Today in History

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Looger

wow, here's a clear cut example of how ridiculous news reporting can be, what's important and what's highlited!

Yep, and I remember the Robert Downey thing. I don't remember that earthquake.

We suck.

Or maybe it's just me, but I doubt it.

[TimSJ]

Dec 9 1783
Executions begin at Newgate Prison, London, replacing the previous gallows at Tyburn.

Dec 9 1942
Birthday of Dick Butkus!

Dec 9 1967
Jim Morrison, vocalist for the Doors, arrested for immoral exhibition at one of his concerts. The arrest was due to him upsetting police -- he was maced, then made the error of badmouthing police onstage -- not for exposing his weenie.

Dec 9 1971
Indian air force bombs an orphanage in Pakistan, killing 300 children.

Dec 9 1994
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders dismissed after suggesting discussion of masturbation in school classes on sexuality. This gives rise to the euphemistic term "firing the surgeon general."

Dec 9 1997
Actor Christian Slater sentenced to 90 days in jail for battery and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was arrested August 11 after a cocaine and heroin binge ending with him assaulting an officer. Slater's credits include made-for-TV movie "Living Proof: The Hank Williams Jr. Story".

Dec 9 1999
President Bill Clinton signs legislation outlawing "crush videos," which generally involve women stomping frogs, mice, or other small animals with high heels. This fetish is definitely a niche market.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 9 1999
President Bill Clinton signs legislation outlawing "crush videos," which generally involve women stomping frogs, mice, or other small animals with high heels. This fetish is definitely a niche market.

And ruin a perfectly marvelous pair of heels? What were these women thinking?

[TimSJ]

Dec 10 1520
The heretic Martin Luther burnt the papal bull issued by Leo X, titled "Exsurge Domine", demanding an end to his heresies. Luther had published 95 points against the practice of granting indulgences, and the Catholic Church only had 94 points in favor of them. Although technically he was the winner, Luther was subsequently excommunicated.

Dec 10 1792
"That if any do commit the detestable and abominable vice of Buggery, with man or beast, he or she so offending, shall be adjudged a felon, and shall suffer death, in the case of felony, without the benefit of Clergy." (Act of General Assembly of Virginia)

Dec 10 1851
American librarian, Melvil Dewey, was born. He created the "Dewey Decimal Classification" system.

Dec 10 1901
The first Nobel prizes were awarded.

Dec 10 1953
Hugh Hefner published the first "Playboy" magazine with an investment of $7,600.

Dec 10 1958
Ralph Muller and Peter Kamenoff, two ex-members of the Fountain of the World religious cult, accost guru Krishna Venta at the cult's hillside compound in Box Canyon, Ventura County, California. The men accuse Venta of having ****ed their wives. For whatever reason Venta, the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and formerly known as Francis Pencovic, is unable to placate the men. So they detonate 20 sticks of dynamite they brought, 19 of which are strictly overkill. The three men are instantly blown to pieces along with 7 other cultees. Venta's remains are only ever identified through dental records.

Dec 10 1967
Soul singer Otis Redding plus four members of the Bar-Kays are killed in an airplane crash near Madison, Wisconsin.

Dec 10 1993
Adolf Hitler is baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a ceremony performed inside their London temple. Mormons use this strange retroactive baptismal ritual to ensure ancestors or other relatives may join them in heaven.

Dec 10 1994
The Unabomber strikes, killing Thomas J Mosser, an advertising executive in North Caldwell, New Jersey. Mosser, Executive VP of Young & Rubicam, had assisted Exxon with public relations after the Exxon Valdez spill.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 10 1520
The heretic Martin Luther burnt the papal bull issued by Leo X, titled "Exsurge Domine", demanding an end to his heresies. Luther had published 95 points against the practice of granting indulgences, and the Catholic Church only had 94 points in favor of them. Although technically he was the winner, Luther was subsequently excommunicated.

