Today in History

Today is Sunday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2014 There are 10 days left in the year Winter arrives at 6:03 p m Eastern time Today’s Highlight in History:

On Dec. 21, 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj Gen William T Sherman concluded their “March to the Sea,” which had begun in Atlanta on Nov 15 and ended with the capture of Savannah, Georgia On this date: In 1937, Walt Disney’s first animated feature, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” had its world premiere in Los Angeles

In 1942, the U S Supreme Court, in Williams v North Carolina, ruled 6-2 that all states had to recognize divorces granted in Nevada

In 1945, Gen George S Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, of injuries from a car accident

In 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected to a seven-year term as the first president of the Fifth Republic of France In 1968, Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon In 1971, the U N Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as Secretary-General

In 1976, the Liberian-registered tanker Argo Merchant broke apart near Nantucket Island, off Massachusetts, almost a week after running aground, spilling 7 5 million gallons of oil into the North Atlantic

In 1988, 270 people were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pam Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, sending wreckage crashing to the ground

Today’s Birthdays: Country singer Freddie Hart is 88 Talk show host Phil Donahue is 79 Movie director John Avildsen is 79 Actress Jane Fonda is 77 Actor Larry Bryggman is 76 Singer Carla Thomas is 72 Musician Albert Lee is 71 Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is 70 Actor Josh Mostel is 68 Actor Samuel L Jackson is 66 Movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg is 64 Singer Betty Wright is 61 International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Chris Evert is 60