December 5

Scott Winters December 5, 2023 1 Comment

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1776 – In Williamsburg, VA, at the College of William and Mary, the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized.

1782 – The first native United States President, Martin Van Buren, was born in Kinderhook, NY.

1792 – George Washington was re-elected President.

1843 – The first ship to be called U.S.S. Michigan was launched. It served its time on the Great Lakes.

1848 – President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of ’49 by confirming the gold had been discovered in California.

1876 – The first practical pipe wrench, the Stillson wrench, was patented by D.C. Stillson.

1893 – The first electric car was introduced.

1908 – At the University of Pittsburgh, numbers were first used on football uniforms worn by college football players.

1932 – German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa making it possible for him to travel to the United States.

1933 – Prohibition came to an end when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to enact the amendment.

1935 – The first commercial hydroponics operation was established in Montebello, CA.

1945 – The so-called “Lost Squadron” disappeared. The five U.S. Navy Avenger bombers carrying 14 Navy flyers began a training mission at the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station. They were never heard from again.

1951 – The first push button-controlled garage opened in Washington, DC.

1955 – E.D. Nixon and Rosa Parks lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1955 – The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO.

1962 – The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to cooperate in the peaceful uses of outer space.

1974 – The BBC aired the last original episode of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.

1978 – The American space probe Pioneer Venus I, orbiting Venus, began beaming back its first information and picture of the planet.

1983 – The video arcade game “NFL Football” was unveiled in Chicago, IL. It was the first video arcade game to be licensed by the National Football League.

1984 – The movie “Beverly Hills Cop”, starring Eddie Murphy, premiered in theaters.

1985 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 1,500 for the first time.

1988 – Jim Bakker and former aide, Richard Dortch, were indicted by a federal grand jury in North Carolina on fraud and conspiracy charges.

1997 – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck debuted their screenwriting efforts when “Good Will Hunting” opened in theaters.

2002 – The movie “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” opened in theaters.

2008 – O.J. Simpson was sentenced to between 15 and 27 years in prison in a Las Vegas, NV court for kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges.

2008 – The iTunes Music Store reached 300 million applications downloaded.

2008 – The movie “Frost/Nixon” premiered. The film tells the story behind the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard.

2010 – Merle Haggard, Paul McCartney and Oprah Winfrey were among those receiving the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.

2010 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft became the longest-operating spacecraft ever sent to Mars. The Odyssey entered orbit around Mars on October 23, 2001.

2014 – NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle debuted when it was launched for a four hour test flight. It landed on target in the Pacific Ocean.

2017 – The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics due to doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

2018 – The funeral for former President George H.W. Bush was held in Washington, DC. Another service was held in Houston, TX the following day. He was then buried at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, TX, next to his wife, Barbara.

BIRTHDAYS:

Jim Messina – 76 years old (1947) – Singer, guitarist (Buffalo Springfield, Loggins and Messina)

Morgan Brittany – 72 years old (1951) – Actress (TV’s “Dallas”)

Brian Backer – 67 years old (1956) – Actor (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “Moving Violations”, “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol”, TV’s “Santa Barbara”)

Jack Russell – 63 years old (1960) – Musician (Great White)

John Rzeznik – 58 years old (1965) – Singer, guitarist (The Goo Goo Dolls)

Gary Allan – 56 years old (1967) – Country singer

Margaret Cho – 55 years old (1968) – Actress, comedian (competed on Season 11 of TV’s “Dancing With the Stars”)

Paula Patton – 48 years old (1975) – Actress (“Jumping the Broom”, “Just Wright”, “Precious”, “Swing Vote”, “Mirrors”, “Deja Vu”, “Idlewild”)

Nick Stahl – 44 years old (1979) – Actor (“The Man Without a Face”, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”, “The Thin Red Line”, “In the Bedroom”, “Bully”, “Sin City”, “Mirrors 2”, “Afghan Luke”, “Away from Here”, HBO’s “Carnivàle”)

Frankie Muniz – 38 years old (1985) – Actor (TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle”, movies “Agent Cody Banks”, “Big Fat Liar”)

Ross Bagley – 35 years old (1988) – Actor (TV’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, movies “The Little Rascals”, “Independence Day”)