Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – disappeared December 15, 1944)

Glenn Miller was a big-band trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader
in the swing era. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1942,
leading one of the best-known big bands. Miller’s recordings include "In the
Mood", "Moonlight Serenade", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo
Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", "(I’ve Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo",
"American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", "Elmer’s Tune", and "Little Brown
Jug". In just four years Glenn Miller scored 16 number-one records and 69
top ten hits—more than Elvis Presley (38 top 10s) and the Beatles (33 top - 
10s) did in their careers.   
       

In 1942, Miller volunteered to join the U.S. military to entertain troops during
World War II, ending up with the U.S. Army Air Forces. On December 15,
1944, while flying to Paris, Miller’s aircraft disappeared in bad weather over
the English Channel. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Mrs. Emilie Todd Helm, Mary Lincoln’s half sister.

President Abraham Lincoln announced a grant of amnesty for
Emilie Todd Helm (above), his wife Mary Lincoln’s half sister
and the widow of a Confederate general. The pardon was one
of the first under Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and
Reconstruction, which he had announced less than a week
before. The plan was Lincoln’s blueprint for the reintegration
of the South into the Union. Part of the plan allowed for former
Confederates to be granted amnesty if they took an oath to the
United States. The option was open to all but the highest
officials of the Confederacy.

What is the birthday of the Army National Guard? The official birth
date of the Army National Guard as a reserve component of the
Army is December 13, 1636. On this date, the Massachusetts
colonial legislature directed that the colony’s existing militia
companies be organized into three.

When the National Guard’s oldest regiments met for their first drill
on the village green in Salem, Massachusetts, they were barely
three months old, organized on December 13th, 1636, the date
we now celebrate as the National Guard birthday.

Vice President Al Gore (above) conceded defeat to George W. Bush
in his bid for the presidency, following weeks of legal battles over
the recounting of votes in Florida, on December 13, 2000.     

In a televised speech from his ceremonial office next to the White
House, Gore said that while he was deeply disappointed and
sharply disagreed with the Supreme Court verdict that ended
his campaign, ”partisan rancor must now be put aside.”

“I accept the finality of the outcome, which will be ratified next
Monday in the Electoral College” he said. “And tonight, for the
sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy,
I offer my concession.”

Gore had won the national popular vote by more than 500,000
votes, but narrowly lost Florida, giving the Electoral College to
Bush 271 to 266.

George W. Bush (left) shakes hands with Al Gore.

Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020)

Country music legend Charley Pride, who amassed more than 
50 top-10 hits between 1967 and 1987, and won several Grammy 
Awards, has died. According to his publicist, Pride died from
COVID-19 complications.

Charley Pride was country music’s first Black superstar with
such top hits as “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ “ and Mountain
of Love.” He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1993.