ROSS SIMPSON

Steven Allan Spielberg is 73  years old today.

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is considered one of the founding
pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular
directors and producers in film history. He started in Hollywood
directing television and several minor theatrical releases,
becoming a household name as the director of Jaws (1975).  

 
    
    
Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first
successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft.

Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which
stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural
flight.

Orville Wright (left) and brother Wilbur.

The Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, which is on display at the National
Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.

MIKE GRACIA

During World War II on this day in 1944, the Battle of the Bulge began in
Belgium. It was the final major German counteroffensive in the war.

The Germans achieved a total surprise attack due to a combination of
Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and
poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather. American forces bore
the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any
operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany’s
armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them.

The "Bulge" was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the
United States in World War II and the third deadliest campaign in
American history.

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) — Babe Ruth has hit another one out of the
ballpark.

The bat used by the legendary baseball player to hit his 500th home run
was auctioned on Saturday for more than $1 million.

SCP Auctions didn’t identify the buyer. The auction was held in Laguna
Niguel, California.

George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr.
(February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948)

An uprising of violent civil unrest in Romania began as demonstrators
gathered to prevent the arrest of the Reverend Laszlo Tokes, a dissident
clergyman. The protest was part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred
in several countries.