It’s National Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day, which is perfect for us as we take a journey through time on December 8. Really, every day is Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day on Today’s History.
It’s also National Crossword Day and National Brownie Day! Yum. From Mom’s Chunky Monkey:
“The first printed Brownie Recipe: The 1896 edition of the 'Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book' contains a recipe for "Brownies" - but they are molasses flavored, not chocolate. The first printed Chocolate Brownie Recipe: In the 1905 revision of the same book there is a recipe for a Chocolate Brownie.”
And she’s given us a great recipe from Food Reference to play with, too!
Now let’s get onto today’s history…
In Government
When we think about George Washington crossing the Delaware in 1776, we usually think of his savage and successful Christmas Eve crossing. But on this day there was a less celebrated crossing when his retreating army crossed the Delaware River from NJ after losing NY to the British.
From History.com:
“During the American Revolution, Patriot General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with 5,400 troops, hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey. The unconventional attack came after several months of substantial defeats for Washington’s army that had resulted in the loss of New York City and other strategic points in the region.”
This makes the Christmas Eve crossing appear even more divinely directed.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction for reunification with Southern states.
The plan offered pardons to Confederates who took an oath of allegiance to the Union — except for high-ranking officials and those with property exceeding $20,000. That’s a little over $488,000 in today's dollars. The proclamation also proposed the formation of new state governments once 10% of voters in a Southern state pledged loyalty.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr became an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court on this day in 1902. Holmes is best known for his "clear and present danger" test, emphasizing that speech could be restricted if it presented a clear and immediate danger to society.
Today’s institutional leaders love that doctrine and are actively redefining “danger” to go after speech they disagree with.
On this day in 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his famous "Day of Infamy" speech:
“No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."
Twelve years later, in 1953, Eisenhower gave his famous "Atoms for Peace" speech at the United Nations, emphasizing the peaceful use of atomic energy:
"Who can doubt that, if the entire body of the world's scientists and engineers had adequate amounts of fissionable material... this capability would rapidly be transformed into universal, efficient, and economic usage?
I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
In 1966, the US and USSR signed a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space. Exactly 21 years later in 1987, Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed a treaty eliminating medium range nuclear missiles.
The following year in 1969, Police engaged in a surprise attack on Black Panthers in Los Angeles. From RevCom.us:
“On December 8, 1969, the Los Angeles Police Department launched a predawn assault on the LA Black Panther headquarters at 41st and Central in Watts. The Panthers fought back in self-defense against a vicious all-out military assault. Inside their sandbag-fortified office, 11 Panther members, including Vietnam vet Geronimo Pratt, engaged in a five-hour shootout with 350 cops, SWAT teams, and LAPD helicopters, which rained down bullets and tear gas. In fact, this was the very birth of SWAT—the Special Weapons and Tactics teams that since then have become infamous for terrorizing, brutalizing, and killing people all over the country.”
The raid reportedly came after the Black Panthers refused to disarm. Criminal government never changes.
Jim Wright, a Democrat from Texas, served as the 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989, and he was selected on this day in 1986. Wright faced ethical controversies during his tenure as Speaker, which ultimately led to his resignation in 1989.
His resignation was a result of an ethics investigation, and he stepped down amidst allegations of financial improprieties. There is nothing new under the sun.
Finally, this day last year in 2022, American basketball star Brittany Griner was released by Russian authorities in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The exchange was widely criticized as asymmetrical, particularly since Griner was prioritized over other prisoners.
In World Government Today…
1659: Ciudad Juárez founded
1880: 5,000 armed Boers gather in Paardekraal, South Africa
1941: Chełmno extermination camp opened near Łódź, Poland
1974: Irish Republican Socialist Party formed
1978: Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died of lymphatic cancer
1982: Suriname military murdered a bunch of pro-democracy activists
1987: Palestinians begin intifada against Israel
1991: Russia, Belorussia & Ukraine form Commonwealth of Independent States
2012: UN extends the Kyoto Climate Protocol to 2020
2019: Sanna Marin became Finland's youngest-ever Prime Minister at 34
2020: Israeli space chief Haim Eshed says Aliens and a “Galactic Federation” exist
2022: Iran executed of a protester "moharebeh" (enmity against God)
In Culture
In 1913, construction began on the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, an exposition venue for the 1915 World’s Fair.
Speaking of San Francisco, Richard Baker assumed the abbotship of the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) in 1971. He remained until 1984 when, on this day, he resigned after it was disclosed that he and the wife of one of SFZC's benefactors had been having an ongoing affair.
In sports moments, in 1994, Darryl Strawberry was indicted on tax evasion charges, and in 2007, Tim Tebow from Florida received the Heisman. Other key cultural moments include:
1792: First cremation in US (Henry Laurens)
1909: Bird banding society founded
1946: First powered flight of Army rocket plane XS-1
1942: Albert Kahn died (Architect of Detroit)
In 1886, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed, combining 26 craft unions with Samuel Gomper as president.
Trust the Science
Our science update today is full of space history. In 1983, the 9th NASA Space Shuttle Mission, Columbia 6, landed at Edwards AFB.
NASA discovered life on Earth — allegedly — in 1990, in a famous control experiment looking for alien life. During the experiment, NASA scientists used Galileo's gravity assist fly-by of Earth on its way to Jupiter at close altitude of 597 miles, or 960 km for the Canadians.
Two years later in 1992, Spacecraft Galileo makes its second — and closest — flyby of Earth 190 miles (305 km), for another gravity assist on its way to Jupiter. Make it make sense.
In 2010, SpaceX became the first privately held company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft, following the second launch of the SpaceX Dragon.
Related: George Cayley, founder of the science of aerodynamics, died in 1854, and John Glenn, the American astronaut and first American to orbit the earth, died in 2016.
In other science, on this day in 2019, Polar explorers Mike Horn and Børge Ousland completed a 1,118 mile (1,800 km) journey on drifting ice in darkness in the Arctic.
All the World’s a Stage
There were many stage premieres on this day, and it’s interesting to see how entertainment evolved over the past century and a half:
Satirizes the sensationalism, corruption, and self-interest prevalent in journalism and politics.
Contrasts the struggles of impoverished characters with the immoral actions of wealthy individuals who exploit the economic system.
Explores themes of social climbing, hypocrisy, and the clash between traditional and emerging social values.
Follows the comedic and romantic escapades of various characters, involving misunderstandings, romantic entanglements, and humorous situations.
Characters navigate love, deceit, and societal expectations against the backdrop of the Jazz Age.
Follows two showgirls as they embark on a cruise to Europe, and Lorelei's journey to marry a wealthy man.
A psychological thriller that explores the unsettling idea of a child with malevolent tendencies and the impact on those around her.
American showgirl visits London, where she becomes entangled in a romantic escapade involving European royalty.
Comedy about a dentist who pretends to be married to avoid commitment.
Follows the detective duo Nick and Nora Charles as they navigate a murder mystery during a Christmas Eve celebration in New York City.
A former vaudeville comedy duo, attempts to reunite a falling out.
Finally, in 2019, the Vienna State Opera made history by staging its first show composed by a woman in 150 years. The opera was "Orlando," composed by Olga Neuwirth, and based on Virginia Woolf's novel of the same name. A character undergoes a magical transformation across different centuries and genders, and is considered a protest contribution to the gender diversity movement.
The Idiot Box
In 1952, I Love Lucy became the first television program to acknowledge pregnancy. Scandalous!
Five years later in 1957, CBS broadcast "The Sound of Jazz", an all-star program featuring swing era and contemporary jazz artists.
On NBC, in 1960, the musical "Peter Pan," starring Mary Martin, broadcast for a 3rd time. It was videotaped in color for future rebroadcasts. In 1986, the network premiered part two of their miniseries "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna,” and in 1992, they announced the cancellation of "Cheers.”
More recently, "Harry & Meghan" began streaming on Netflix in 2022, the same day Trevor Noah hosted his final episode of "The Daily Show.”
Silver Screen
In film today, "The Ladykillers" premiered in 1955, and the film is known for its clever humor, eccentric characters, and the interplay between criminality and comedy.
In 1978, "The Deer Hunter" premiered, a drama that follows a group of friends from a small industrial town in Pennsylvania before, during, and after their service in the Vietnam War. It won Best Picture in 1979.
"Sophie's Choice” premiered in 1972, a drama in which Meryl Streep plays Sophie — a Holocaust survivor that was forced by a sadistic Nazi officer to make an agonizing choice—deciding which one of her two children would live and which one would be sent to the gas chambers.
The film explores themes of guilt, trauma, and the long-lasting impact of historical atrocities. Meryl Streep's portrayal of Sophie earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1983.
Finally, Slim Pickens (Blazing Saddles), died in 1983.
Ink-stained History
Luis de Carabajal, the first Jewish author in the Americas, was executed in Mexico in 1596. He was convicted of “Judaizing,” or practicing Judaism during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, and he was burned at the stake alongside some of his family members.
In 1962, a 114-day newspaper strike began in NYC. Someone tell the 2023 WaPo propagandists that 24 hours is weak sauce.
Edgar Allen Poe’s mother Eliza Poe, an English-American actress, died of tuberculosis at 23 or 24 in 1811.
