1606 – Three ships depart England carrying settlers who found at Jamestown, VA, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
    1675 - Colonial forces escalate King Phillip's War by burning 300 old men, women & children alive in their village, and later attack the Naragansetts in the Great Swamp, killing over 1,000 Indians. It started on June 24th with a massacre of colonists at Swansee, Plymouth, by a band of Indians. The war was started by King Philip after three of his people were executed by the English for murdering an Indian in English employ.
   1686 - Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (so says Defoe). "& thus I left the Island, the Nineteenth of December as I found by the Ship's Account, in the Year 1686, after I had been upon it eight & twenty Years, two Months, & 19 Days; being deliver'd from this second Captivity, the same Day of the Month, that I first made my Escape in the Barco-Longo, from among the Moors of Sallee."
    1733 - “Poor Richard's Alamanack” was first published by Benjamin Franklin at Philadelphia. In continuous publication for 25 years, Franklin's “Almanack” sold on average more than 10,000 copies yearly and thus was one of the most popular writings of colonial America. Franklin was born in Boston in 1706 and was apprenticed to his brother, a printer, at age 12. In 1729, Franklin became the official printer of currency for the colony of Pennsylvania. He began publishing Poor Richard's, as well as the Pennsylvania Gazette, one of the colonies' first and best newspapers. By 1748, Franklin had become more interested in inventions and science than publishing. He spent time in London representing Pennsylvania in its dispute with England and later spent time in France. He returned to America in March 1775, with war on the horizon. He served on the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He was also instrumental in persuading the French to lend military assistance to the colonies. He died in Philadelphia in 1790.
http://www.fi.edu/franklin
    1776 - The first number of “the Crisis” by Thomas Paine, a series of pamphlets written to bolster the morale of the Continental Army, was issued. It was immortalized by its famous first sentence, “These are the times that try men's souls.”
    1777 - The Continental Army moved into encampment at Valley Forge amidst stormy winds and piercing cold. The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men. As the winter stretched on, Prussian military adviser Frederick von Steuben kept the soldiers busy with drills and training in modern military strategy. When Washington's army marched out of Valley Forge on June 19, 1778, the men were better disciplined and stronger in spirit than when they had entered. Nine days later, they won a victory against the British under Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.
    1795 – Kentucky became the first state to appropriate funds for road building.
    1813 - Fort Niagara taken by the British
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec19.html
http://www.oldfortniagara.org/oldamericanhistory.htm
http://www.oldfortniagara.org/
    1821 - Birthday at Boston, MA of Mary Ashton Livermore, American reformer and women's suffrage leader.  She graduated from the seminary in 1836, but stayed there as a teacher for two years. In 1839, she started a job as a tutor on a Virginia plantation, and after witnessing the cruel institution of slavery, she became an abolitionist. In 1842, she left the plantation to take charge of a private school in Duxbury, MA, where she worked for three years. After The War Between The States, she devoted herself to the promotion of women’s suffrage with Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe, and the temperance movement, founding in Chicago in 1869 “The Agitator”.  Died May 23, 1905, at Melrose, MA.
    1823 – Georgia became the first state to require the registration of birth certificates.
    1828 – Vice President John C. Calhoun pens the “South Carolina Exposition and Protest”, protesting the Tariff of 1828.
    1842 - The United States recognized the independence of Hawaii.
    1843 – Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is published and 6,000 copies were sold.
    1853 - Cornelius Yager of Santa Clara, California deeded one square foot of land and right of way to the Pacific and Atlantic Rail Road Company for construction of a railroad from San Jose to San Francisco.
    1854 - Allen Benjamin Wilson of Watertown, CT., received a patent for a sewing machine that could sew curving seams. The machine operated with four-motion feed, which made it possible to sew a curved seam. This revolutionized the garment industry in New England.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/kingo.html
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_oliver_joe_king.htm
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/5135/JOliver.html
    1859 – Grading was begun for the Market Street Railway in San Francisco.