Dec 10 1792
"That if any do commit the detestable and abominable vice of Buggery, with man or beast, he or she so offending, shall be adjudged a felon, and shall suffer death, in the case of felony, without the benefit of Clergy." (Act of General Assembly of Virginia)

Of course there could be no clergy involved in buggery or it might have been considered an indulgence!

I love this stuff TimSJ! Thanks

[TimSJ]

Dec 11 1957
Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis marries his jailbait 13 year old cousin, Myra Gail Brown. Myra's parents are not told of their coupling until the story was broken by the press the following year. Lewis neglects to divorce his wife Jane Mitcham until April 1958.

Dec 11 1960
In Palm Beach, Florida, retired postmaster Richard Pavlick chooses at the last moment not to ram John F. Kennedy's car and detonate his seven sticks of dynamite. Pavlick later explains that it was out of concern for Jackie: "I did not wish to harm her or the children... I decided to get him at the church or someplace later."

Dec 11 1985
Computer rental store owner Hugh Scrutton is killed outside his Sacramento business when he investigates a package left by the Unabomber. It's his first confirmed kill.

Dec 11 1988
62 people were killed when tons of illegal fireworks exploded in a Mexico City marketplace.

Dec 11 1991
William Kennedy Smith is acquitted of rape charges, stemming from an incident at the Kennedy Compound.

[TimSJ]

Dec 12 1915
Francis Albert Sinatra's birthday.

Dec 12 1917
The worst train wreck in history, leaving 543 Frenchmen dead.

Dec 12 1937
US gunboat Panay is sunk by the Japanese military on the Yangtze River by a combined action of bombing, dive bombing, and strafing. Japan apologized, disciplining those involved and paying $2.2M reparations.

Dec 12 1980
"Whip It" earns Devo a gold record. It is the first distinction of its kind for any song about masturbation. Whip it good.

Dec 12 1989
Leona Helmsley fined $7 million and sentenced to jail for 21 months for tax evasion. They made the bitch serve 900 hours of community service.

Dec 12 1991
Richard Gere (claims he is not gay) marries supermodel Cindy Crawford (ditto). Widespread rumors that Gere was intimate with a gerbil have yet to be verified.

[MagicallyAdept]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 12 1915
Francis Albert Sinatra's birthday.

Dec 12 1917
The worst train wreck in history, leaving 543 Frenchmen dead.

Dec 12 1937
US gunboat Panay is sunk by the Japanese military on the Yangtze River by a combined action of bombing, dive bombing, and strafing. Japan apologized, disciplining those involved and paying $2.2M reparations.

Dec 12 1980
"Whip It" earns Devo a gold record. It is the first distinction of its kind for any song about masturbation. Whip it good.

Dec 12 1989
Leona Helmsley fined $7 million and sentenced to jail for 21 months for tax evasion. They made the bitch serve 900 hours of community service.

Dec 12 1991
Richard Gere (claims he is not gay) marries supermodel Cindy Crawford (ditto). Widespread rumors that Gere was intimate with a gerbil have yet to be verified.

Just have to say, great thread!!

You missed out that it is also the birthday of the Damh triplets...
And the whale from Free Willy - Keiko was born this day too, oddly enough he died on his birthday in 2003.

Paul Martin also became the 21st PM of Canada this day in 2003.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 12 1980
"Whip It" earns Devo a gold record. It is the first distinction of its kind for any song about masturbation. Whip it good.

Awesome. That just made my day!

[TimSJ]

Originally Posted by MagicallyAdept

Just have to say, great thread!!

Finally after all of these years I have something to offer the CP community..lol

[MagicallyAdept]

I am a few hours ahead of you Tim so i thought i would add some for the 13th for those early out of bed types:

In 2003, 78,129 people crammed into Ford field to see Michigan State Universtiy lose 74-79 to the University of Michigan - the largest attendance ever for a basketball game.

