Today in history
Thamesville, Ont. He died Dec. 2, 1995.
In 1914, British and German forces fought the first major naval battle of the First World War, the Battle of Heligoland Bight.
In 1922, radio station WEAF in New York City aired the first radio commercial -- a 10-minute pitch for a new co-op apartment house.
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech to almost 250,000 demonstrators in Washington in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “I have a dream that one day ... the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together,” the civil rights leader said. King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent battle against discrimination and poverty. He was assassinated in Memphis in April 1968.
In 1968, “Les Belles-soeurs,” by playwright Michel Tremblay, premiered in Quebec City. It was one of the first artistic uses of the street language called “joual.”
In 1982, “Today” magazine, distributed in 18 Canadian newspapers with a circulation of three million, published its last issue.
In 1983, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin announced
In 1985, a planned mass march on Pollsmoor Prison in South Africa to demand the release of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela was crushed by police who used whips, tear gas and shotguns to disperse the demonstrators. At least six people were killed and dozens were injured. Mandela was finally released on Feb. 11, 1990.
In 1996, the divorce of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, became final.
In 1999, the crew of the Russian space station Mir headed back to Earth, leaving the station unmanned in preparation for its abandonment in 2000.
In 2009, the Los Angeles County coroner officially declared Michael Jackson's death a homicide. Forensic tests determined the cause of death was “acute propofol intoxication.” His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.
In 2013, U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 30.