Today In History - December 18

1118 Alfonso van Aragon occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden
1352 Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI
1406 Anton van Bourgondies becomes duke of Brabant
1941 German submarine U-434 sinks
1603 Admiral Steven van der Haghens fleet departs to East-Indies
1621 English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation
1894 Cricket day 4 1T Aus vs. Eng England following on 4-268, 7 in front
1719 Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children"
1774 Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia and Moravia
1777 1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1783 English king George III fires government of Portland
1787 New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1796 1st U.S. newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1799 George Washington's body interred at Mount Vernon
1832 Charles Darwins visits Vurland
1905 H V Hordern takes 8-81 in 2nd innings of F-C debut (NSW vs. Qld)
1839 1st celestial photograph (of Moon) made in U.S., John Draper, New York City
1849 William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1859 South Carolina declared an "independent commonwealth"
1858 Passy, at Paris: 1st "Samedi soir" i/d villa of lovers Rossini
1862 Battle at Lexington, Tennessee (Forrest's Second Raid)
1865 1st U.S. cattle importation law passed
1869 Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its 1st game
1865 13th Amendment ratified, slavery abolished
1890 Lugards expedition to Mengo/Kampala, Uganda
1892 "Nutcracker Suite," Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet, premieres
1899 Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa
1892 Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony, premieres
1915 President Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith Bolling Galt
1917 Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland Independent
1920 1st U.S. postage stamps printed without the words United States or US
1923 International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco
1935 Edward Benes becomes president of Czechoslovakia
1936 1st giant panda imported into US
1936 Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to U.S. from China, arrives in SF
1939 Finnish army recaptures Aglajarvi
1941 Japanse troops land on Hong Kong
1932 Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in 1st NFL playoff game
1944 Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1945 Uruguay joins UN
1947 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax
1946 TV's 1st network dramatic serial "Faraway Hill" ends 2 month run
1948 Indonesia begins it's 2nd political election
1952 Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president
1948 WDSU TV channel 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana (NBC) begins broadcasting
1953 KMID TV channel 2 in Midland and Odessa, Texas (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 "To Tell the Truth" debuts on CBS-TV
1956 Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1956 Japan admitted to UN
1956 Phil Rizzuto signs as New York Yankee radio-TV announcer
1958 Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day)
1957 Shippingport Atomic Power Stn, 1st nuke plant to generate electricity
1958 1st test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equip
1958 1st voice from space: recorded Christmas message by Eisenhower
1960 General Meeting of United Nations condemns apartheid
1959 Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of New York Titans (AFL)
1953 KATV TV channel 7 in Little Rock, AR (ABC) begins broadcasting
1961 Britain's EMI Records originally rejects the Beatles
1961 India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao and Diu
1962 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya U.S.S.R.
1961 For 2nd cons year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
1949 Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game
1964 "I Had a BaIl" opens at Martin Beck Theater New York City for 199 performances
1964 "The Pink Panther" cartoon series premieres (Pink Phink)
1964 During services held for Sam Cooke fans caused damage to Funeral Home
1964 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1966 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk U.S.S.R.
1963 Muskegon, Michigan gets 3' of snow
1966 Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS
1965 Borman and Lovell Splash down in Atlantic ends 2 week Gemini VII mission
1968 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk U.S.S.R.
1969 Britain abolishes death penalty
1969 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1970 "Me Nobody Knows" opens at Helen Hayes Theater New York City for 587 performances
1970 Polish uprising fails
1970 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1971 CBS radio cancels Saturday morning band concerts
1971 People United To Save Humanity (PUSH) forms by Jesse Jackson in Chic
1972 US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam
1971 1st Candlelight Processional
1973 Yanks sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by AL Pres
1974 SF Visitors Center at City Hall opens
1976 "A Star is Born," with Barbra Striesand, premieres
1976 Wonder Woman debuts on ABC
1976 Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovskiexchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan
1977 Dutch Antilles: premier Boy Rozendal points independence off
1978 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1978 U.S.S.R. performs underground nuclear test
1980 Bruce Sprinsteen's concert at Madison Square Garden
1980 IRA's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike
1980 Vietnam adopts constitution
1980 Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts minister Van Agts abortion laws
1965 Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates
1985 "Jerry's Girls" opens at St. James Theater New York City for 139 performances
1986 Mr Gates, serves as acting director of CIA
1987 Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future pres, marries Asif Ali Zardari
1962 WAIQ TV channel 26 in Montgomery, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1989 Athol Fugard's "My Children, My Africa," premieres in New York City
1987 Ivan F. Boesky sentenced to 3 years for insider trading
1991 DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood
1988 Seattle Seahawks win their 1st ever division title with 9-7 record
1936 Queensland cricket all out for 49 vs. Vic, Fleetwood-Smith 7-17
1988 5th meeting of Giants-Jets, Jets win and eliminate Giants from playoffs
1994 "Comedy Tonight" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City for 8 performances
1994 "What's Wrong With this Pic?" closes at Circle in Sq New York City after 12 perf
1994 Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
1994 General Hospital stars Kristina Malandro and Jack Wagner wed
1994 Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election
1973 Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days
1992 FCC vote 4-1 to allow Infinity to purchase Cook Inlet stations
1996 TV industry execs agree to adopt a ratings system
1996 Start of 1st Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe and England

Today In History - December 18

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