DAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Today is the 337th day of 2020 and the 72nd day of autumn.

TODAY’S HISTORY:

In 1823, President James Monroe announced a policy aimed at preventing further European colonization of the Americas, later known as the Monroe Doctrine.

In 1927, Ford Motor Co. introduced the new Model A.

In 1988, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan, becoming the first female leader of an Islamic nation.

In 2001, the energy trading company Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In 2015, terrorists shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22 in San Bernardino, California.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Georges Seurat (18591891), painter; Maria Callas (1923-1977), opera singer; Gianni Versace (1946-1997), fashion designer; Stone Phillips (1954- ), journalist; Ann Patchett (1963- ), author; Lucy Liu (1968- ), actress;

Britney Spears (1981- ), singer; Aaron Rodgers (1983- ), football player; Charlie Puth (1991- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY’S FACT: In 1942, a team led by Enrico Fermi engineered the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction under the stands of the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1967, Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers missed 22 free throws in a single game, setting an NBA record that stood until Jan. 20, 2016, when the by Andrews Mcmeel Almanac

Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond missed 23.

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.” — Ann Patchett, “State of Wonder”

TODAY’S NUMBER: 112 — days Barney Clark, the recipient of the first artificial heart, lived after it was implanted on this day in 1982.

TODAY’S MOON:

Between full moon (Nov. 30) and last quarter moon (Dec. 7).