SANDY KOZEL

On this day in 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed
the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, NJ.

Map of Delaware River area depicting route George Washington
and his Army made during the crossing. (click to enlarge)

On this day in 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as leader of a Communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.

On this day in 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu
and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.

"Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of
St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria (above) on this day in 1818.

Josephus Franciscus Mohr (December 11, 1792 – December 4, 1848)

Thomas (Tim) Daniel Conway was born in Willoughby, Ohio.

Comedian Tim Conway is most known for starring on CBS’s The Carol
Burnett Show (1967-1978) and for his role as Ensign Charles Parker on
the ABC sitcom McHale’s Navy (1962-1966). He also provided the voice
for Barnacle Boy on the Nickelodeon animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present). Tim took a job answering mail at a local Cleveland radio station after graduating college.

From left: Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Carol Burnett, Lyle
Waggoner and Vicki Lawrence. The cast of The Carol Burnett
Show.

SANDY KOZEL

U.S. forces captured ousted dictator Saddam Hussein on this
day in 2003.

Authorities in Poland imposed martial law on this day in 1981 in an 
attempt to crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. Martial law 
ended formally in 1983.

In America on this day in 1862, an estimated 11,000 Northern
troops were killed or wounded when Union forces were defeated
by the Confederates under the command of General Robert E.
Lee, at the Battle of  Fredericksburg.

The Korean war campaign for the Chosin Reservoir began on
this day in 1950.

Richard Wayne Van Dyke is 92 years old today.

Van Dyke of The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS from 1961 – 1966
and Diagnosis: Murder on CBS from 1993 – 2001. He won a SAG
Life Achievement Award in 2012 and a Disney Legend Award in
1998. He starred in the 1964 classic Mary Poppins and was also
cast in the film’s sequel, Mary Poppins Returns, which is slated
for a 2018 release.

During the late 1940s, Van Dyke was a radio DJ in Danville, IL.
and served as a radio announcer in the United States Army Air
Corps during World War II and later transferred to the Special
Services as an entertainer. 

ED DANAHUE

On this  day in 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress in Montgomery,
AL, refused to give up her seat to a white man. Mrs. Parks was
arrested marking a milestone in the civil rights movement in the
U.S.        

Sergei M. Kirov, a collaborator of Joseph Stalin, was assassinated
at the Leningrad party headquarters on this day in 1934.

Beatlemania arrived in America on this day in 1963 with the release
of the single “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.

Heywood "Woody" Allen (Allan Stewart Konigsberg) is 82
years old today.

Iconic writer and director Woody Allen is known for his unique blend
of comedy and style. His most celebrated films include Annie Hall
(1977), Manhattan (1979), And Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). He
performed card and magic tricks in his youth and underwent the legal
process of changing his name to Heywood Allen when he was 17.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait on this day in 1520.

The strait was named after him. He was the first European to sail the Pacific from the east.

Ferdinand Magellan  (1480 – April 27, 1521)

Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain
on this day in 1990.

1979

Jeffrey Dahmer, a convicted serial killer, was clubbed
to death in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate on
this day in 1994.

On this day in 1925, “The Grand Ole Opry” made its radio debut
on station WSM, Nashville under the name "WSM Barn Dance".