    1861 – The Skirmish at Blackwater Creek in central Missouri resulted in a resounding Union victory.  Union Brig Gen John Pope, in command of the District of Central Missouri, was determined to suppress Southern recruiting by Confederate Col. Franklin S. Robertson in the region. Early that morning, Pope’s forces marched toward Knob Noster, MO. Pope ordered Colonel Jefferson Davis’ brigade to the Blackwater Bridge where he was to force the bridge. Simultaneously a battalion of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry (“Merrill’s Horse”) moved northeast to complete the envelopment.  Realizing his guardsmen were in a precarious position, Robertson formed a firing line of approximately 250 men while Colonel Magoffin was detailed with several dozen men to take possession of the bridge before the Federals arrived.  It was insufficient as they were overrun by the stronger Union contingent.
    1871 - Albert L. Jones of New York City received a patent for an “improvement in paper for backing,” which he called “corrugated paper.” His patent covered corrugated sheets only and made no mention of backing or facing sheets. Later a facing sheet was applied to one side, and then to both sides, making single-face and double-face corrugated cardboard. Jones assigned his patent to the Thompson and Norris Company of Brooklyn, NY (now part of New York City), which was the first manufacturer of corrugated paper in the United States. Corrugated paper boxes came into use about 1890.
    1875 - Birthday of Carter Godwin Woodson, historian who introduced black studies to colleges and universities, born at New Canton, VA. His scholarly works included “The Negro in Our History” and “The Education of the Negro.”
http://www.system.missouri.edu/upress/fall1996/strickla.htm
    1891 – The first African-American Catholic priest in the US, Charles Uncles, was ordained in Baltimore.
    1891 - Birthday of Ford Christopher Frick at Wawaka, IN.  He was a sportswriter and a newspaperman who became Babe Ruth's ghostwriter, President of the National League, and, in 1951, Commissioner of Major League Baseball.   Many suggest that his adoration for Ruth was behind his decision in 1961 that Roger Maris' home run record would have to be categorized separately – with an asterisk - from Ruth's because the American League had lengthened its schedule from 154 to 162 games to accommodate the AL expansion into Los Angeles and Minnesota.   That asterisk was subsequently removed and Maris’ record of 61 HRs in a single season is still the standard among those who did not use performance-enhancing substances.  Frick was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970. Died at Bronxville, NY, April 8, 1978.
    1895 - Bandleader Erskine Tate born Memphis, Tennessee.
http://www.redhotjazz.com/etvo.html
http://www.suba.com/~scottn/explore/sites/theaters/vendome.htm
    1899 - Paul D. “Tony” Hinkle, football coach and basketball Hall of Fame coach, was born at Logansport, IN. Hinkle was one of the giants of the coaching profession, spending all five decades of his career at Butler University. His teams won over 600 games, and over 50 of his former players became coaches. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1965. Died at Indianapolis, IN, Sept. 21, 1992.
    1903 - The first major suspension bridge in the United States -- the Williamsburg Bridge -- opened in New York City.
(lower part of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec19.html )
    1904 – The Dawson City, AK hockey team begins a 9-day walk to get a boat to Seattle to catch a train to Ottawa to play in Stanley Cup on Jan. 13, 1905.
    1907 - 239 coal miners die in a mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, PA.
    1910 - Rayon made from cellulose was commercially produced by the American Viscose Company in Marcus Hook, PA. Production in 1911 amounted to 362,000 pounds. The patents were acquired from the General Artificial Silk Company, Landsdowne, PA, who started producing the product, calling it “artificial silk.” The term “rayon” was adopted in 1924 to replace “artificial silk” and similar names.
    1910 – The first city ordinance to require white and black residential areas was passed in Baltimore.
