Today In History

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 20, the 355th day of 2016. There are 11 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

1946: The Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, had a preview showing for charity at New York’s Globe Theatre, a day before its official world premiere.

ON THIS DATE

1790: The first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

1803: The Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.

1812: German authors Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of the first edition of their collection of folk stories, “Children’s and Household Tales.”

1860: South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union as all 169 delegates to a special convention in Charleston voted in favor of separation.

1864: Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Georgia, as Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman nearly completed his “March to the Sea.”

1963: The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays.

1989: The United States launched Operation Just Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor John Hillerman is 84. Original Mouseketeer Tommy Cole (TV: “The Mickey Mouse Club”) is 75. Rock musician-music producer Bobby Colomby is 72. Rock musician Peter Criss is 71. Psychic/ illusionist Uri Geller is 70. Producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”) is 70. Rock musician Alan Parsons is 68. Actress Jenny Agutter is 64. Actor Michael Badalucco is 62. Actress Blanche Baker is 60. Rock singer Billy Bragg is 59. Rock singer-musician Mike Watt (The Secondmen, Minutemen, fIREHOSE) is 59. Actor Joel Gretsch is 53. Country singer Kris Tyler is 52. Rock singer Chris Robinson is 50. Actress Nicole deBoer is 46. Movie director Todd Phillips is 46. Singer David Cook (“American Idol”) is 34. Actor Jonah Hill is 33. Actor Bob Morley is 32. Singer JoJo is 26.