2015 The Ezadeen, an abandoned ship carrying 450 Syrians, is rescued from choppy waters and brought safely to shore in Italy; the ship is the second to be abandoned by human traffickers off the nation's coast in the last four days 2014 According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the net worth of the 300 richest people in the world collectively increased by $524 billion; the group has an aggregate net worth of $3.7 trillion 2014 A measles outbreak is declared in Metro Manila; the Philippine Department of Health reports 1,724 cases as of December 14, and 71 people in one hospital alone died in 2013 2013 Actor Gerard Depardieu is granted citizenship by Russian President, Vladimir Putin; Depardieu renounced his French citizenship due to the country's high taxes 2013 The Unites States swears in the 113th Congress, replacing the 112th Congress 2012 Unemployment in Spain is reportedly at a record high 2012 Iowa voters attend electoral caucuses; Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum lead Republican contenders as nominees for President of the United States 2011 With news that Facebook received investments of $500 million, analysts estimate the value of the company at $50 billion 2011 Over 5,000 red-winged blackbirds suddenly die in Beebe, Arkansas, on New Year's Eve; scientists investigate causes of the bird die-off 2010 Australian researchers discover the first plane taken to Antarctica in 1912 2009 Israel launches an invasion of the Gaza strip 2007 Gerald Ford is buried in Grand Rapids, Michigan 2004 Flash Airlines flight 604 crashes near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, killing 148 1998 "Side Show," closes at Richard Rodgers New York City after 91 performances 1998 Grandpa Jones suffers a stroke 1997 Bryant Gumbel co-hosted his final Today show on NBC-TV 1997 Eddo Brandes takes ODI hat-trick vs. England at Harare 1997 Zimbabwe clean-sweep ODI series vs. England 3-0 1994 "Gray's Anatomy" closes at Beaumont Theater New York City after 13 performances 1994 100s killed in Venezuela in prison revolt 1994 Tupolev-154M crashes at Irkutsk, Siberia: 122 killed 1994 35-foot-tall Chief Wahoo, trademark of Indians on top of Stadium since 1962, is taken down, to be moved to Jacob's Field 1993 "Catskills on Broadway" closes at Lunt-Fontanne New York City after 452 performances 1993 "Christmas Carol" closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 22 performances 1993 "Lost in Yonkers" closes at Richard Rodgers New York City after 780 performances 1993 "Secret Garden" closes at St. James Theater New York City after 706 performances 1993 "Tommy Tune Tonite!" closes at Gershwin New York City after 10 performances 1993 Junk bond king Michael Milkin is released from jail after 22 months 1992 32 Cubans defect to the U.S. via helicopter 1992 Boon completes 11 Test Cricket century, 129* vs. India at Sydney 1991 Israel reopens consulate in U.S.S.R. after 23 years 1991 Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky scores his 700th goal against New York Islanders 1990 Panama's leader General Manuel Noriega surrenders to U.S. authorities 1989 Jim and Tammy Bakker return to TV (Oy Vey!) 1989 Russian newspaper Izvestia gets its 1st commercial advertisement 1988 Israel orders 9 Palestinian "instigators" deported from W Beirut 1988 Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British Prime Minister this century 1987 "Oh Coward!" closes at Helen Hayes Theater New York City after 56 performances 1987 "Smile" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater New York City after 48 performances 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts 1st female artist Aretha Franklin 1987 Singer/Miss America Vanessa Williams marries Ramon T Hervey in New York City 1985 Azharuddin scores 110 in 1st Test innings 1985 Israel government confirms resettlement of 10,000 Ethiopian Jews 1984 Syria frees captured U.S. pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson 1983 Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yd rush, Dallas vs Minnesota 1981 55th Australian Womens Tennis: H Mandlikova beats W Turnbull (60 75) 1981 Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 34, Austin Carr 1981 Greg Chappell scores 204 vs. India at the SCG 1981 Mary Terstegge Meagher swims female record 100 m butterfly (58.91) 1980 Gold hits record $634 an ounce 1978 Chandrasekar takes 6-52 and 6-52 at MCG in Indian innings win 1977 Apple Computers incorporated 1977 Lindy McDaniel retires with 2nd most pitching appearances (987 games) 1976 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site 1974 Arias Navarro succeeds Carrero Blanco as premier of Spain 1974 Burma accepts its constitution 1974 Gold hits record $121.25 an ounce in London 1974 Miguel Pinero's "Short Eyes," premieres in New York City 1974 New York Yankees sign Bill Virdon as manager 1973 George Steinbrenner III buys Yankees from CBS for $12 million 1971 "President's Daughter" closes at Billy Rose Theater New York City after 72 performances 1971 Baltimore Colts beat Oakland Raiders 27-17 in AFC championship game 1971 Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco '49ers 17-10 in NFC championship game 1970 "Jimmy" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 84 performances 1970 "Mame" closes at Winter Garden Theater New York City after 1508 performances 1970 Marxist government takes over in Congo 1970 WHAG TV channel 25 in Hagerstown, MD (NBC) begins broadcasting 1969 Rep Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. seated