Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit ice rink following a practice session two days before the Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment.
When the full story emerged a week later, the nation became caught up in a real-life soap opera.
One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure Skating Team was Tonya Harding.
In mid-December 1993, Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the competition. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure Kerrigan for a fee.
The Stamp Act was passed on this day in 1765. It was the first direct British tax on the American colonists. It was repealed on March 17, 1766.
On this day in 1987, a barge loaded with 32,000 tons of refuse left Islip, NY, to find a place to unload. After being refused by several states and three countries space was found back in Islip.
On NBC-TV, Tom Brokaw (above) called the barge the“homeless garbage barge” from Islip, N.Y. On CBS-TV, Dan Rather called the Mobro barge “the most-watched load of garbage in the memory of man."
Tara Lipinski, at 14 years and 10 months, became the youngest women’s world figure skating champion on this day in 1997.
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Baron Lloyd-Webber) is 70 today.
Legendary showman and musical theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber is known for "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Jesus Christ Superstar." He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was also inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.