CAMILLE BOHANNON

Fidel Castro overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista, and
seized power in Cuba on this day in 1959.

On this day in 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves in
the rebel states were free.

Ellis Island Immigrant Station formally opened in New York on this
day in 1892.

Hiram "Hank" Williams, Sr. (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953)

Hank Williams died of heart failure caused by a combination of alcohol, morphine and chloral hydrate at the age of 29 on this day in 1953. He
had developed serious problems with alcohol and drug addictions due
to severe back pain caused by spina bifida.

ED DANAHUE

Noblemen in Russia murdered Gregory Rasputin on this day in 1916.

The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacred over 400 men, women and
children at Wounded Knee Creek, SD. on this day in 1890. This
was the last major conflict between Indians and U.S. troops.

President James Polk (above) signed legislation making Texas
the 28th state of the United States on this day in 1845.

On this day in 1989, dissident playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country’s Federal Assembly. He
was the first non-Communist to hold the position in more than four decades.

The first American Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was organized, in Boston, MA. on this day in 1851.

ROSS SIMPSON

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924)

Wilson served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921
as a member of the Democratic Party.

On this day in 1832, John C. Calhoun became the first vice president
of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Jackson.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn published "Gulag Archipelago,"
an expose of the Soviet prison system on this day in
1973.

Solzhenitsyn bravely wrote about the brutality of Stalin’s network
of gulags.

The musical "On the Town" opened in New York City on
this day in 1944 and ran for 462 performances. It featured
the song, "New York, New York." It was made into a film
in 1949.

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is 63 today.

Popular actor Denzel Washington won an Academy Award
for Best Actor for his role in the 2001 film Training Day.

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2006

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ROSS SIMPSON

Under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake sent 500-mph
waves across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal on this day in
2004. The tsunami killed at least 283,000 people in a dozen
countries, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sumatra, Thailand
and India.

Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled to death in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder,
CO on this day in 1996.

On this day in 1941, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.

Tennessee Williams’ play "The Glass Menagerie"
was first performed publicly, at the Civic Theatre
in Chicago, IL. on this day in 1944.

Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972)

Truman served as the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953),
taking the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On December 5, 1972, Truman was admitted to Kansas City’s Research
Hospital and Medical Center with lung congestion from pneumonia. He
developed multiple organ failure and died at 7:50 am on December 26
at the age of 88.

Although one paper decided early that Dewey won, Truman was victorious, November 4, 1948.

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)