Today In History
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2017. There are 11 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1803: The Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.
ON THIS DATE
› 1790: The first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
› 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.”
› 1946: The Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, had a preview showing for charity in New York, a day before its official world premiere.
› 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.
› 1995: In Bosnia-Herzegovina, NATO began its peacekeeping mission, taking over from the United Nations.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Original Mouseketeer Tommy Cole (TV: “The Mickey Mouse Club”) is 76. Rhythm and blues singer-musician Walter “Wolfman” Washington is
74. Rock musician-music producer Bobby Colomby is 73. Rock musician Peter Criss is 72. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is 71. Psychic/illusionist Uri Geller is 71. Producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”) is 71. Rock musician Alan Parsons is 69. Actress Jenny Agutter is
65. Actor Michael Badalucco is 63. Actress Blanche Baker is 61. Rock singer Billy Bragg is 60. Rock singer-musician Mike Watt (The Secondmen, Minutemen, Firehose) is 60. Actor Joel Gretsch is 54. Country singer Kris Tyler is 53. Rock singer Chris Robinson is 51. Actress Nicole deBoer is 47. Singer David Cook (“American Idol”) is 35. Actor Jonah Hill is 34. Actor Bob Morley is 33. Singer JoJo is 27.