December 20
1790 - Samuel Slater built the nation's first cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
1803 - The United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million.
1860 - South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
1864 - Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Georgia, as Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman nearly completed his “March to the Sea.”
1945 - The Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1, 1946.
1963 - The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays.
1968 - Author John Steinbeck died at age 66.
1987 - More than 4,300 people were killed when the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off Mindoro Island.
1989 - The United States invaded Panama and installed a new government but failed to capture Gen. Manuel Noriega.
1995 - An American Airlines Boeing 757 en route to Cali, Colombia, slammed into a mountain, killing all but four of the 163 people aboard.
1995 - In Bosnia-Herzegovina, NATO began its peacekeeping mission, taking over from the United Nations.
1996 - Astronomer Carl Sagan died at age 62.
1999 - The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded heterosexual couples.
2001 - The U.N. Security Council authorized a multinational force for Afghanistan.
2002 - Trent Lott resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks.
2005 - A federal judge ruled that “intelligent design” could not be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, delivering a stinging attack on the Dover Area School Board.
2012 - The State Department acknowledged major weaknesses in security and errors in judgment exposed in a scathing independent report on the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya.
2016 - President Barack Obama designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.
2017 - The House gave final congressional approval to a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, the biggest package of tax changes in a generation and the first major legislative achievement of President Donald Trump and House and Senate Republicans; some Republicans warned of a potential backlash against an overhaul that offered corporations and wealthy taxpayers the biggest benefits.
2021 - In a major step to fight climate change, the Biden administration raised vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Birthdays
24 - Kylian Mbappe (soccer player)
31 - Colin Woodell (actor)
31 - Isabel Durant (actress)
32 - India Reynolds (model)
32 - JoJo (singer)
38 - Bob Morley (actor)
39 - Jonah Hill (actor)
39 - Lara Stone (model)
40 - David Wright (baseball player)
40 - David Cook (singer)
52 - Nicole deBoer (actress)
56 - Chris Robinson (singer)
58 - Kris Tyler (singer)
59 - Joel Gretsch (actor)
65 - Billy Bragg (singer)
66 - Blanche Baker (actress)
68 - Michael Badalucco (actor)
70 - Jenny Agutter (actress)
74 - Alan Parsons (musician)
76 - Dick Wolf (producer)
77 - Peter Criss (musician)
==================================
Today in Sports History - December 20
1921 - The American League votes to return the World Series to a best-of-seven format, while the National League votes to remain with a best-of-nine series; Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis casts the tie-breaking vote for best-of-seven.
1966 - The NBA granted a franchise to Seattle.
1969 - #14 Nebraska defeats Georgia 45-6 to win the Sun Bowl; finishes season at 9-2.
1973 - Henri Richard (Montreal Canadiens) scored his 1,000th point.
1983 - Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens) became the 10th NHL player to score 500 goals.
1985 - Denis Potvin became the highest defenseman scorer in NHL history when he got his 916th point.
1991 - NHL grants permanent membership to Tampa Lightning & Ottawa Senators
1998 - Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers) became the first NFL player to throw at least 30 touchdown passes for five seasons.
2012 - The National Hockey League, in a labor fight with its players, announced the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular-season schedule through Jan. 14, 2013.
1790 - Samuel Slater built the nation's first cotton mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
1803 - The United States purchased the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million.
1860 - South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
1864 - Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Georgia, as Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman nearly completed his “March to the Sea.”
1945 - The Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1, 1946.
1963 - The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays.
1968 - Author John Steinbeck died at age 66.
1987 - More than 4,300 people were killed when the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off Mindoro Island.
1989 - The United States invaded Panama and installed a new government but failed to capture Gen. Manuel Noriega.
1995 - An American Airlines Boeing 757 en route to Cali, Colombia, slammed into a mountain, killing all but four of the 163 people aboard.
1995 - In Bosnia-Herzegovina, NATO began its peacekeeping mission, taking over from the United Nations.
1996 - Astronomer Carl Sagan died at age 62.
1999 - The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded heterosexual couples.
2001 - The U.N. Security Council authorized a multinational force for Afghanistan.
2002 - Trent Lott resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks.
2005 - A federal judge ruled that “intelligent design” could not be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, delivering a stinging attack on the Dover Area School Board.
2012 - The State Department acknowledged major weaknesses in security and errors in judgment exposed in a scathing independent report on the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya.
2016 - President Barack Obama designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.
2017 - The House gave final congressional approval to a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, the biggest package of tax changes in a generation and the first major legislative achievement of President Donald Trump and House and Senate Republicans; some Republicans warned of a potential backlash against an overhaul that offered corporations and wealthy taxpayers the biggest benefits.
2021 - In a major step to fight climate change, the Biden administration raised vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Birthdays
24 - Kylian Mbappe (soccer player)
31 - Colin Woodell (actor)
31 - Isabel Durant (actress)
32 - India Reynolds (model)
32 - JoJo (singer)
38 - Bob Morley (actor)
39 - Jonah Hill (actor)
39 - Lara Stone (model)
40 - David Wright (baseball player)
40 - David Cook (singer)
52 - Nicole deBoer (actress)
56 - Chris Robinson (singer)
58 - Kris Tyler (singer)
59 - Joel Gretsch (actor)
65 - Billy Bragg (singer)
66 - Blanche Baker (actress)
68 - Michael Badalucco (actor)
70 - Jenny Agutter (actress)
74 - Alan Parsons (musician)
76 - Dick Wolf (producer)
77 - Peter Criss (musician)
==================================
Today in Sports History - December 20
1921 - The American League votes to return the World Series to a best-of-seven format, while the National League votes to remain with a best-of-nine series; Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis casts the tie-breaking vote for best-of-seven.
1966 - The NBA granted a franchise to Seattle.
1969 - #14 Nebraska defeats Georgia 45-6 to win the Sun Bowl; finishes season at 9-2.
1973 - Henri Richard (Montreal Canadiens) scored his 1,000th point.
1983 - Guy Lafleur (Montreal Canadiens) became the 10th NHL player to score 500 goals.
1985 - Denis Potvin became the highest defenseman scorer in NHL history when he got his 916th point.
1991 - NHL grants permanent membership to Tampa Lightning & Ottawa Senators
1998 - Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers) became the first NFL player to throw at least 30 touchdown passes for five seasons.
2012 - The National Hockey League, in a labor fight with its players, announced the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular-season schedule through Jan. 14, 2013.