    1911 – Trumpet Player/Band Leader Lu Watters Birthday 
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist4/watters1.html
http://www.jazzbymail.com/artists/lwybjb.html
    1913 - Jack Johnson fights Jim Johnson to a draw in 10 rounds for the heavyweight boxing title
    1915 - Phillip D. “Phil” Woolpert, Basketball Hall of Fame coach, was born at Danville, KY. He is still talked about this day in the Bay Area. Woolpert played at Loyola University of Los Angeles, graduating in 1940, and began coaching at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco. In 1950, he moved to the University of San Francisco where he put together one of the greatest college teams ever. Led by NBA and College Basketball Hall of Famers Bill Russell and KC Jones, the Dons won their last 26 games in 1954-55 and all 29 games in 1955-56. The won consecutive NCAA titles, too. Woolpert resigned in 1958-59 but later coached in the American Basketball League and at the University of San Diego. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992. Died at Sequim, WA, May 5, 1987.
    1917 - Singer Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson born Houston, Texas. Died July 2, 1988
http://www.john-meekings.co.uk/evinson.html
http://www.nuraw.com/Pages/AlumniPages/EddieVinson.html
    1917 - The National Hockey League opened its first season of play with two games. The Montreal Canadians defeated the Ottawa Senators, 7-4, with Joe Malone scoring five goals, and the Montreal Wanderers beat the Toronto Arenas, 10-9, with Harry Hyland scoring five goals. Despite their victory, the Wanderers lasted only six games, withdrawing from the league when the Montreal Arena burned down.  This was also the first time hockey was played on artificial ice…was the Zamboni far behind?
    1918 - Birthday of pianist Professor Longhair, Bogalusa, LA
http://www.island.net/~blues/fess.html
http://www.offbeat.com/fess/fess.html
    1918 - Robert Ripley's newspaper cartoon of unusual, hard-to-believe facts from around the world was first published in the New York Globe. Ripley first planned to call the cartoon "Chumps and Champs" as it originally involved sport feats, but decided instead on "Believe It Or Not!"
    1924 - Birthday of Edward “Rex” Barney, baseball public address announcer and former baseball player, at Omaha, NE.   As a teenage phenom, Barney was signed by the Dodgers at the age of 18, in 1943. He was one of the hardest throwers in the league but struggled with wildness early in his career.  Barney nevertheless won 15 games in 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and pitched a no-hitter against the New York Giants. After retiring, he was much beloved as the public address announcer for the Baltimore Orioles. He rewarded spectators who caught foul balls by saying, “Give that fan a contract,” and he concluded every announcement with a dramatic “Thaaaaaak youuuuuu”.  Died at Baltimore, MD, August 12, 1997
    1924 - The Riverside Ranger Station in Yellowstone Park, WY, reported a low of 59 degrees below zero, a December record for the U.S.
    1924 – Comedian, actor Gary Morton, also Lucille Ball’s second husband, was born in NYC.  Morton died in Palm Springs, CA in 1999.       
    1926 - Birthday of Robert Lawrence “Bobby” Layne, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, at Santa Ana, Texas. Layne starred at the University of Texas before and after serving the Merchant Marines during World War II. As a pro, he led the Detroit Lions to the NFL title in 1952, 1953, and 1957. His flamboyant leadership on the field was matched by a boisterous off-the-field lifestyle. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.  Died at Lubbock, Texas on December 1, 1986.
    1926 – Game show contestant Herb Stempel was born in The Bronx.  He was the whistleblower on the fraudulent nature of the industry. His rigged six-week appearance as a winning contestant on the 1950s show “Twenty One” ended in an equally rigged defeat by Charles Van Doren.
    1933 – Actress Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem.  She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for her performance in “Sounder” (1972). For this role she also won the NFSC Best Actress Award and NBR Best Actress Awards. She starred in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” (1974), for which she won two Emmy awards and was nominated for a BAFTA Award.  During her career she has been nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three.
    1934 – Baseball Hall of Famer and “Mr. Tiger”, Al Kaline was born in Baltimore.  In 1955, at age 20, Kaline ended the season with a .340 batting average, becoming the youngest player ever to win the AL batting title. No 20-year-old major league player had won a batting title since Ty Cobb in 1907. In that season, Kaline became the 13th man in major league history to hit two HRs in the same inning, became the youngest to hit three home runs in one game, and finished the year with 200 hits, 27 home runs and 102 RBIs. He also finished second to Yogi Berra in the American League's 1955 MVP voting. He was selected to the All-Star Game, the first in a string of consecutive All-Star selections that lasted through 1967.  Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Tigers, mainly in RF where he won ten Gold Gloves and was known for his strong throwing arm.  Kaline ended his career with 3007 hits.
    1935 - Birthday of piano player Bobby Timmons, Philadelphia, PA
http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/timmons.html
    1936 - Barney Bigard recorded “Caravan” in Los Angeles (Variety 515).
    1940 - Birthday of guitarist/song writer Phil Ochs, El Paso, Texas. 
http://www.greenmanreview.com/theearlyyears.html
    1941 - To control information pertaining to World War II, the US Office of Censorship was created.
    1941 - Birthday of Maurice White (of Radiants/Earth-Wind-Fire) Memphis, TN
http://www.radio101.it/soul/amwht.html 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005B17U/avsearch-df1-9-20/
104-3547695-1517507
http://www.earthwindandfire.com/ewf/default.asp
    1944 - At a meeting of senior Allied commanders, Eisenhower decides to appoint Field Marshal Montgomery, commanding British 21st Army Group, to lead all Allied forces to the north of " the Bulge" in the line created by the German attack. General Bradley, commanding US 12th Army Group, is responsible for all Allied forces to the south. Historians suggest that one of Eisenhower’s great accomplishments of the war was managing the petulant and aristocratic Montgomery into keeping focus on the tasks at hand rather than the trappings of his rank.  The arrangement is not made public at this time.
    1944 - FLUCKEY, EUGENE BENNETT, Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, Commanding U.S.S. Barb. Place and date: Along coast of China, 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. Entered service at: Illinois. Born: S October 1913, Washington, D.C. Other Navy award: Navy Cross with 3 Gold Stars. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Barb during her 11th war patrol along the east coast of China from 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. After sinking a large enemy ammunition ship and damaging additional tonnage during a running 2-hour night battle on 8 January, Comdr. Fluckey, in an exceptional feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking on 25 January, located a concentration of more than 30 enemy ships in the lower reaches of Nankuan Chiang (Mamkwan Harbor). Fully aware that a safe retirement would necessitate an hour's run at full speed through the uncharted, mined, and rock-obstructed waters, he bravely ordered, "Battle station--torpedoes!" In a daring penetration of the heavy enemy screen, and riding in 5 fathoms of water, he launched the Barb's last forward torpedoes at 3,000-yard range. Quickly bringing the ship's stern tubes to bear, he turned loose 4 more torpedoes into the enemy, obtaining 8 direct hits on 6 of the main targets to explode a large ammunition ship and cause inestimable damage by the resultant flying shells and other pyrotechnics. Clearing the treacherous area at high speed, he brought the Barb through to safety and 4 days later sank a large Japanese freighter to complete a record of heroic combat achievement, reflecting the highest credit upon Comdr. Fluckey, his gallant officers and men, and the U.S. Naval Service.
    1944 - GERSTUNG, ROBERT E., Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company H, 313th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. Place and date: Siegfried Line near Berg, Germany, 19 December 1944. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born: 6 August 1915, Chicago, Ill. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: On 19 December 1944 he was ordered with his heavy machinegun squad to the support of an infantry company attacking the outer defense of the Siegfried Line near Berg, Germany. For 8 hours he maintained a position made almost untenable by the density of artillery and mortar fire concentrated upon it and the proximity of enemy troops who threw hand grenades into the emplacement. While all other members of his squad became casualties, he remained at his gun. When he ran out of ammunition, he fearlessly dashed across bullet-swept, open terrain to secure a new supply from a disabled friendly tank. A fierce barrage pierced the water jacket of his gun, but he continued to fire until the weapon overheated and jammed. Instead of withdrawing, he crawled 50 yards across coverless ground to another of his company's machineguns which had been silenced when its entire crew was killed. He continued to man this gun, giving support vitally needed by the infantry. At one time he came under direct fire from a hostile tank, which shot the glove from his hand with an armor-piercing shell but could not drive him from his position or stop his shooting. When the American forces were ordered to retire to their original positions, he remained at his gun, giving the only covering fire. Finally withdrawing, he cradled the heavy weapon in his left arm, slung a belt of ammunition over his shoulder, and walked to the rear, loosing small bursts at the enemy as he went. One hundred yards from safety, he was struck in the leg by a mortar shell; but, with a supreme effort, he crawled the remaining distance, dragging along the gun which had served him and his comrades so well. By his remarkable perseverance, indomitable courage, and heroic devotion to his task in the face of devastating fire, T/Sgt. Gerstung gave his fellow soldiers powerful support in their encounter with formidable enemy forces.
    1945 - KIMBRO, TRUMAN,  Medal of Honor.
Rank and organization: Technician Fourth Grade, U.S. Army, Company C, 2d Engineer Combat Battalion, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Rocherath, Belgium, 19 December 1944. Entered service at: Houston, Tex. Birth: Madisonville, Tex. G.O. No.: 42, 24 May 1945. Citation: On 19 December 1944, as scout, he led a squad assigned to the mission of mining a vital crossroads near Rocherath, Belgium. At the first attempt to reach the objective, he discovered it was occupied by an enemy tank and at least 20 infantrymen. Driven back by withering fire, Technician 4th Grade Kimbro made 2 more attempts to lead his squad to the crossroads but all approaches were covered by intense enemy fire. Although warned by our own infantrymen of the great danger involved, he left his squad in a protected place and, laden with mines, crawled alone toward the crossroads. When nearing his objective he was severely wounded, but he continued to drag himself forward and laid his mines across the road. As he tried to crawl from the objective his body was riddled with rifle and machinegun fire. The mines laid by his act of indomitable courage delayed the advance of enemy armor and prevented the rear of our withdrawing columns from being attacked by the enemy.
    1946 - War broke out in Indochina as Ho Chi Minh attacked the French in Hanoi.
    1946 – “Dan Tanna”, actor Robert Urich, was born in Toronto, OH.  In addition to that role in the series, “Vega$”, Urich had a solid TV and film career that was cut short by cancer from which he died in 2002.
    1948 - Top Hits 
“Buttons and Bows” - Dinah Shore 
“On a Slow Boat to China” - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood 
“White Christmas” - Bing Crosby 
“One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)” - Jimmy Wakely
    1948 – In the All-American Football Conference (AAFC) penultimate title game, the Cleveland Browns defeated the Buffalo Bills, 49-7.  The AAFC was founded by Chicago tribune sports editor Arch Ward on June 4, 1944. Ward was also the originator of baseball’s All-Star Game and football’s College All-Star Game.  The league initially issued franchises for Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Brooklyn and Miami were later added.  The AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. Three of its teams were admitted to the NFL: the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Colts (not related to the later second Colts team that would play in Baltimore in the old NFL from 1953 through 1983). The Browns were the AAFC's most successful club, having won every annual championship in the league's four years of operation among ten consecutive championships across both leagues.
    1948 – In the NFL title game, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Cardinals, 7-0.
    1949 - Birthday of trombone player Bob Brookmeyer, Kansas City Mo.
http://www.bobbrookmeyer.com/biography.html
    1949 - Birthday of drummer Lenny White, Jamaica, NY
http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Lenny%20White.html 
    1955 - Carl Perkins records "Blue Suede Shoes", a song that he wrote after seeing a young man get angry at his date for scuffing his shoes. Even though we often remember the Elvis Presley version the most, it only made it to number 20 on the US chart, while was Perkins' original went to number 2. 
    1956 - Elvis Presley made US chart history by having 10 songs on Billboard's Top 100. 
    1956 - Top Hits 
“Singing the Blues” - Guy Mitchell 
“Blueberry Hill” - Fats Domino 
“Since I Met You Baby” - Ivory Joe Hunter 
“Singing the Blues” - Marty Robbins
    1957 - A tornado, 200 yards in width, killed two persons along its 15-mile path from near Waldo to near Buena Vista in southwestern Arkansas. People from one house were carried 250 yards, and cars were said to have been carried 600 yards.
    1957 - Meredith Wilson's musical, "The Music Man", opened at New York City's Majestic Theatre. The show starred Robert Preston and enjoyed a 1,375 show run.  The band included 76 trombones and 101 cornets.
    1960 - RCA Victor Records released Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl". The song would be Sedaka's fourth record to make the charts. Other hits, among over 500 songs that he wrote or co-wrote, include: "The Diary", "Stairway to Heaven", "Bad Girl", "Next Door to an Angel", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Laughter in the Rain" and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do".  He wrote scores of songs for others, including Connie Francis, Gene Pitney, The Monkees, The Captain & Tenille, and Jimmy Clanton that became hits.  Somehow, by some logic, Neil Sedaka is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
    1960 - Frank Sinatra recorded his first session with his own record company, Reprise Records. Recorded that day were "Ring-A-Ding-Ding" and "Let's Fall in Love".
    1961 - In New York City, "Judgment at Nuremberg" opened with a star-studded cast including Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, and Maximillian Schell who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. The film would also receive an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as nine other nominations.
    1961 - Green Bay Packer and Philadelphia Eagles great DE Reginald Howard “Reggie” White birthday, Chattanooga, TN.
    1961 - After reaching #15 with "Tonight I Fell In Love" earlier in the year, a Brooklyn, New York group called The Tokens scored the top tune in the US with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". 
    1963 – Actress Jennifer Beals was born in Chicago.
    1964 - "Come See About Me", the third release from The Supremes album "Where Did Our Love Go", becomes their third straight US number one single.
    1964 - Top Hits 
“Come See About Me” - The Supremes 
“I Feel Fine” - The Beatles 
“Goin' Out of My Head” - Little Anthony & The Imperials 
“Once a Day” - Connie Smith
    1966 - Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar Town" entered the Billboard chart, where it would reach #5.
    1967 - A record 83 inches of snow covered the ground at Flagstaff, AZ. The heavy snows inflicted great hardships on reservations. 
    1968 - My son, Dashiell Leslie Menkin, was born in San Francisco, California. The middle name comes from the name of his mother's father, known as "Red," for his red hair. Dashiell comes
from my favorite mystery writer. I am very proud of my son who served in the US Navy!!! He is a real patriot.
    1970 - Elton John's first US hit, "Your Song" enters the Billboard Hot 100, where it will reach number eight. An excellent version of the tune had already been recorded by Three Dog Night for their "It Ain't Easy" album, but they didn't issue it as a single. 
    1971 - Houston safety Ken Houston returns two interceptions for touchdowns in the Oilers' 49-33 victory over San Diego to set the NFL career record with nine touchdowns on interception returns. He also sets the single-season record with four interception return touchdowns. 
    1972 - The Apollo lunar-landing program ends when the last three astronauts to travel to the moon splash down safely in the Pacific Ocean.  During the Apollo 17 mission, astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt stayed for a record 75 hours on the surface of the moon, conducting three separate surface excursions in the Lunar Rover vehicle and collecting 243 pounds of rock and soil samples. Although Apollo 17 was the last lunar landing, the last official Apollo mission was conducted in July 1975, when an Apollo spacecraft successfully rendezvoused and docked with the Soviet Soyuz 19 spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. It was fitting that the Apollo program, which first visited the moon under the banner of "We came in peace for all mankind," should end on a note of peace and international cooperation.
    1972 - Top Hits 
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul 
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green 
It Never Rains in Southern California - Albert Hammond 
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
    1973 - Johnny Carson pulled a prank in front a nationwide, late-night NBC audience. Carson started a false toilet-paper scare when, in his "Tonight Show" monologue, he said a Wisconsin congressman warned toilet paper would disappear from supermarket shelves. In many parts of the United States, toilet paper soon became a scarce after the gag.
