreme People's Assembly. The post was abolished in 1998, and Kim II-sung was given the title of Eternal President of Korea.

1968 Israel raid on Beirut Airport
The Israeli Defence Forces mounted a special operation, also known as Operation Gift, on Beirut Airport. The raid was in retaliation to the attack on El Al Flight 253, which was en route from Tel Aviv to New York. During its layover in Athens, Greece, two Palestinians fired at passengers and crew and killed 1 person. In retaliation, Israel destroyed several passenger and cargo planes parked at Beirut Airport. There were no fatalities during the raid.

1885 Indian National Congress founded
The party is one of the two main political parties in India. Created by the members of the Theosophical Society, the party was a major player in India's independence movement against the British. After Independence, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru belonged to the INC.

1836 South Australia becomes a British colony
The central southern state of Australia was first established as a province in 1834 by the British Parliament under the South Australia Act. The day was observed as Proclamation Day in the state, which was later turned into an extra holiday after Christmas Day.
 
Births On This Day, December 28th 🎂

1962 Michel Petrucciani
French/American pianist

1934 Maggie Smith
English actress

1903 John von Neumann
Hungarian/American mathematician

1903 Earl Hines
American pianist

1856 Woodrow Wilson
American politician, 28th Preside

Deaths On This Day, December 28th 🪦

2015 Lemmy
English singer-songwriter, bass player, actor

2004 Susan Sontag
American author

1984 Sam Peckinpah
American director, screenwriter

1959 Ante Pavelić
Croatian politician

1937 Maurice Ravel
French composer
 
On This Day In History, December 29th

1996 Guatemalan civil war comes to an end
The 36-year-long civil war fought between several leftist groups representing the indigenous people and poor and the government came to an end after Comandante Rolando Morán of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity and president Álvaro Arzú signed a peace treaty under the supervision of the UN. Morán and Arzú received the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in bringing peace to the country.

1937 Ireland established
A new constitution, established by a national referendum, changed the name of the Irish Free state to Ireland. The Irish Free State was a part of the British Commonwealth and was established in 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in 1921.

1916 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man published
The first novel of Irish writer, James Joyce, the book follows the life of Stephen Dedalus, who many believe was the author's alter ego. It first came out as a series in the literary magazine, The Egoist and was then published by American publisher B. W. Huebsch. James Joyce is best known for his book Ulysses, which is about a single day in the life of an advertising agency, Leopold Bloom. In honor of the book, fans of the author celebrate an unofficial holiday, Bloomsday on June 16.

1911 Mongolian Independence
The landlocked North East Asian country declared its independence from the Qing Dynasty, after the Mongolian Revolution of 1911. The country had been under Qing rule for about 200 years.

1890 Wounded Knee Massacre
On this day, the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry tried to disarm the members of the Lakota tribe who were camped at Wounded Knee Creek. During their attempt, a shot was fired and the cavalry massacred over 150 members of the tribe including women and children. Many historians believe that the number of people massacred was much higher. Wounded Knee is near the present-day Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the state of South Dakota.
 
Births On This Day, December 29th 🎂

1972 Jude Law
English actor, director, producer

1953 Stanley Williams
American gang leader co-founded the Crips

1923 Cheikh Anta Diop
Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist

1809 William Ewart Gladstone
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1808 Andrew Johnson
American politician, 17th President of the United States

Deaths On This Day, December 29th 🪦

2009 Akmal Shaikh
Pakistani/English businessman, drug trafficker

1986 Harold Macmillan
English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

1929 Wilhelm Maybach
German businessman founded Maybach

1916 Grigori Rasputin
Russian monk

1170 Thomas Becket
English archbishop
 
1851
The 1st U.S. chapter of YMCA{Young Men's Christian Association} was opened in Boston,Mass
1902
ragtime composer, Scott Joplin copyrights'The Entertainer' & other rag compostions thru the U.S. Copyright Office
1940
German Luftwaffe bombed London in most devastating air raid over 10,000 bombs as part of the 'Blitz'
1997
Hong Kong begins to kill all its chickens to prevent 'bird flu'
 
