FOLKLORE-L Archives

Archiver > FOLKLORE > 2000-12 > 0976882209


From: "Mary" <>
Subject: [FOLKLORE] Today in History - Dec. 15th
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 07:10:09 -0500


Today is Friday, December 15th, the 350th day of 2000.
There are 16 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:
On December 15th, 1939, the motion picture "Gone With the
Wind" had its world premiere in Atlanta. (Pictured: actors
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh)

On this date:
In 1791, the Bill of Rights went into effect following
ratification by Virginia.

In 1890, Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and eleven other
tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota,
during a fracas with Indian police.

In 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War
One Battle of Verdun.

In 1938, groundbreaking ceremonies for the Jefferson
Memorial took place in Washington DC.

In 1944, a single-engine plane carrying bandleader Glenn
Miller disappeared over the English Channel while en route
to Paris.

In 1948, former State Department official Alger Hiss was
indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges of
perjury. (He was convicted in 1950.)

In 1961, former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced
to death by an Israeli court.

In 1965, two US manned spacecraft, "Gemini Six" and "Gemini
Seven," maneuvered to within ten feet of each other while in
orbit.

In 1978, President Carter announced he would grant
diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day
and sever official relations with Taiwan.

In 1989, a popular uprising began that resulted in the
downfall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Ten years ago: European Community leaders wrapped up a
historic summit in Rome committed to creating a politically
unified federation. With one month left before a UN deadline
for Iraq to leave Kuwait, Iraq gave no indication it was
prepared to pull out.

Five years ago: President Clinton defied a deadline for
turning over a former aide's Whitewater notes, prompting a
deeply divided Senate investigative committee to vote to
challenge him in federal court. (The White House agreed six
days later to turn over the notes.) French rail workers
voted to end a three-week-old strike.

One year ago: With President Clinton's close mediation,
Syria reopened peace talks with Israel in Washington.

Today's Birthdays:
Country singer Ernest Ashworth is 72.
Actor-comedian Tim Conway is 67.
Singer Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) is 61.
Rock musician Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five) is 58.
Rock musician Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) is 54.
Actor Don Johnson is 51.
Movie director Alex Cox is 46.
Actor Justin Ross is 46.
Rock musician Paul Simonon (The Clash) is 45.
Country singer Doug Phelps (Brother Phelps; Kentucky
Headhunters) is 40.
Movie director Reginald Hudlin is 39.
Actress Helen Slater is 37.
"Crowd-hyper" Kito Trawick (Ghostown DJs) is 23.



"History is the record of an encounter between character and
circumstances."
-- Donald Creighton, Canadian historian (1902-1979).



(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights
Reserved.)

This thread: