MIKE GRACIA

Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson in the true story of
a German businessman who saves the lives of more than
a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust, opened in
theaters.

The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and took
home seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best
Director.

It was the first Best Director win for Spielberg, who had
been nominated in the category for three of his earlier
films: 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1981’s
Raiders of the Lost Ark and 1982’s E.T.: The Extra-
Terrestrial.

Director Steven Spielberg will be 79 December 18th.
 

Following ratification by the state of Virginia, the first 10
amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known collectively
as the Bill of Rights, become the law of the land.

American statesman Patrick Henry (1736-1799) delivers his patriotic "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech before
the Virginia Assembly in 1775.

A photograph of the Bill of Rights, as it appeared after having been passed by the House of Representatives of the United States in 1789. The document can be seen in the Federal Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

SANDY KOZEL

After spending nine months on the run, former Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein is captured on December 13, 2003.

Saddam’s downfall began on March 20, 2003, when the United
States led an invasion force into Iraq to topple his government,
which had controlled the country for more than 20 years.

After standing trial, he was executed on December 30, 2006.
Despite a prolonged search, weapons of mass destruction 
were never found in Iraq.