Also in 2003, Saddam Hussien was captured in his home town of Tikrit.

Sir Francis Drake left Plymouth, England on his round the world trip this day in 1577.

The following people were born on this day:

Sergei Federov
Jamie Foxx
Ted Nugent
Steve Buscemi

[TimSJ]

great stuff.

Here is todays list from me.

Dec 13 303
The feast of St. Lucy. Because her extreme beauty attracted too many admirers, Lucy gouged her own eyes out. Miraculously they grew back. After refusing to marry, the Romans forced her to become a whore. Early depictions show Lucy offering her eyes on a platter; she is now the patron saint of Sicily and of opticians.

Dec 13 1913
The Sunday New York World printed a puzzle called a "word-cross." The puzzle was a success and became a weekly feature. The name eventually evolved into "crossword."

Dec 13 1937
The Japanese Army occupies Nanking, China. For the next three weeks, with the unspoken permission of the army, soldiers literally rape the city, committing untold individual acts of atrocity and killing 350,000 civilians. The Rape of Nanking remains an event unacknowledged and unapologized by the Japanese government.

Dec 13 1942
A fire at a Knights of Columbus men's dance in St. Johns, Newfoundland cooks approximately 100 people. The exits were locked.

Dec 13 1973
The Reverend Jim Jones is arrested in a cruisy movie theater bathroom in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Jones had the bad luck to hit on an undercover LAPD vice officer while masturbating in the Westlake Theatre men's room.

Dec 13 1990
Twelve people die in a religious sacrifice in Tijuana. Industrial alcohol is introduced into fruit punch of ceremony recipients. It is unknown whether the incident constituted suicide or murder.

[MagicallyAdept]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 13 1973
The Reverend Jim Jones is arrested in a cruisy movie theater bathroom in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Jones had the bad luck to hit on an undercover LAPD vice officer while masturbating in the Westlake Theatre men's room.

Lucky git got an LAPD officer though, i just get security.

[TimSJ]

Dec 14 1503
Nostradamus born. If you write vague enough prophecies, they will fool almost anyone.

Dec 14 1944
Lupe Velez, Hollywood's "Mexican Spitfire" of the 1940's, commits suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. Contrary to her plans of being found laid out on the bed in a silk nightgown, she is instead discovered in the bathroom with her head in the toilet. Her ex-husband, Tarzan star Johnny Weismuller, frequently used to beat her.

Dec 14 1991
A ferry near Safaga, Egypt on the Red Sea strikes a coral reef, drowning more than 460 passengers.

[pope04]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 13 1973
The Reverend Jim Jones is arrested in a cruisy movie theater bathroom in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Jones had the bad luck to hit on an undercover LAPD vice officer while masturbating in the Westlake Theatre men's room.

I googled cruisy. Yuck. I had no idea. Jones was the kool-aid fruitcake, right?

Thanks again, Tim!!

[TimSJ]

Dec 15 1944
En route to Paris, "swing" big band leader Glenn Miller vanishes over the English Channel. Miller, listed as Missing In Action, was serving as a Major in the Army Air Force Band when his plane went down.

Dec 15 1952
Fashion photographer George Jorgenson has a Danish surgeon remove his various naughty bits, in the world's first sex-change operation. George emerges in New York as cabaret actress Christine Jorgenson.

Dec 15 1961
Nazi Adolf Eichmann, former Reichssicherheitshauptamt (that's a real word) bureaucrat, is sentenced to death by a Jerusalem court. Eichmann had been arrested in Argentina and smuggled to Israel the previous year.

Dec 15 1966
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney died in Los Angeles at the age of 65.

Dec 15 1988
Lori Davis, of Bay Shore NY, files suit against Mike Tyson over an incident in which Tyson played a little grabass with her at a nightclub.

