December 11
1816 - Indiana became the 19th state.
1844 - Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.
1936 - King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of Britain for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson; his brother, Prince Albert, ascended the throne and became King George VI.
1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States during World War II; the United States responded in kind.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
1961 - A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon -- the first direct American military support for South Vietnam's battle against Communist guerrillas.
1964 - Singer-songwriter Sam Cooke was shot to death by a motel manager in Los Angeles; he was 33.
1972 - Man landed on the moon for the last time during the Apollo 17 mission.
1981 - The U.N. Security Council chose Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru to be its fifth secretary-general.
1994 - Russian troops invaded Chechnya in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Moscow's power in the region.
1997 - Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros was indicted for conspiracy, obstructing justice and making false statements to the FBI.
1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to take steps to control greenhouse gas emissions.
1998 - The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2001 - In the first criminal indictment stemming from 9/11, federal prosecutors charged Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, with conspiring to murder thousands in the suicide hijackings. (Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison.)
2002 - A congressional report found that intelligence agencies before Sept. 11, 2001, were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented that day's terrorist attacks.
2008 - Bernard Madoff, an investment manager, was charged with defrauding clients as much as $50 billion in what might be the largest swindle in Wall Street history. (He later pleaded guilty and is serving 150 years in prison.)
2008 - The remains of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony were found six months after she disappeared. (Her mother, Casey Anthony, was acquitted of murder in her daughter’s death.)
2015 - President Barack Obama signed legislation keeping government agencies open into the following week, giving White House and congressional bargainers more time to complete sweeping deals on taxes and federal spending.
2015 - Dow Chemical and DuPont announced their plans to merge in a $130 billion deal.
2015 - Willard Scott announced he was hanging it up after 35 years as part of NBC’s “Today” show.
2018 - A Virginia jury called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the man who killed a woman when he rammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (James Alex Fields Jr. received that sentence in July, 2019.)
2019 - Israel’s parliament failed to meet a midnight deadline to form a coalition government, triggering an unprecedented third election in a 12-month period.
2019 - Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable public company when its shares made their debut on the Saudi stock exchange; a 10% rally brought the company's value to $1.88 trillion.
Birthdays
24 - Hailee Steinfeld (actress)
34 - Karla Souza (actress)
36 - James Ellsworth (professional wrestler)
41 - Rider Strong (actor)
46 - Rey Mysterio Jr. (professional wrestler)
47 - Mos Def (rapper)
51 - Max Martini (actor)
53 - Mo'Nique (actress/comedian)
54 - Gary Dourdan (actor)
58 - Ben Browder (actor)
62 - Nikki Sixx (musician)
66 - Jermaine Jackson (singer)
67 - Bess Armstrong (actress)
73 - Teri Garr (actress)
80 - Donna Mills (actress)
89 - Rita Moreno (actress)
90 - Jean-Louis Trintignant (actor)
=============================================
Today in Sports History - December 11
1938 - The New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers 23-17 in the NFL Championship Game.
1949 - The Cleveland Browns defeat the San Francisco 49ers 21-7 in the final AAFC championship game.
1951 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) announced his retirement from major league baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.
1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers set an NBA record with their 21st consecutive win.
1981 - Muhammad Ali lost to Trevor Berbick in his final professional fight.
1985 - The single "Superbowl Shuffle" by the Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew was released.
1992 - The National Hockey League Governors named Gary Bettman as the first NHL commissioner in League history, effective Feb. 1, 1993.
1993 - Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penguins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.
2000 - Shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, the most lucrative sports contract in history at the time.
2001 - It was announced that Little League Baseball Inc. would require more detailed documentation of the eligibility of its players. Four months before, the Rolando Paulino Little League team from the Bronx, NY, had its third-place finish taken away after pitcher Danny Almonte was found to be too old to play.
2002 - Joe Sakic scores his 500th career NHL game.
2002 - Scott Young (Dallas Stars) played in his 1,000th NHL game.
2004 - USC quarterback Matt Leinart wins the Heisman Trophy.
2009 - Tiger Woods announced on his website that he was taking an indefinite leave from golf to try to save his marriage to Elin Nordegren. (The couple divorced in August 2010.)
2010 - Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy.
1816 - Indiana became the 19th state.
1844 - Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.
1936 - King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of Britain for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson; his brother, Prince Albert, ascended the throne and became King George VI.
1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States during World War II; the United States responded in kind.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
1961 - A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon -- the first direct American military support for South Vietnam's battle against Communist guerrillas.
1964 - Singer-songwriter Sam Cooke was shot to death by a motel manager in Los Angeles; he was 33.
1972 - Man landed on the moon for the last time during the Apollo 17 mission.
1981 - The U.N. Security Council chose Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru to be its fifth secretary-general.
1994 - Russian troops invaded Chechnya in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Moscow's power in the region.
1997 - Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros was indicted for conspiracy, obstructing justice and making false statements to the FBI.
1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to take steps to control greenhouse gas emissions.
1998 - The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2001 - In the first criminal indictment stemming from 9/11, federal prosecutors charged Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, with conspiring to murder thousands in the suicide hijackings. (Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison.)
2002 - A congressional report found that intelligence agencies before Sept. 11, 2001, were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented that day's terrorist attacks.
2008 - Bernard Madoff, an investment manager, was charged with defrauding clients as much as $50 billion in what might be the largest swindle in Wall Street history. (He later pleaded guilty and is serving 150 years in prison.)
2008 - The remains of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony were found six months after she disappeared. (Her mother, Casey Anthony, was acquitted of murder in her daughter’s death.)
2015 - President Barack Obama signed legislation keeping government agencies open into the following week, giving White House and congressional bargainers more time to complete sweeping deals on taxes and federal spending.
2015 - Dow Chemical and DuPont announced their plans to merge in a $130 billion deal.
2015 - Willard Scott announced he was hanging it up after 35 years as part of NBC’s “Today” show.
2018 - A Virginia jury called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the man who killed a woman when he rammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (James Alex Fields Jr. received that sentence in July, 2019.)
2019 - Israel’s parliament failed to meet a midnight deadline to form a coalition government, triggering an unprecedented third election in a 12-month period.
2019 - Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable public company when its shares made their debut on the Saudi stock exchange; a 10% rally brought the company's value to $1.88 trillion.
Birthdays
24 - Hailee Steinfeld (actress)
34 - Karla Souza (actress)
36 - James Ellsworth (professional wrestler)
41 - Rider Strong (actor)
46 - Rey Mysterio Jr. (professional wrestler)
47 - Mos Def (rapper)
51 - Max Martini (actor)
53 - Mo'Nique (actress/comedian)
54 - Gary Dourdan (actor)
58 - Ben Browder (actor)
62 - Nikki Sixx (musician)
66 - Jermaine Jackson (singer)
67 - Bess Armstrong (actress)
73 - Teri Garr (actress)
80 - Donna Mills (actress)
89 - Rita Moreno (actress)
90 - Jean-Louis Trintignant (actor)
=============================================
Today in Sports History - December 11
1938 - The New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers 23-17 in the NFL Championship Game.
1949 - The Cleveland Browns defeat the San Francisco 49ers 21-7 in the final AAFC championship game.
1951 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) announced his retirement from major league baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.
1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers set an NBA record with their 21st consecutive win.
1981 - Muhammad Ali lost to Trevor Berbick in his final professional fight.
1985 - The single "Superbowl Shuffle" by the Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew was released.
1992 - The National Hockey League Governors named Gary Bettman as the first NHL commissioner in League history, effective Feb. 1, 1993.
1993 - Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penguins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.
2000 - Shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, the most lucrative sports contract in history at the time.
2001 - It was announced that Little League Baseball Inc. would require more detailed documentation of the eligibility of its players. Four months before, the Rolando Paulino Little League team from the Bronx, NY, had its third-place finish taken away after pitcher Danny Almonte was found to be too old to play.
2002 - Joe Sakic scores his 500th career NHL game.
2002 - Scott Young (Dallas Stars) played in his 1,000th NHL game.
2004 - USC quarterback Matt Leinart wins the Heisman Trophy.
2009 - Tiger Woods announced on his website that he was taking an indefinite leave from golf to try to save his marriage to Elin Nordegren. (The couple divorced in August 2010.)
2010 - Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy.
