December 18
1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified.
1892 - Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" premiered at St. Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre.
1917 - Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting "the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors" and sent it to the states for ratification.
1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.)
1944 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans.
1956 - Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania became the first civilian nuclear power facility to generate electricity in the United States. (The station went out of service in 1982.)
1958 - The world's first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed "Chatterbox," was launched by the United States aboard at Atlas Rocket.
1969 - The British Parliament abolished the death penalty.
2000 - George W. Bush received 271 votes in the delayed Electoral College voting, while Al Gore received 266, one fewer than expected because of a District of Columbia Democrat who'd left her ballot blank to protest the district's lack of representation in Congress.
2003 - Two federal appeals courts ruled the U.S. military could not indefinitely hold prisoners without access to lawyers or American courts.
2010 - The U.S. Senate voted 65-31 in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Clinton-era military policy that forbids openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
2011 - The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, crossing into Kuwait in darkness in the final moments of a nine-year war.
2019 - The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial; the articles of impeachment accused him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress' investigation. (The trial would end in acquittal by the Senate.)
2020 - The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, as the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health; a vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech was already being dispensed.
Birthdays
20 - Billie Eilish (singer)
24 - Ronald Acuna Jr. (baseball player)
29 - Bridgit Mendler (actress/singer)
32 - Ashley Benson (actress)
32 - Emily Atack (actress)
33 - Lyrica Anderson (singer)
41 - Christina Aguilera (singer)
43 - Ravi Patel (actor)
43 - Katie Holmes (actress)
43 - Josh Dallas (actor)
45 - Randy Houser (singer)
46 - Sia (singer)
50 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (tennis player)
51 - Rob Van Dam (professional wrestler)
51 - Cowboy Troy (singer)
53 - Casper Van Dien (actor)
53 - Rachel Griffiths (actress)
56 - Shawn Christian (actor)
57 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler)
58 - Brad Pitt (actor)
60 - Angie Stone (singer)
65 - Ron White (comedian)
67 - Ray Liotta (actor)
71 - Leonard Maltin (movie critic)
75 - Steven Spielberg (director/producer)
78 - Keith Richards (musician)
83 - Roger Mosley (actor)
========================================
Today in Sports History - December 18
1949 - The Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1977 - The Cleveland Cavaliers retire Nate Thurmond's #42.
1983 - The San Diego Clippers end a 29-game road NBA losing streak.
2006 - The NBA announced fines and supsensions related to a fight that occurred during a game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks on December 16, 2006. Both teams were fined $500,000, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games and Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith were suspended 10 games.
2020 - The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning in mid-January.
2020 - Nebraska defeats Rutgers 28-21 to finish the season at 3-5.
1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified.
1892 - Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" premiered at St. Petersburg's Maryinsky Theatre.
1917 - Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting "the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors" and sent it to the states for ratification.
1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.)
1944 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans.
1956 - Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania became the first civilian nuclear power facility to generate electricity in the United States. (The station went out of service in 1982.)
1958 - The world's first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed "Chatterbox," was launched by the United States aboard at Atlas Rocket.
1969 - The British Parliament abolished the death penalty.
2000 - George W. Bush received 271 votes in the delayed Electoral College voting, while Al Gore received 266, one fewer than expected because of a District of Columbia Democrat who'd left her ballot blank to protest the district's lack of representation in Congress.
2003 - Two federal appeals courts ruled the U.S. military could not indefinitely hold prisoners without access to lawyers or American courts.
2010 - The U.S. Senate voted 65-31 in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Clinton-era military policy that forbids openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
2011 - The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, crossing into Kuwait in darkness in the final moments of a nine-year war.
2019 - The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial; the articles of impeachment accused him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress' investigation. (The trial would end in acquittal by the Senate.)
2020 - The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, as the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health; a vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech was already being dispensed.
Birthdays
20 - Billie Eilish (singer)
24 - Ronald Acuna Jr. (baseball player)
29 - Bridgit Mendler (actress/singer)
32 - Ashley Benson (actress)
32 - Emily Atack (actress)
33 - Lyrica Anderson (singer)
41 - Christina Aguilera (singer)
43 - Ravi Patel (actor)
43 - Katie Holmes (actress)
43 - Josh Dallas (actor)
45 - Randy Houser (singer)
46 - Sia (singer)
50 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (tennis player)
51 - Rob Van Dam (professional wrestler)
51 - Cowboy Troy (singer)
53 - Casper Van Dien (actor)
53 - Rachel Griffiths (actress)
56 - Shawn Christian (actor)
57 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler)
58 - Brad Pitt (actor)
60 - Angie Stone (singer)
65 - Ron White (comedian)
67 - Ray Liotta (actor)
71 - Leonard Maltin (movie critic)
75 - Steven Spielberg (director/producer)
78 - Keith Richards (musician)
83 - Roger Mosley (actor)
========================================
Today in Sports History - December 18
1949 - The Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1977 - The Cleveland Cavaliers retire Nate Thurmond's #42.
1983 - The San Diego Clippers end a 29-game road NBA losing streak.
2006 - The NBA announced fines and supsensions related to a fight that occurred during a game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks on December 16, 2006. Both teams were fined $500,000, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games and Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith were suspended 10 games.
2020 - The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning in mid-January.
2020 - Nebraska defeats Rutgers 28-21 to finish the season at 3-5.