Dec 15 1989
The man that masterminded a campaign of horror against the Colombian people, cartel leader Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, "El Mexicano", is killed by police in a shootout. Gacha had bombed an Avianca plane midflight, killing all 101 passengers, and truckbombed the National Police Headquarters in Bogota. The police were not happy with him.

Dec 15 1997
Thailand begins the mass cremation of some 21,347 dead, all unclaimed from the Poh Tek Tung cemetary in Bangkok. It is a new record.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

Dec 15 1952
Fashion photographer George Jorgenson has a Danish surgeon remove his various naughty bits, in the world's first sex-change operation. George emerges in New York as cabaret actress Christine Jorgenson.

Which then became the premise for the movie of the century, "Glen or Glenda".

[TimSJ]

Dec 16 1920
In Kansu, China, an 8.6 earthquake kills 180,000 people, mostly from building collapses. But 20,000 froze later because they were unwilling to reoccupy housing during the winter.

Dec 16 1943
At Auschwitz, Dr. Horst Schumann was radiating genitals of Jewish men and women. After a time their genitals were removed and sent to Berlin. Records from his experiments do not survive intact, but the daysheet for today indicates 90 castrations. What were they doing with all those balls?

Dec 16 1950
To fight "world conquest by communist imperialism" in Korea, President Truman declares a state of National Emergency. The order is still in effect, one of four current states of national emergency granting extraordinary powers. We must be fools.

Dec 16 1954
In San Carlos, Venezuela, a hairy dwarf creature attacks residents, then flees into a hovering disk shaped UFO. The creatures escape.

Dec 16 1977
The pinnacle of the Disco era attained with the release of the polyester-clad film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta.

Dec 16 1985
John Gotti has Gambino boss Paul Castellano whacked at Spark's Steak House in Manhattan.

[TimSJ]

Dec 17 1793
Children are executed by the new Guillotine invention for the first time, at Nantes France.

Dec 17 1944
Malmedy massacre, where 81 Americans of Battery B, 285th Field Artillery are killed by Waffen SS in Belgium.

Dec 17 1961
Adilson Marcelino Aviles sets a circus tent on fire at the Gran Circo Norte Americano, Niteroi Brazil, killing 323 people, mostly children. 500 other youngsters were badly burned in this worst circus fire in history. Aviles stated that he wanted revenge on circus owners.

Dec 17 1969
The US Air Force terminates Project Blue Book, which investigated reports of UFO's.

Dec 17 1989
Bartholomew J. Simpson's listed birthday.

Dec 17 1989
Over two thousand protesters area massacred by the government in Timisoara, Romania. It is the spark that brings down the regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, who was executed on Christmas Day.

Dec 17 1996
Lima, Peru - Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru (MRTA) guerrillas seize 460 hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence December 17 1996 All but 72 hostages are released through negotiations. Peruvian special forces storm the residence, kill the 14 members of the MRTA and release hostages April 22 1997.

Dec 17 1997
An episode of the animated TV show Pokémon induces seizures in at least 685 Japanese children. The convulsive sequence contains the depiction of a "vaccine bomb," followed by the flashing red eyes of a rat monster. Of those afflicted, 200 remain hospitalized the next day.

[TimSJ]

Dec 18 1879
Stalin's birthday!

Dec 18 1916
Bloodiest and longest battle of World War I ends, with the French defeating Germans at the Battle of Verdun. There were over 1 million casualties, and the Verdun ossuary contains bones of 100,000 unidentified soldiers.

Dec 18 1940
Hitler formulates plans, issued today as Directive 21, for the invasion of Russia. The intent of Operation Barbarossa was to destroy the Red Army. Fighting on two fronts eventually caused Germany's defeat.

Dec 18 1997
The incredibly fat Chris Farley is found dead, wearing only pajama bottoms, and surrounded by empty food containers and pornography. Farley's act often consisted of imitating other very fat celebrities, including Newt Gingrich, Mama Cass, and Tom Arnold. He joins John Candy at the big fat farm in the sky.