December 12
1787 - Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1800 - Washington D.C. was established as the national capital.
1870 - Joseph Rainey of South Carolina took his seat as the first African American in the U.S. House of Representatives.
1913 - The Mona Lisa was recovered in Florence, Italy after having been stolen two years earlier from the Louvre.
1963 - Kenya gained independence from Britain.
1966 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules 4-3 to allow the Braves baseball franchise to move to Atlanta.
1985 - An Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland, killing 248 American soldiers and eight crew members.
1987 - Mookie Blaylock sets an NBA record with 13 steals in a game.
1991 - The New Jersey Nets establish an NBA record with 22 blocks in a game against the Denver Nuggets.
1992 - Miami quarterback Gino Torretta wins the Heisman Trophy.
1997 - The Boston Red Sox sign Pedro Martinez to a record 6-year, $69 million contract.
1998 - The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth and final article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2000 - George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court recount decision in Florida's highly contested presidential election.
2001 - Yasir Arafat closed the offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
2011 - Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III wins the Heisman Trophy.
2015 - Nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted the first global pact to fight climate change, calling on the world to collectively cut greenhouse gas emissions but imposing no sanctions on countries that didn't do so.
2018 - Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's one-time fixer, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to conceal Trump's alleged sexual affairs.
2020 - Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. for rallies to back his efforts to subvert the election he lost to Joe Biden.
Birthdays
22 - Queen Amayah (rapper)
24 - Devyn Nekoda (actress)
28 - Lucas Hedges (actor)
37 - Kate Todd (actress)
49 - Mayim Bialik (actress / TV host)
54 - Regina Hall (actress)
54 - Jennifer Connelly (actress)
54 - Madchen Amick (actress)
55 - Sophie Kinsella (author)
57 - John Randle (football player)
62 - Tracy Austin (tennis player)
66 - Sheree J. Wilson (actress)
67 - Sheila E. (singer)
72 - Cathy Rigby (actress/gymnast)
75 - Bill Nighy (actor)
84 - Dionne Warwick (singer)
87 - Connie Francis (singer)
92 - Bob Pettit (basketball player)
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Today in Sports History - December 12
1937 - The Washington Redskins defeat the Chicago Bears 28-21 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1950 - Ohio State running back Vic Janowicz wins the Heisman Trophy.
1965 - Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers ties the NFL record for most touchdowns in a game with six in a 61-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
1968 - Arthur Ashe became the first black man to be ranked #1 in tennis.
1976 - Joe Namath played his last game with the New York Jets.
1981 - Wayne Gretzky became the quickest to reach 50 goals in a season. It was in the 39th game.
2000 - The Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez to a record breaking 10-year, $252 million contract. The contract amount broke all Major League Baseball records and all professional sports records.
2001 - Denver Nuggets coach Dan Issel was suspended for four games by his team for shouting a profanity and an ethnic remark at a fan.
2010 - The inflatable roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome collapsed following a snowstorm that dumped 17 inches on the city. (The NFL was forced to shift an already rescheduled game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants to Detroit's Ford Field.)
1787 - Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1800 - Washington D.C. was established as the national capital.
1870 - Joseph Rainey of South Carolina took his seat as the first African American in the U.S. House of Representatives.
1913 - The Mona Lisa was recovered in Florence, Italy after having been stolen two years earlier from the Louvre.
1963 - Kenya gained independence from Britain.
1966 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules 4-3 to allow the Braves baseball franchise to move to Atlanta.
1985 - An Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland, killing 248 American soldiers and eight crew members.
1987 - Mookie Blaylock sets an NBA record with 13 steals in a game.
1991 - The New Jersey Nets establish an NBA record with 22 blocks in a game against the Denver Nuggets.
1992 - Miami quarterback Gino Torretta wins the Heisman Trophy.
1997 - The Boston Red Sox sign Pedro Martinez to a record 6-year, $69 million contract.
1998 - The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth and final article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2000 - George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court recount decision in Florida's highly contested presidential election.
2001 - Yasir Arafat closed the offices of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
2011 - Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III wins the Heisman Trophy.
2015 - Nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted the first global pact to fight climate change, calling on the world to collectively cut greenhouse gas emissions but imposing no sanctions on countries that didn't do so.
2018 - Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's one-time fixer, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to conceal Trump's alleged sexual affairs.
2020 - Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. for rallies to back his efforts to subvert the election he lost to Joe Biden.
Birthdays
22 - Queen Amayah (rapper)
24 - Devyn Nekoda (actress)
28 - Lucas Hedges (actor)
37 - Kate Todd (actress)
49 - Mayim Bialik (actress / TV host)
54 - Regina Hall (actress)
54 - Jennifer Connelly (actress)
54 - Madchen Amick (actress)
55 - Sophie Kinsella (author)
57 - John Randle (football player)
62 - Tracy Austin (tennis player)
66 - Sheree J. Wilson (actress)
67 - Sheila E. (singer)
72 - Cathy Rigby (actress/gymnast)
75 - Bill Nighy (actor)
84 - Dionne Warwick (singer)
87 - Connie Francis (singer)
92 - Bob Pettit (basketball player)
==================================
Today in Sports History - December 12
1937 - The Washington Redskins defeat the Chicago Bears 28-21 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1950 - Ohio State running back Vic Janowicz wins the Heisman Trophy.
1965 - Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers ties the NFL record for most touchdowns in a game with six in a 61-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
1968 - Arthur Ashe became the first black man to be ranked #1 in tennis.
1976 - Joe Namath played his last game with the New York Jets.
1981 - Wayne Gretzky became the quickest to reach 50 goals in a season. It was in the 39th game.
2000 - The Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez to a record breaking 10-year, $252 million contract. The contract amount broke all Major League Baseball records and all professional sports records.
2001 - Denver Nuggets coach Dan Issel was suspended for four games by his team for shouting a profanity and an ethnic remark at a fan.
2010 - The inflatable roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome collapsed following a snowstorm that dumped 17 inches on the city. (The NFL was forced to shift an already rescheduled game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants to Detroit's Ford Field.)
