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On this day in history...December 19...

1903 - The Williamsburg Bridge was opened in New York City. This was America’s first major suspension bridge (1600 feet).

1960 - Frank Sinatra recorded his first session with his very own record company.

1984 - Wayne Gretzky, 23, of the Edmonton Oilers led his hockey team to a 7-3 victory over Los Angeles. He got two goals and four assists and became only the 18th player in the National Hockey League to score more than 1,000 points.

2000 - A volcano outside Mexico City spewed a fiery fountain of ash and rock in its most spectacular eruption in more than a millennium. It left towns around the mountain’s base deserted as frightened residents fled. The eruption of the 17,886-foot mountain was its biggest show in 1,200 years, as the mountain, known locally as ‘Popo’, filled nearby valleys with lava.

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This day in history December 18...


1787 - This is the day when New Jersey was counted as the third state to enter the United States of America.

1865 - “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, save as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, slavery was abolished in the United States.

1935 - A $1 silver certificate was issued. It was the first currency to depict the front and back sides of the Great Seal of the United States.

1961 - The Tokens celebrated their first #1 hit single. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" ("Wimoweh" for you purists) was a chart topper for four weeks in a row.

1997 - A unique bridge-and-tunnel expressway across Tokyo Bay opened. The Trans-Tokyo Bay Motorway was named the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, a toll highway that spans the narrowest gap of Tokyo Bay.

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1895 - George L. Brownell of Worcester, MA made history by getting a patent for his paper-twine machine.

1936 - Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen kidded around with his pal, Charlie McCarthy (who was a bit wooden, we remember...), for the first time on radio.

1976 - WTCG-TV, Atlanta, Georgia, owned by Ted Turner, changed call letters to WTBS, and was uplinked via satellite, to become the first commercial TV station to cover the entire U.S.

1996 - Kofi Atta Annan was named seventh secretary-general of the United Nations by acclamation during ceremony in the General Assembly Hall, attended by representatives of the world organization’s 185 members.

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This day in history December 16

1901 - The famous story, "Peter Rabbit", by Beatrix Potter, was printed for the first time, complete with Potter’s watercolor illustrations.

1944 - The Battle of the Bulge, the final major German counteroffensive of World War II, began. Initially, the Nazi commanders were able to thrust deep into Allied territory in North and East Belgium, a 75-mile front, choosing a time when foggy, rainy weather prevailed. The Allies were taken by surprise, but recovered and repulsed the Nazi offensive by January 1945.

1972 - The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season.

1999 - Days of torrential rains and mudslides in Caracas and surrounding states in Venezuela left tens of thousands of people dead, missing or homeless (150,000 were forced to flee).

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This day in history...December 16

1773 The Boston Tea Party takes place in Boston Harbor

The Boston Tea Party Slideshow: Bizz’s trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States to Boston, Massachusetts was created by TripAdvisor. See another Boston slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

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What was happening on December 15 in history???

1791 - The Bill of Rights was ratified this day in Virginia. The Bill of Rights is comprised of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

1939 - The cinema spectacular, "Gone With the Wind", premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

1962 - Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics set a National Basketball Association record as he made his 5,926th field goal.

1995 - The leaders of the European Union were gathered in Madrid to discuss the shape of a single European currency. They decided on a name for it: the "Euro".

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In thinking about my blog this past week I realized that there are a TON of things that happened each day throughout history. My first post listed nearly 10 different events and barely scratched the surface. Moving forward I will be listing no more than 5 events for each day. For those of you interested in seeing what else happened I will provide links to different day in history sites.


Let's look at December 14...

1798 - David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented the nut and bolt machine, and the screw, too!

1911 - After centuries of unsuccessful expeditions in search of the South Pole, Roald Amundsen and four companions made the discovery this day.

1953 - Sandy Koufax, age 19, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1999 - U.S. and German negotiators agreed to establish a fund of $5.2 billion for Nazi-era slave and forced laborers.