    1974 – Continuing the fallout from Watergate, Nelson A Rockefeller was sworn-in as the 41st Vice-President.   On August 9, President Nixon resigned and Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States. On August 20, Rockefeller, former governor of New York, was nominated for the vice-presidency by President Ford.  Presidents who served, but were never elected:
Chester A. Arthur 
Millard Fillmore 
Gerald R. Ford 
Andrew Johnson 
John Tyler
Presidents who never had a vice-president:
Chester A. Arthur 
Millard Fillmore 
Andrew Johnson 
John Tyler
* The 25th Amendment now requires Presidents to nominate a new Vice President
    1974 - The first personal computer was the Altair 8800, sold in kit form. Sales took off when it was featured on the cover of the January, 1975 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. It was developed by Edward Roberts at Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) of Albuquerque, NM.   The kit cost $397. The first personal computer that was commercially successful was the Commodore PET, developed by Commodore Business Machines of Westchester, PA, and marketed to the consumers beginning early 1977. It sold for $595. Nolan Bushnell developed a small personal computer, but thought it would not take off and wanted to stay ahead of Japan and others in the game business, when Steven Jobs brought it to Steven Wozniack to copy and Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA, was born.  Historians considered this the first successful PC, released the same year, aiming their market at schools and later opening up their own retail stores. Leading Edge, Osborne, Eagle and many other computers grew using the Windows operating system while IBM introduced their own proprietary operating system along with PIC, which was the most popular at the time for business use of personal computer systems.
    1976 - As if Disco wasn't bad enough, the US Pop chart reaches a new all-time low when "Convoy" by C.W. McCall earns a Gold record. The novelty tune tells the story of interstate truck drivers and their run-ins with the law.     
   1979 - Elvis Presley's personal physician, George Nichopoulos, was charged with "illegally and indiscriminately" prescribing over 12,000 tablets of uppers, downers, and painkillers for the rock and roll star during the 20 months preceding his untimely death.  
    1979 - Chrysler gets first bail out. In July, company chairman John J. Ricardo announced that Chrysler had posted second-quarter losses in the neighborhood of $200 million. However, the struggling auto giant received a generous Christmas present on December 19, as the Senate green lighted a $1.5 billion loan to help put the company back on its feet. In the short term, though, the loan did little to staunch the bleeding: 1980 saw Chrysler rack-up record losses of well over $1.7 billion.
    1980 - Top Hits 
“Lady” - Kenny Rogers 
“More Than I Can Say” - Leo Sayer 
“(Just Like) Starting Over” - John Lennon 
“Why Lady Why” - Alabama
    1980 - The comedy film “Nine To Five”, starring Dolly Parton in her first major movie role, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman, opens nationally in the US.
    1984 - Twenty-three year old Wayne Gretsky, of the Edmonton Oilers, led his hockey team over the Los Angeles Kings 7-3. He scored two goals and racked up four assists, becoming the 18th player in the National Hockey League to score over than 1,000 points.
    1988 - Top Hits 
“Look Away” - Chicago 
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” - Poison 
“Giving You the Best That I Got” - Anita Baker 
“A Tender Lie” - Restless Heart
    1997 – “Titanic”, James Cameron's movie epic, was released across the United States. At more than three hours long, and a $200 million production price, critics anticipated that it would fail miserably. However, the "most expensive film ever", made with state-of-the-art technology, wowed audiences of all ages, and quickly became the top box-office champ for a film longer than 3 hours.
    1998 - Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott is named "Man of the Year" by the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), alleged to be a “racist” organization, made up of many Ku Klux Klan members.
    1998 - House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment charging President Clinton with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.
    2011 - Samsung Electronics files a patent infringement claim against Apple in Germany.  They have been at it ever since.
    2012 - UBS becomes the second bank after Barclays, to be fined for attempting to manipulate the Libor interbank lending rate; the company is fined $1.5 billion
    2013 - A data breach at Target Corporation caused the security of 40 million credit and debit cards used at Target stores to be compromised