On this day in 1913,the first modern crossword puzzle was  
published in the "New York World," part of a set of what the
paper called "mental exercises." Clues included: "sunk in
mud," "the fibre of the gomuti palm" and "such and nothing
more."

Arthur Wynne (June 22, 1871 – January 14, 1945)

On December 20, 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays
at Graceland, his newly purchased Tennessee mansion, rock-
and-roll star Elvis Presley received his draft notice for the
United States Army (above).

More than two years after the Berlin Wall was constructed by
East Germany to prevent its citizens from fleeing its communist
regime, nearly 4,000 West Berliners were allowed to cross into
East Berlin to visit relatives.

On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens’ classic story “A
Christmas Carol” was published.

Dickens was born in 1812 and father, a clerk in the navy
pay office, was thrown into debtors’ prison in 1824, and
12-year-old Charles was sent to work in a factory.

The miserable treatment of children and the institution of
the debtors’ jail became topics of several of Dickens’
novels.

Charles John Huffam Dickens 
(7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870)

On December 19, 1777, commander of the Continental Army
George Washington, the future first president of the United
States, lead his beleaguered troops into winter quarters at
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Things could hardly have looked bleaker for Washington
and the Continental Army as 1777 came to a close.

No one knew better than Washington that the army was on
the brink of collapse—in fact, he had defied Congress’
demand that he launch a mid-winter attack against the
British at Philadelphia and instead fell back to Valley
Forge to rest and refit his troops.