Teach the World to Sing
There is rich music history on December 8, including the premiere of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony in A in 1813. Other releases include:
1956: "Singing the Blues" (Guy Mitchell)
1967: "Magical Mystery Tour" (The Beatles)
1976: "Hotel California" (The Eagles)
In 1963, Frank Sinatra, Jr was kidnapped from Harrah's Lake Tahoe and, ironically, 30 years later in 1993, Whitney Houston won a Billboard Award for The Bodyguard Soundtrack – part of which took place in Tahoe.
In 1980, Annie Leibovitz had a photo-shoot with John Lennon, and later that day he was murdered outside his home by Mark David Chapman. Other music deaths today include:
1982: Marty Robbins (American country singer)
1991: Wilbur “Buck" Clayton, (American jazz trumpet player)
2004: "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (American heavy metal guitarist)
2019: Juice WRLD (American rapper)
Finally, in 2022, Canadian singer Celine Dion announced that she suffers from Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder.
In Death & Destruction
In 1982, Norman Mayer held the Washington Monument hostage, demanding an end to nuclear weapons. Despite having no explosives, he was killed by police after 10 hours.
ChatGPT wrote us a poem about today’s D&D:
In the tapestry of time, a somber weave,
Dates etched in history, moments bereave.
In '82, Norman Mayer's stand,
Washington Monument hostage, a plea so grand.
No explosives held, yet a tragic fate,
After 10 hours, met by death's cold weight.
1863, in Chile's embrace,
Jesuit Church aflame, a tragic chase.
2,500 souls in fiery glow,
A lament for lives, lost in the throes.
1881, Vienna's gaslight despair,
384 to 1000, in the fiery air.
A dance with flames, a tragic ballet,
In the heart of Vienna, where shadows lay.
Pan Am Flight 214 in '63,
Maryland's sorrow, a tear-stained plea.
81 lives taken, skies turned to gray,
A tragic chapter on that fateful day.
1952, in Casablanca's street,
French troops' shots, anti-colonial beat.
50 lives silenced in the dust,
A tale of resistance, turned to rust.
1963, Greek skies weep,
DC-6B's stormy sleep.
93 souls lost, Athens' cry,
In thunderous sorrow, they say goodbye.
1972, Midway's lament,
United Airlines' sorrowful event.
45 lives taken, Chicago's tears,
Echo through time, confirming fears.
1987, over Pacific's vast domain,
Peruvian Navy's tragic strain.
43 lost, a Fokker's last refrain,
Only the pilot, spared from pain.
1993, Algeria's unrest,
Religious rebellion, a tragic quest.
30 souls claimed in fervent strife,
A chapter of sorrow etched in life.
England's storm in '93, a chilling tale,
11 lives lost, nature's force set sail.
A tragic dance of wind and rain,
A requiem played on England's plain.
1994, in China's cinema's glow,
310 lives dimmed in fire's shadow.
A tragedy in frames, a cinematic rue,
A mournful scene, a life adieu.
1998, in Tadjena's despair,
81 lives claimed, a massacre to bear.
Algeria's heart heavy with the cost,
A nation mourns, a paradise lost.
2009, Baghdad's lament,
Bombs over the city, a relentless torment.
127 lives taken, 448 in pain,
A city scarred, in sorrow's reign.
2019, Delhi's clandestine flame,
43 lives lost in an illegal game.
An inferno unseen, a factory's plight,
A tragedy unfolding in the night.
2022, in the heart of DROC,
132 massacred, a land in shock.
Rebels' ruthless hand, a dark decree,
A massacre in silence, history's plea.
In the tapestry of time, these dates are sown,
A mosaic of sorrow, history has known.
But within the shadows, hope may gleam,
A future where tragedies are but a dream.
Here are the details of each occurrence:
1863: 2,500 killed in fire at Jesuit Church in Chile
1881: 384-1000 killed gaslight fire in Vienna
1963: 81 killed in Pan Am Flight 214 crash in Maryland
1952: 50 killed by French troops in Casablanca
1969: 93 killed when Greek DC-6B crashed in storm at Athens
1972: 45 killed in United Airlines crash at Chicago's Midway
1987: 43 killed in Peruvian Navy air crashed into Pacific Ocean; only pilot survived
1993: 30 killed at religious rebellion in Algeria
1993: 11 killed in a storm in England
1994: 310 killed in cinema fire in China
1998: 81 killed in Tadjena massacre in Algeria
2009: 127 killed, 448 injured by bombs over Baghdad
2019: 43 killed in fire at in an illegal bag factory in Delhi, India
2022: 132 massacred by rebels in DROC, UN claims.
Finally, in 2020 the UK rolled out vaccinations of the Pfizer/BioNTech for COVID-19.
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