December 15
1791 - The Bill of Rights took effect with Virginia's ratification of it.
1890 - Sioux Indian chief Sitting Bull was killed by Native American police in Grand River, South Dakota.
1916 - The French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
1938 - Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1939 - The movie Gone With the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta.
1944 - Band leader Glenn Miller disappeared in a plane crash over the English Channel.
1961 - Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court for organizing the deportation of Jews to concentration camps.
1964 - Canada adopted its national flag, a red maple leaf on a white background.
1966 - Animated-cartoon pioneer and movie producer Walt Disney died in Los Angeles at age 65.
1967 - The Silver Bridge between Gallipolis, Ohio and Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people.
1971 - The Secret Service appointed its first five female special agents.
1978 - President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year’s Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
1989 - A demonstration that turned into a popular uprising in Romania began the downfall of Nicolae Ceausescu.
2000 - The long-troubled Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was closed for good.
2001 - With a crash and a large dust cloud, a 50-foot tall section of steel — the last standing piece of the World Trade Center’s facade — was brought down in New York.
2003 - The late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
2004 - American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal.
2005 - Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election.
2009 - The Washington, D.C. city council voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
2010 - The U.N. Security Council gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the government of Iraq by lifting 19-year-old sanctions on weapons and civilian nuclear power.
2013 - Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in his childhood hometown, ending a 10-day mourning period for South Africa’s first Black president.
2016 - A federal jury in Charleston, South Carolina, convicted Dylann Roof of slaughtering nine Black church members who had welcomed him to their Bible study.
2020 - The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first kit that consumers could buy without a prescription to test themselves for COVID-19 entirely at home.
Birthdays
22 - Erika Tham (actress)
24 - Stefania Owen (actress)
24 - Maude Apatow (actress)
38 - Camilla Luddington (actress)
39 - George O. Gore II (actor)
40 - Michelle Dockery (actress)
42 - Adam Brody (actor)
45 - Geoff Stults (actor)
49 - Stuart Townsend (actor)
51 - Michael Shanks (actor)
53 - Garrett Wang (actor)
55 - Teresa May (model)
56 - Molly Price (actress)
57 - Paul Kaye (actor)
58 - Helen Slater (actress)
71 - Melanie Chartoff (actress)
72 - Don Johnson (actor)
82 - Cindy Birdsong (singer)
======================================
Today in Sports History - December 15
1917 - The NHL's first exhibition game was played four days before the start of the regular season. The Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers played a benefit game for victims of the Halifax Explosion, which had occurred 10 days earlier.
1935 - The Detroit Lions defeated the New York Giants 26-7 to win the NFL championship.
1946 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants 24-14 to win the NFL championship.
1962 - Nebraska defeats Miami (FL) 36-34 to win the Gotham Bowl in New York City; NU finishes the season with a 9-2 record.
1966 - The New Orleans Saints became the 16th NFL franchise.
1973 - Tennessee defeats Temple 11-6 in an NCAA men's basketball game.
1974 - The Miami Dolphins won their 31st consecutive home game at the Orange Bowl.
1982 - Paul "Bear" Bryant announced his retirement as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.
1996 - Troy Aikman surpassed Roger Staubach's Dallas Cowboys franchise record of 22,700 passing yards.
1996 - John Elway of the Denver Broncos won his 126th career game, setting an NFL record.
1997 - The San Francisco 49ers retired Joe Montana's #16.
2002 - USC quarterback Carson Palmer wins the Heisman Trophy.
2008 - Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford wins the Heisman Trophy.
2011 - Barry Bonds is sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation and 250 hours of community service, for an obstruction of justice conviction stemming from a grand jury appearance in 2003.
2019 - The Raiders play their final football game in Oakland, a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. (The team would relocate to Las Vegas the following season.)
1791 - The Bill of Rights took effect with Virginia's ratification of it.
1890 - Sioux Indian chief Sitting Bull was killed by Native American police in Grand River, South Dakota.
1916 - The French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
1938 - Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1939 - The movie Gone With the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta.
1944 - Band leader Glenn Miller disappeared in a plane crash over the English Channel.
1961 - Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court for organizing the deportation of Jews to concentration camps.
1964 - Canada adopted its national flag, a red maple leaf on a white background.
1966 - Animated-cartoon pioneer and movie producer Walt Disney died in Los Angeles at age 65.
1967 - The Silver Bridge between Gallipolis, Ohio and Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people.
1971 - The Secret Service appointed its first five female special agents.
1978 - President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year’s Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
1989 - A demonstration that turned into a popular uprising in Romania began the downfall of Nicolae Ceausescu.
2000 - The long-troubled Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was closed for good.
2001 - With a crash and a large dust cloud, a 50-foot tall section of steel — the last standing piece of the World Trade Center’s facade — was brought down in New York.
2003 - The late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
2004 - American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal.
2005 - Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election.
2009 - The Washington, D.C. city council voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
2010 - The U.N. Security Council gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the government of Iraq by lifting 19-year-old sanctions on weapons and civilian nuclear power.
2013 - Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in his childhood hometown, ending a 10-day mourning period for South Africa’s first Black president.
2016 - A federal jury in Charleston, South Carolina, convicted Dylann Roof of slaughtering nine Black church members who had welcomed him to their Bible study.
2020 - The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first kit that consumers could buy without a prescription to test themselves for COVID-19 entirely at home.
Birthdays
22 - Erika Tham (actress)
24 - Stefania Owen (actress)
24 - Maude Apatow (actress)
38 - Camilla Luddington (actress)
39 - George O. Gore II (actor)
40 - Michelle Dockery (actress)
42 - Adam Brody (actor)
45 - Geoff Stults (actor)
49 - Stuart Townsend (actor)
51 - Michael Shanks (actor)
53 - Garrett Wang (actor)
55 - Teresa May (model)
56 - Molly Price (actress)
57 - Paul Kaye (actor)
58 - Helen Slater (actress)
71 - Melanie Chartoff (actress)
72 - Don Johnson (actor)
82 - Cindy Birdsong (singer)
======================================
Today in Sports History - December 15
1917 - The NHL's first exhibition game was played four days before the start of the regular season. The Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers played a benefit game for victims of the Halifax Explosion, which had occurred 10 days earlier.
1935 - The Detroit Lions defeated the New York Giants 26-7 to win the NFL championship.
1946 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants 24-14 to win the NFL championship.
1962 - Nebraska defeats Miami (FL) 36-34 to win the Gotham Bowl in New York City; NU finishes the season with a 9-2 record.
1966 - The New Orleans Saints became the 16th NFL franchise.
1973 - Tennessee defeats Temple 11-6 in an NCAA men's basketball game.
1974 - The Miami Dolphins won their 31st consecutive home game at the Orange Bowl.
1982 - Paul "Bear" Bryant announced his retirement as the head football coach at the University of Alabama.
1996 - Troy Aikman surpassed Roger Staubach's Dallas Cowboys franchise record of 22,700 passing yards.
1996 - John Elway of the Denver Broncos won his 126th career game, setting an NFL record.
1997 - The San Francisco 49ers retired Joe Montana's #16.
2002 - USC quarterback Carson Palmer wins the Heisman Trophy.
2008 - Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford wins the Heisman Trophy.
2011 - Barry Bonds is sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation and 250 hours of community service, for an obstruction of justice conviction stemming from a grand jury appearance in 2003.
2019 - The Raiders play their final football game in Oakland, a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. (The team would relocate to Las Vegas the following season.)
