Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!
and I were planning on finishing out this week in Today’s History and then beginning our end of year hiatus to start refreshed on January 1, 2024. Unfortunately, life got in the way and between family obligations — and lawsuit drama — we have to begin our break early.We will be back on January 1st, and we cannot wait! Between now and then, find us in Twitter Spaces and, of course, I will be on Badlands as usual.
Keep your eye here for an audience survey and other holiday content coming before we return. As you can see below, we are having fun with AI art…
We wish all of you a blessed holiday, and a very happy new year!
Ashe & Missy
It’s National Violin Day and National Cocoa Day. These things go together, I promise.
It’s also National Day of the Horse, so bonus points if you go get cocoa and find live strings via horseback.
Now let’s get onto today’s history…
In Government…
The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments in 1636, to defend the colony against the indigenous people. Today, this moment is recognized as the founding of the National Guard.
In 1774, Paul Revere and Wentworth Cheswell rode to warn of the approach of British warships.
In 1818, Mary Todd Lincoln was, a special day she shares with Ben Bernanke (1953).
In world government history today:
1577: Francis Drake set sail on the 'Pelican'
1864: Paraguay declared war on Brazil
1920: HARIBO founded
1920: League of Nations established The Hague
1949: Knesset voted to transfer Israel's capital to Jerusalem
2003: Saddam Hussein captured
2004: Pinochet is put under house arrest
In Culture…
In 2006, the Baiji, or Chinese River Dolphin, was announced as extinct. Poor little guy.
In other (mad) science, in 2017 scientists began checking interstellar asteroid Oumuamua for signs of alien technology through radio signals. They later concluded that it was just a piece of sliced off planet. Sure, why not?
In 2021, Elon Musk was named Time's Person of the Year, and in 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas for wire fraud and money laundering.
Arts
Donatello, the Renaissance artist and sculptor, died on this day in 1466. He was a groundbreaking artist.
Other groundbreaking moments include:
1816: Dry dock patent
1879: Federal fish hatching steamer
1938: Los Angeles, CA froze at 28°F
1967: San Diego, CA records snow
Screen Time
Dick Van Dyke was born in 1925, making him a cool 98 years old. Sharing this day with Van Dyke are Steve Buscemi (1957) Jamie Foxx (1967).
James Dean began his acting career with a Pepsi commercial in 1950. Just five years later on September 30, 1955, Dean died at 24.
This day in 1975 marked the first time "Saturday Night Live" used a time delay when Richard Pryor hosted. We discussed the second time on November 15, when Sam Kinison hosted.
Movie releases today include:
1956: "Anastasia"
1957: "Peyton Place"
1989: "Driving Miss Daisy"
2001: "A Beautiful Mind"
In darker entertainment history, Salma Hayek accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and threatening to kill her in 2017 and, in 2018, Eliza Dushku revealed received a $9.5 million settlement from CBS for being sexually harassed by Michael Weatherley.
Finally, tWitch [Stephen Boss] allegedly killed himself just one year ago in 2022. He worked for Ellen, but I fell in love with him on SYTYCD, and I’m sad he’s no longer around.
Teach the World to Sing
The first American music store opened in Philadelphia in 1759. Almost 300 years later, music stores are physically obsolete, existing online and selling the music of birthday girls Amy Lee (1981, Evanescence) and Taylor Swift (1989).
Zal Yanovsky (Lovin' Spoonful, Canadian) died of a heart attack in 2002.
In Death & Destruction…
In 2000, the "Texas 7" escaped from custody in Texas, later going on a crime and killing spree.
In 2016, the UN claimed that 82 civilians were executed in Aleppo by pro-government forces, while in 2017, the Democratic Republic of Congo jailed 11 militiamen — including a local MP — for life for raping 40 children.
It’s another day of horrors in D&D today:
1916: 10,000 killed in avalanche in Tyrol
1944: 138 killed when Japanese kamikaze crashed into US cruiser Nashville
1977: 14 killed from University of Evansville basketball in plane crash
1982: 2,000 killed in earthquake hits Northern Yemen
1990: 18 killed in earthquake in Sicily
1993: 60 killed in fire in textile factory in China
1994: 15 killed when American Eagle commuter plane crashed in NC
2001: 15 killed, including all terrorists, in Indian Parliament terrorist attack
2012: 16 killed, 12 injured in a car bombing outside Damascus
2018: 9 killed, 47 injured when passenger train collides with maintenance locomotive in Turkey
On This Day is published Monday through Friday. Watch the Today’s History podcast weekdays at 12PM ET! Don’t forget to visit bootlegproducts.com and use coupon code MYAMERICA!
Wishing you and Misty a very merry Christmas and a thoroughly enjoyable festive season, Ashe from the other side of the pond. Thank you for your hard work throughout the course of 2023. 2024 is gonna be such a bigly year for each and every one of us. God bless x