Dec 29th Birthdays:
1921
Robert C. Baker- U.S inventor 'chicken nuggets'
1925
Dina Merrill- actress 'Operation Petticoat,Butterfield 8"
1934
Ed Flanders- actor, best known TV role' Dr Westphall' on NBC hospital drama' St. Elsewhere'
1938
Jon Voight- actor "Coming Home, Deliverance, The Champ, Runaway Train', Midnight Cowboy
1947
Ted Danson- actor best known TV role 'Sam Malone' in NBC sitcom' Cheers',appears in TV ads for Consumer Cellular phones
1959
Paula Poundstone- stand up comdienne
Deaths:
1967
Paul Whiteman -orchestra leader 77
1980
Tim Harden- singer/ songwriter' If i Were a Carpenter, Reason to Believe' 39
1986
Harold MacMillian- British Prime minister '57-'63 92
 
On This Day In History, December 30th

2011 Samoa and Tokelau skipped December 30
The South Pacific Ocean Islands changed their time zone and move west of the international dateline to align their time zone with their major trading partners, Australia and New Zealand. In doing so, they skipped December 30 and moved directly from December 29 to December 31. 119 years ago, Samoa had made a similar shift, eastwards of the dateline, to synchronize its time with the United States. Today, Samoa follows West Samoa Time, which is 13 hours ahead of UTC.

2006 Saddam Hussein executed
The deposed president of Iraq was hanged after he was found guilty of crimes against humanity. Hussein was the fifth president of Iraq and came to power after a coup in 1968.

2004 Highest barometric pressure recorded
At 2 am local time, the atmospheric pressure in Tosontsengel, Mongolia rose to 846.5 hPa (adjusted for height above sea level).

1995 Lowest temperature ever recorded in the UK
Altnaharra, a small hamlet in northern Scotland, recorded a temperature of −27.2°C (-16.96 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature had dipped this low once before in the UK - in Braemar, East Scotland on January 10, 1982

1947 Last king of Romania steps down
Michael I was forced to abdicate by the Communist Party of Romania. His first reign over the country was in 1927 as a 6-year-old, and it lasted only 3 years until 1930. He was then reinstalled in 1940.
 

Births On This Day, December 30th 🎂

1984 LeBron James
American basketball player

1975 Tiger Woods
American golfer

1946 Patti Smith
American singer-songwriter, poet

1865 Rudyard Kipling
English author, poet, and Nobel Prize laureate

1853 André Messager
French composer

Deaths On This Day, December 30th 🪦

2009 Abdurrahman Wahid
Indonesian politician, 4th President of Indonesia

2006 Saddam Hussein
Iraqi politician, 5th President of Iraq

1970 Sonny Liston
American boxer

1947 Alfred North Whitehead
English mathematician, philosopher

1896 José Rizal
Filipino polymath
 
Holidays and Events on This Day, December 30th 🍹🌴

Bridge Public holiday- Thailand

Christmas Holiday- Falkland Islands

Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic
Province- Slovakia

Feast of the Holy Family- Spain

New Year Holiday- USA
 
On This Day In History, December 31st

2009 Both a Blue Moon and lunar eclipse occurred on the same day
The next such event to happen on New Year's eve will be in 2028.

1994 Date skipped in Kiribati
The Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands in Kiribati skip December 31st due to a change in their time zone from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.

1983 Coup in Nigeria
A military coup in Nigeria overthrew the civilian government of Shehu Shagari and installed Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari.

1909 Manhattan Bridge opens for traffic
The Manhattan Bridge, one of the first suspension bridges ever constructed, was opened to traffic on this day. The bridge was designed by Leon Moisseiff and crosses the East River in New York City.

1907 The first annual ball drop at Times Square
The annual tradition of dropping a ball at 11:59 pm to mark the start of the New Year was organized for the first time by Adolph Ochs, the owner of the New York Times.
 