by Congress 1967 "Tonight Show" is shortened from 105 to 90 minutes 1967 Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion 1967 WJAN TV channel 17 in Canton, OH (IND) begins broadcasting 1966 Floyd B McKissick, named national director of CORE 1964 Jack Paar Show, shows a clip of the Beatles singing "She Loves You" 1963 WOUB TV channel 20 in Athens, OH (PBS) begins broadcasting 1962 Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome 1962 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro 1961 Adam Clayton Powell elected Chairman of House Education and Labor 1961 U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba 1959 Alaska admitted as 49th U.S. state 1958 Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland 1958 Lindsay Kline takes a hat-trick vs. South Africa at Cape Town 1957 1st electric watch introduced, Lancaster Pa 1955 Jose Ramon Guizado becomes president of Panama 1952 "Dragnet" with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV 1952 Australia beat West Indies by one wicket at the MCG, last stand 38 1951 9 Jewish Kremlin physicians "exposed" as British/U.S. agents 1951 Fred Wilt wins AAU Sullivan Memorial Trophy (U.S. athlete of 1950) 1949 "Colgate Theater" dramatic anthology series premieres on NBC TV 1948 Bradman completes dual Test tons (132 and 127*) vs. India MCG 1947 1st opening session of Congress to be televised 1947 William Dawson becomes 1st black to head congressional committee 1945 Allies land on west coast of Burma, conquer Akyab 1945 British Premier Winston Churchill visits France 1945 Cato-Meridian School, New York, installs germicidal lamps in every room 1945 Greek General Plastiras forms government 1945 John Patrick's "Hasty Heart," premieres in New York City 1945 U.S. aircraft carriers attack Okinawa 1943 1st missing persons telecast (New York City) 1943 Canadian Army troops arrive in North Africa 1942 American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command forms 1941 Canada and U.S. acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 yr lease) 1941 Italian counter offensive in Albania 1941 Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" premieres in Philadelphia 1940 WPG-AM in Atlantic City New Jersey consolidates with WBIL and WOV as "new" WOV 1939 Gene Cox becomes 1st girl page in U.S. House of Representatives 1938 March of Dimes established to fight polio 1931 Nels Stewart of Montreal Maroons scores 2 goals in 4 sec (record) 1929 27 year old William S. Paley becomes CBS president 1929 Bradman scores 112 vs. England at MCG - his 1st Test century 1926 Greek General Theodorus Pangulos names himself dictator 1925 Mussolini dissolves Italian parliament/becomes dictator 1922 1st living person identified on a U.S. coin (Thomas E Kirby) on the Alabama Centennial half-dollar 1921 Turkey makes peace with Armenia 1920 Arthur Honegger's "Chant de Nigamon," premieres 1920 New York Yankees purchase Babe Ruth from Red Sox for $125,000 1918 U.S. employment service opens as a unit of Department of Labor 1914 Kelman/Cushing/Heath' musical "Sari," premieres in New York City 1912 South Pacific RR offers to bring Liberty Bell to Exposition, free 1911 U.S. postal savings bank inaugurated 1910 British miners strike for 8 hour working day 1902 Reg Duff 104 on Test debut, vs. England at MCG 1900 Gerhart Hauptmanns "Schluck und Jau," premieres in Berlin 1900 Perihelion Passage 1896 Emperor Wilhelm congratulates President Kruger on the Jameson Raid 1890 1st U.S. college-level dairy school opens at University of Wisconsin 1889 Admissions convention meets in Ellensburg, WA, asks for statehood 1888 1st wax drinking straw patented, by Marvin C Stone in Washington D.C. 1876 1st free kindergarten in U.S. opens in Florence, Mass 1872 1st patent list issued by U.S. Patent Office 1871 Oleomargarine patented by Henry Bradley, Binghamton, New York 1870 Brooklyn Bridge construction begins; completed May 24, 1883 1868 Meiji Restoration returns authority to Japan's emperors 1865 Con Orem and Hugh O'Neill box 193 rounds before darkness ends match 1862 Romney Campaign-Stonewall Jackson moves north from Winchester 1861 Delaware legislature rejects proposal to join Confederacy 1861 U.S. Ft. Pulaski and Ft. Jackson, Savannah, seized by Georgia 1852 1st Chinese arrive in Hawaii 1847 California town of Yerba Buena renamed San Francisco 1840 1st deep sea sounding 1833 Britain seizes control of Falkland Islands in South Atlantic 1831 1st U.S. building and loan association organized, Frankford, Penn 1825 Scottish factory owner Robert Owen buys 30,000 acres in Indiana as site for New Harmony utopian community 1780 Danish national anthem "Kong Kristian...," 1st sung 1777 Washington defeats British at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey 1752 East Indies invasion "Geldermalsen" leaves at Malakka: 92 killed 1750 Tax revolt in Haarlem, Netherlands 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlies army leaves Glasgow, 1667 Resistance of Androsovo in Russia-Poland 1667 Russia and Poland sign Truce of Androsovo 1638 Dutch Premier Van Joost speaks of "Hostage rights of Aemstel" 1638 Schouwburg Theater, the 1st in Amsterdam, opens 1521 Martin Luther excommunicated by Roman Catholic Church 1431 Joan of Arc handed over to the bishop 1407 Bloody battles between Hoeksen and Kabeljauwen in Dordrecht 1338 Jacob of Arteveld elected mayor of Ghent 936 Duke Alberik II of Spoleto appoints his son Pope Leo VII 269 St. Felix I begins his reign as Catholic Pope 236 St. Anterus ends his reign as Catholic Pope
