2014 'The Battle of the Five Armies', the last film in 'The Hobbit' series, grosses over $90 million in its first five days of release, exceeding box office expectations of $75 million 2014 South Korea bans poultry from the U.S. due to potential bird flu concerns; South Korea is working to contain the spread of the virus among its own avian population 2013 A series of spacewalks are made by two NASA astronauts in an effort to fix the faulty coolant pump on the International Space Station 2013 Author J.K. Rowling announces she is producing a play based on the life of her character Harry Potter; the play tells the previously untold story of life before the boy wizard goes to Hogwarts; the play will premiere in London's West End within the next two years 2012 Voters in Alexandria, Egypt clash during the evening of the second voting session on the highly charged constitutional referendum 2012 Scientists studying the Sutter's Mill meteorite, found near where the Sutter's Mill California Gold Rush site, determine it contains the oldest material in the Solar System 2011 The death toll from Tropical Storm Washi in the Philippines reaches 1,002, and is expected to rise 2011 Health authorities begin slaughtering 17,000 chickens after a carcass infected with H5N1 is found at a poultry market in Hong Kong 2010 The engagement of Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall, a Rugby Union player, is announced 1997 Detroit Lions Barry Sanders is 3rd to run for 2,000 yards in a season 1997 Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown, knocked unconscious in game 1997 Lexus Senior Golf Challenge 1997 Wendy's Three-Tour Senior Golf Challenges 1997 Wendy's Three-Tour LPGA Challenge 1996 Pakistan all out 67 to lose to Tasmania by an inning 1995 Martina Ertl of Germany wins her 3rd giant slalom world cup 1995 San Francisco Giants announce plans to build a new stadium to open in 2000 1994 Bomb goes off on #4 train on Fulton Street New York City 1992 Dutch DC-10 in fire at landing on Faro Portugal, 56 die 1991 95 share in Madrid Spain $1.3 billion lottery (#47996) 1991 El Sayid Nosair acquitted of killing Meir Kahane 1991 U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN-director Ted Turner 1991 Soviet Union formally dissolves 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming Commonwealth of Independent States 1990 Steve and Mark Waugh complete 464* partnership for NSW vs. WA 1989 Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (executed 12/25) 1989 Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Xmas cards with word beacon spelled beakon 1988 Drexel agrees guilt to security felonies, pays a $650 million fine 1988 New York bound Pan Am jumbo jet explodes over Scotland all 258 aboard die 1988 Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov return to earth (a year) with Chretien 1987 3 white New York teens convicted of manslaughter in death of a black man 1987 Soyuz TM-4 launches 3 cosmonauts to space station Mir 1987 Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov launched 1986 75th Davis Cup: Australia beats Sweden in Melbourne (3-2) 1986 Amy Alcott/Bob Charles wins LPGA Mazda Golf Championship 1985 ARCO Anchorage runs aground near Port Angeles, WA 1985 Alice Miller/Don January wins LPGA Mazda Golf Championship 1985 Heart's "Heart," album goes #1 1984 Islander Kelly Hrudy's 1st shut-out win-Whalers 1-0 1984 U.S.S.R. launches Vega 2 for fly-by of Halley's Come 1983 "Tap Dance Kid" opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 669 performances 1983 Loretta Swit weds Dennis Holahan 1983 Musical "Tap Dance Kid" with H Battle premieres in New York City 1983 NBA Indiana Pacers end a 28 game road losing streak 1983 NCAA rules rescinded last 2-minute men's basketball free throw rule 1981 Cincinnati beats Bradley 75-73 in 7 OTs (NCAA record) 1980 Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions 1979 Gary Unger plays in record 914th consecutive NHL game 1979 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, Eastern Kazakhstan U.S.S.R. 1979 Zimbabwe adopts constitution 1978 "Broadway Musical" opens/closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater New York City 1978 Police in Des Plaines Ill, arrest John Wayne Gacy, Jr. for murder 1976 20th Islander shut-out opponent-Billy Smith 3-0 vs Bruins 1976 Patricia R. Harris named secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1976 U.N. General Assembly passes a resolution declaring 1979 - Year of Child 1976 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1975 "Hello, Dolly" closes at Minskoff Theater New York City after 51 performances 1975 "Very Good Eddie" opens at Booth Theater New York City for 307 performances 1975 1st New York Jet to gain 1,000 yards rushing (John Riggins) 1975 64th Davis Cup: Sweden beats Czechoslovakia in Stockholm (3-2) 1975 Madagascar adopts constitution 1975 Buffalo Sabres set NHL record of 40 points beating Caps 14-2 scoring 5 goals vs Washington Caps in 4:57 1973 Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, U.S. and U.S.S.R. meet in Geneva 1972 Soviet Union signs a separate peace with East Germany 1971 U.N. Security Council chooses Kurt Waldheim as 4th secretary General 1970 WUTV TV channel 29 in Buffalo, New York (IND) begins broadcasting 1969 Diana Ross final TV appearance as a Supreme on theEd Sullivan Show 1969 Vince Lombardi (Redskins) coaches his last football game, losing 1968 Apollo 8 (Borman, Lovell and Anders) 1st manned Moon voyage 1968 David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash premiere together in California 1966 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 13; soft-landed in Oceanus Procellarum 1962 Angolin leaves Comecon 1962 U.S. and Cuba accord, releases bay of pigs captive 1961 Beatles record "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Ready Teddy" 1961 John F. Kennedy and British Prime Minister MacMillan meet in Bermuda 1959 10th largest snowfall in New York City history (13.7") 1959 Citizens of Deerfield, Illinois block building of interracial housing 1959 Shah of Persia marries Farah Diba 1959 Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988) 1958 Charles De Gaulle wins 7 year term as 1st President of 5th Rep of France 1957 Indonesia proclaims end to state of war 1954 Dr. Sam Sheppard's wife Marilyn is murdered (he is accused of crime) 1953 KOMU TV channel 8 in Columbia, MO (NBC/PBS) begins broadcasting 1952 Broadway Tunnel opens in SF 1952 WSBT TV channel 22 in South Bend, IN (CBS) begins broadcasting 1950 "Out of This World" opens at New Century Theater New York City for 157 performances 1950 Cole Porter's musical "Out of this World," premieres in New York City 1949 Dutch 1st Chamber accept soeveregnty of Indonesia 1948 O'Neil Place in the Bronx erronously renamed O'Neill Place 1948 State of Eire, formerly Irish Free State, declares its independence 1946 "If the Shoe Fits" closes at Century Theater New York City after 20 performances 1946 Earthquake in South Japan, kills 1,086 1946 Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," premieres 1946 Morton Gould's "Minstrel Show," premieres in Indianapolis 1945 "Billion Dollar Baby" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 219 performances 1945 Gould/Comden/Green's "Billion Dollar Baby," premieres in New York City 1944 Cards' Marty Marion wins NL MVP 1942 U.S. Supreme Court declares Nevada separation legal 1941 Chicago Bears Ray McLean makes last NFL drop kick for an extra point 1941 Chicago bears win the NFL championship 1941 David Diamond's 1st Symphony, premieres 1941 German submarine U-567 sinks 1941 Last NFL drop kick for an extra point (Ray McLean, Chicago Bears) 1939 Hitler named Adolf Eichmann leader of "Referat IV B" 1937 1st feature-length color and sound cartoon premieres (Snow White) 1937 O'Reilly completes 14-98 for cricket match, NSW vs. South Australia 1936 Bradman's 2nd consecutive Test Cricket duck! Australia all out 80 1933 Dried human blood serum 1st prepared, University of Pennsylvania 1933 Fox signs Shirley Temple, 5, to a studio contract 1933 Newfoundland reverts to being a crown colony 1932 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, 1st joint movie (Flying Down to Rio) 1932 Giants sign former outfielder Billy Southworth as a coach 1929 1st group hospital insurance plan offered (Dallas Tx) 1926 Soccer team DOS Struggle forms 1925 Eisenstein's movie Potemkin premieres in Moscow 1925 Stork Hendry scores 325 for Victoria against New Zealand 1923 Nepal changes from British protectorate to independent nation 1921 Supreme Court rules labor injunctions and picketing unconstitutional 1920 Jerome Kern/BG DeSylva's musical "Sally," premieres in New York City 1919 J Edgar Hoover deports anarchists/feminist Emma Goldman to Russia 1918 Red Sox trade Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore and Duffy Lewis to Yankees for Ray Caldwell and Slim Love, Frank Gilhooey, Al Walters and $15,000 1915 10.17" (25.83 cm) of rainfall, Glenora, Oregon (state record) 1914 "Tillie's Punctured Romance," 1st six-reel feature comedy debuts 1914 1st feature-length silent film comedy, "Tillie's Punctured Romance" released. (Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand and Charles Chaplin) 1913 1st crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed in New York World 1912 Denmark, Norway and Sweden declare neutrality in Comende war 1910 Explosion in coal mine in Hulton England, 344 mine workers dies 1909 1st junior high school established (Berkeley California) 1909 Clyde Fitch' "City," premieres in New York City 1909 University of Coopenhagen rejects Cook's claim that he was 1st to North Pole 1907 Dutch government of De Master falls due to war budget 1900 Gerhart Hauptmann's "Michael Kramer," premieres in Berlin 1898 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovers radium 1891 18 students play 1st basketball game (Springfield College) 1890 Pim Mulier 1st and only trip to "Alvesteddetocht" 1866 Cheyennes, Arapho's, Sioux, Fetterman Massacre 1864 General Sherman conquers Savannah 1849 1st U.S. skating club formed in Philadelphia 1835 HMS Beagle sails into Bay of Islands (New Zealand) 1829 1st stone arch railroad bridge in U.S. dedicated, Baltimore 1788 Hue Tay Son becomes emperor Quang Trung of Vietnam 1784 John Jay becomes 1st U.S. Secretary of State 1762 James Cook marries Elizabeth Batts 1688 Pro-James II-earl of Devonshire occupies Nottingham 1650 Johan de Witt installed as Dutch pension advisor of Dordrecht 1620 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock 1582 Flanders adopts Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is Jan 1 1583 1561 Archbishop Granvelle installed 1163 Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods
