Today In History - December 16

1997 President Clinton names his Labrador retriever, "Buddy"
1994 Davy Jones (Monkees), charged with DWI
1993 Shannen Doherty (Brenda) is fired from Beverly Hills 90210
1991 Florida Marlins sign their 1st player, 16 year old pitcher Clemente Nunez
1991 U.N. reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25 (13 abstain) vote
1990 Jean-Bertrand Aristide elected President of Haiti
1990 KUSW, Salt Lake City Utah, final shortwave radio transmissions
1989 Commencement of 1st Test Cricket play at Bellerive Oval, Hobart (v SL)
1989 Geoff Marsh completes 355* for WA against South Australia
1988 Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of tax, mail fraud
1987 Roh Tae Woo elected president of South Korea
1985 Challenger moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of STS 51-L mission
1983 Spokesperson for The Who announces the group is disbanding
1983 Yogi Berra named Yankee manager for 2nd time
1982 Tom Seaver agrees to new contract with Mets
1981 Dutch Van Agt's 2nd government falls
1980 Alexander Haig named Reagan's Secretary of State
1979 68th Davis Cup: USA beats Italy in San Francisco (5-0)
1979 QB Roger Staubach's last regular season game with the Dallas Cowboys
1978 Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of China PR
1976 Charlie Finley's $10 million damage suit against Bowie Kuhn begins
1976 Government halts swine flu vaccination prog following reports of paralysis
1976 Liberian tanker stranded at Nantucket, 180,000 barrels oil in sea
1975 Bill Veeck buys 80% of White Sox from John Allyn
1974 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1974 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk U.S.S.R.
1973 O. J. Simpson becomes 1st NFLer to rush 2,000 yard in a season
1972 Bangladesh Constitution goes into effect
1972 Miami Dolphins become 1st undefeated NFL team (14-0-0)
1971 Bangladesh (East Pakistan) declares independence from Pakistan
1971 Don McLean's 8+ minute version of "American Pie" released
1971 India's army occupies Dacca, West Pakistani troops surrenders
1970 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1969 Brit House of Commons votes 343-185 abolishing the death penalty
1969 "War is Over! If You Want It, Happy Christmas from John and Yoko" posters begin appearing
1968 KFIZ TV channel 34 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin begins broadcasting
1966 Beatles release "Everywhere its Christmas" in UK
1966 Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single, "Hey Joe," in the UK
1965 Gemini 6 returns to Earth
1965 Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit
1965 Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, becomes King of Tonga
1964 U.S. performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
1962 David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" premieres
1962 New York Giant YA Title sets NFL season touchdown pass record at 33 with 6 touchdowns vs Dallas (41-31)
1962 Nepal gets constitution/becomes Constitutional Hindu Monarchy
1961 "Evening with Yves Montand" opens at John Golden New York City after 55 performances
1960 "Wildcat" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 172 performances
1960 TWA 266 and United 826 collide over Staten Island, kills 134
1959 Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
1958 Bogota warehouse fire kills 82
1956 "Fanny" closes at Majestic Theater New York City after 888 performances
1953 1st White House Press Conference (President Eisenhower and 161 reporters)
1953 Charles E Yeager fly > 2,575 kph in Bell X-1A
1950 "Let's Make an Opera" closes at John Golden Theater New York City after 5 performances
1950 Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"
1949 Sukarno becomes president Indonesia, Mokammed Hatta premier
1948 "Lend an Ear" opens at National Theater New York City for 460 performances
1944 Battle of Bulge begins in Belgium
1944 Gen Eisenhower's clerk Rickey marries corporal Pearlie
1944 German V-2 strikes Antwerp bioscope (638 kill)
1944 US 2nd Inf division occupies "Heartbreak Crossroads" Wahlerscheid
1943 "Tamiami Champion" trains collide, kills 73 and injures 200
1942 Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia and Balkan
1941 Sarawak occupied by Japanese
1940 British air raid on Mannheim
1940 Joe Louis KOs Al McCoy in 6 for heavyweight boxing title in Chicago
1939 Bradman scores 251* SA vs. NSW, 271 minutes, 38 fours 2 sixes
1938 Bradman scores 143 South Aust vs. NSW, 11 fours 91 singles
1936 John Monks/Fred Finklehoff's "Brother Rat," premieres in New York City
1933 Abe de Vries and Sipke Castelein win Elfstedentocht
1932 Heavy earthquake ravages Kansu China, 70,000 killed
1931 German SPD begins Eiserne Front against fascism
1927 Cricket 1st-class debut of Don Bradman, NSW vs. South Australia
1926 Darius Milhauds opera "Le Pauvre Matelot," premieres in Paris
1926 Kenesaw Mountain Landis renewed 7-years as baseball commissioner
1926 WOW-AM in Omaha NE begins radio transmissions
1924 Noel Coward's "Vortex," premieres in London
1922 Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs) formally organizes
1922 NSW all out for 786 against South Australia Cricket
1920 8.6 earthquake destroys 15,000 miles (Kansu China); Over 180,000 die
1918 Jack Dempsey KOs Carl Morris in 14 seconds
1915 Albert Einstein publishes the General Theory of Relativity
1914 French offensive in Artois (Petain)
1913 Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week
1912 1st U.S. postage stamp picturing an airplane, 20 cent parcel post, issued
1912 Austria-Hungary engage in conflict with Serbia
1909 US pressure forces Nicaraguan President Jose Santos Zelaya from office
1908 1st credit union in U.S. forms (Manchester NH)
1907 Eugene H Farrar is 1st to sing on radio (Brooklyn Navy Yard New York)
1907 Great White Fleet sails from Hampton Downs on it's World Cruise
1905 "Variety," covering all phases of show business, 1st published
1903 Majestic Theater, New York City, becomes 1st in U.S. to employ women ushers
1901 Boer general Kritzinger captured
1893 Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premieres
1892 Commencement of 1st Sheffield Shield cricket game, SA vs. NSW
1890 Negro Methodist Episcopal Church founded in Jackson, TN
1886 Rift at Dutch Reformed Church over "Doleantie"
1884 Great Britain recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free State
1880 Republic of South-Africa forms
1877 Anton Bruckner's 3rd Symphony in D, premieres
1864 Battle of Nashville ends after 4400 casualities
1862 Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
1858 Dutch government decides to vacate Schokland Island
1857 Earthquake in Naples, Italy
1838 Boers beat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
1835 Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York City
1824 Great North Holland Canal opens
1811 8.0 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
1809 Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by French Senate
1773 Big tea party in Boston harbor-indians welcome (Boston Tea Party)
1767 Van Ritter von Glucks opera "Alceste" premiers
1761 Russian army occupies Kolberg
1740 Prussian Libya falls to Silezie
1659 General Monck demands free parliamentary election in Scotland
1653 Oliver Cromwell sworn in as English Lord Protector
1631 Mount Vesuvious, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages and kills 4,000
1617 Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Rio de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1577 Danzig surrenders to troops of Polish king Istvan Bathory
1538 King Francois I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1431 King Henry VI of England crowned king of France
882 Marinus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding John VIII

Today In History - December 16

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