DAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021

Today is the 349th day of 2021 and the 85th day of autumn. TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1791, the Bill of Rights took effect after ratification by Virginia.

In 1961, Adolf Eichmann, considered the architect of the Nazis’ “final solution,” was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by an Israeli court.

In 1970, the Soviet probe Venera 7 landed on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to complete a soft landing on another planet.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced his intention to grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China, severing ties with Taiwan, on Jan. 1, 1979.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), engineer/ architect; Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959), playwright; J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), oil tycoon/philanthropist; Betty Smith (18961972), author; Tim Conway (1933-2019), actor/comedian; Dave Clark (1939- ), musician; Don Johnson (1949- ), actor; Julie Taymor (1952- ), director; Rodney Harrison (1972- ), football player; Adam Brody (1979- ), actor; Charlie Cox (1982- ), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: The Venera probe that landed on Venus in 1970 transmitted data to Earth for a total of 53 minutes, including just 20 minutes from the surface of the planet.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1982, Bill Parcells became the coach of the NFL’S New York Giants.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “If you practice an art, be proud of it and make it proud of you. It may break your heart, but it will fill your heart before it breaks it; it will make you a person in your own right.” — Maxwell Anderson

TODAY’S NUMBER:

3.99 degrees — angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s lean. The tower reopened on this day in 2001 after an 11-year, $27 million effort to reduce the 5.5-degree tilt of the famed structure.

TODAY’S MOON:

Between first quarter moon (Dec. 10) and full moon (Dec. 18).