Births On This Day, December 31st 🎂

1990 Patrick Chan
Canadian figure skater

1980 Richie McCaw
New Zealand rugby union footballer

1977 Psy
South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, dancer

1941 Alex Ferguson
Scottish footballer, manager

1869 Henri Matisse
French painter

Deaths On This Day, December 31st 🪦

2015 Natalie Cole
American singer-songwriter, actress

1985 Ricky Nelson
American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor

1980 Marshall McLuhan
Canadian author, theorist

1972 Roberto Clemente
Puerto Rican baseball player

1889 Ion Creangă
Romanian author, educator
 
Holidays and Events on This Day, December 31st 🍹🌴

December 31 Bank Holiday- Japan

Festival Day- Montserrat

International New Year's Eve- Vietnam

National Heroes Day- Timor-Leste

New Year Holiday- Myanmar
 
1695
a window tax is emposed in England,many shopkeepers to avoid paying the tax bricked up their windows
1841
Alabama becomes the 1st U.S. state to license dental surgeons
1904
the debut of the ball dropping in Times Sq in NYC to signal the New Year
1935
Charles Darrow patents board game' Monopoly' becomes the 1st millionaire game designer
1966
The Monkees single' I'm a Believer'{written by Neil Diamond} hits #1 on music charts, stays there 7weeks
1997
Microsoft buys Hotmail email service for $400 mil renames it MSN Hotmail
2017
NFL Cleveland Browns become the 2nd NFL team to end the regular season with a 0-16 record
 
Dec 31st Birthdays:
1869
Henri Mattise- French impressionist painter
1937
Anthony Hopkins- Welsh actor- Elephant Man, Shadowlands, Silence of the Lambs{1st Best actor Oscar} Remains of the Day, Howards End, Magic,The Father{2nd Best Actor Oscar}
1943
John Denver- singer/songwriter' Leaving on a Jet Plane,, Rocky Mountain High, Calypso,Annie's Song
1947
Burton Cummings- Canadian singer/ songwriter with band' Guess Who' "American Woman, These Eyes'
1948
Stephen Cleobury- British organist/ music director at Kings College- Cambridge'82-'19
1959
Val Kilmer- actor' Top Gun, Willow'
Deaths:
1972
Roberto Clemete- Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder w Pittsburgh Pirates 35{ plane crash}
1985
Rick Nelson- actor/ singer/ songwriter best known TV role playing himself with his parents&brother David in ABC sitcom' The Adventures of Ozzie&Harriet', singer' Hello Mary Lou, Garden Party 45{plane crash}
2015
Natalie Cole -singer' Pink Cadillac, I Miss You Like Crazy 65, daughter of singer Nat King Cole
2016
William Christopher- actor best known TV role' Father Mulcahy' on CBS sitcom 'M*A*S*H 84
 
On This Day In History, January 1st

1999 The Euro becomes the official currency in 11 countries
While the Euro was already valid for bank transfers, notes and coins were introduced on January 1, 2002.

1993 Czechoslovakia is dissolved
The country was peacefully divided into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

1992 Russia is formed
The formation of the Russian Federation followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

1958 The European Economic Community is founded
The EEC was a predecessor of today's European Union (EU)

1912 Republic of China is founded
It was succeeded by the People's Republic of China in 1949.
 
Births On This Day, January 1st 🎂

1977 Bobby Roode
Canadian wrestler

1895 J. Edgar Hoover
American 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

1864 Alfred Stieglitz
American photographer

1863 Pierre de Coubertin
French historian, and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee

1735 Paul Revere
American military officer

Deaths On This Day, January 1st 🪦

1997 Townes Van Zandt
American singer-songwriter, guitarist

1958 Edward Weston
American photographer

1953 Hank Williams
American singer-songwriter, guitarist

1894 Heinrich Hertz
German physicist

1782 Johann Christian Bach
German composer
 

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