December 29
1170 - Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by four knights acting under the orders of King Henry II.
1808 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States and the first president to ever be impeached, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
1812 - During the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.
1845 - Texas becomes the 28th state.
1851 - The first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) opened in Boston.
1890 - The last major battle of the Indian Wars, at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, took place with hundreds of Indian men, women and children massacred.
1916 - Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen.
1937 - The constitution of Ireland, changing the Irish Free State into Eire, went into effect.
1940 - During World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London.
1972 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed into the Florida Everglades near Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people aboard.
1989 - Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia.
1996 - A peace agreement was signed ending 36 years of conflict in Guatemala.
1998 - Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives.
1999 - The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.
2006 - Word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of Dec. 30 in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President George W. Bush called Saddam’s execution an important milestone on Iraq’s road to democracy.
2016 - The United States struck back at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats.
2020 - A statue of Abraham Lincoln with a freed slave appearing to kneel at his feet was removed from its downtown Boston perch.
Birthdays
23 - Danny Wagner (musician)
26 - Ross Lynch (actor/singer)
32 - Jane Levy (actress)
34 - Iain de Caestecker (actor)
38 - Jessica Andrews (singer)
39 - Alison Brie (actress)
42 - Diego Luna (actor)
42 - Justin Roberts (professional wrestling announcer)
44 - Katherine Moennig (actress)
46 - Shawn Hatosy (actor)
47 - Maria Dizzia (actress)
49 - Jude Law (actor)
51 - Kevin Weisman (actor)
52 - Patrick Fischler (actor)
52 - Jennifer Ehle (actress)
54 - Ashleigh Banfield (news anchor)
55 - Jason Gould (actor)
57 - Michael Cudlitz (actor)
62 - Paula Poundstone (comedian)
62 - Patricia Clarkson (actress)
70 - Yvonne Elliman (actress)
74 - Ted Danson (actor)
75 - Marianne Faithfull (singer)
83 - Jon Voight (actor)
84 - Barbara Steele (actress)
89 - Inga Swenson (actress)
99 - Rose Lee Maphis (singer)
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Today in Sports History - December 29
1934 - The first regular-season college basketball game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. New York University defeated Notre Dame 25-18.
1937 - Babe Ruth returned to baseball as the new manager of the Class D, DeLand Reds of the Florida State League. Ruth had retired from baseball in 1935.
1955 - NHL officials wear new vertically striped black-and-white sweaters for the first time in Montreal Canadiens' 5-2 win over Toronto Maple Leafs.
1957 - The Detroit Lions defeat the Cleveland Browns 50-14 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 60 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1963 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants 14-10 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1968 - The Baltimore Colts defeat the Cleveland Browns 34-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1968 - The New York Jets defeat the Oakland Raiders 27-23 to win the AFL Championship Game.
1984 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 100th point in the 35th game of the season.
2003 - #22 Nebraska defeats Michigan State 17-3 to win the Alamo Bowl, a game in which Bo Pelini served as interim coach following the firing of Frank Solich; NU ends the season with a 10-3 record and ranked #19/#18 in the final polls.
2007 - The New England Patriots became the first team in 35 years to finish a regular season undefeated when they defeated the New York Giants 38-35 to improve to 16-0 headed into the playoffs.
2011 - Baylor defeated Washington 67-56 to win the Alamo Bowl in the highest-scoring non-overtime bowl game in FBS history.
2020 - The Milwaukee Bucks break the NBA record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single game with 29 in a 144-97 win over the Miami Heat.
1170 - Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by four knights acting under the orders of King Henry II.
1808 - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States and the first president to ever be impeached, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
1812 - During the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.
1845 - Texas becomes the 28th state.
1851 - The first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) opened in Boston.
1890 - The last major battle of the Indian Wars, at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, took place with hundreds of Indian men, women and children massacred.
1916 - Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen.
1937 - The constitution of Ireland, changing the Irish Free State into Eire, went into effect.
1940 - During World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London.
1972 - Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed into the Florida Everglades near Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people aboard.
1989 - Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia.
1996 - A peace agreement was signed ending 36 years of conflict in Guatemala.
1998 - Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives.
1999 - The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.
2006 - Word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of Dec. 30 in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President George W. Bush called Saddam’s execution an important milestone on Iraq’s road to democracy.
2016 - The United States struck back at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats.
2020 - A statue of Abraham Lincoln with a freed slave appearing to kneel at his feet was removed from its downtown Boston perch.
Birthdays
23 - Danny Wagner (musician)
26 - Ross Lynch (actor/singer)
32 - Jane Levy (actress)
34 - Iain de Caestecker (actor)
38 - Jessica Andrews (singer)
39 - Alison Brie (actress)
42 - Diego Luna (actor)
42 - Justin Roberts (professional wrestling announcer)
44 - Katherine Moennig (actress)
46 - Shawn Hatosy (actor)
47 - Maria Dizzia (actress)
49 - Jude Law (actor)
51 - Kevin Weisman (actor)
52 - Patrick Fischler (actor)
52 - Jennifer Ehle (actress)
54 - Ashleigh Banfield (news anchor)
55 - Jason Gould (actor)
57 - Michael Cudlitz (actor)
62 - Paula Poundstone (comedian)
62 - Patricia Clarkson (actress)
70 - Yvonne Elliman (actress)
74 - Ted Danson (actor)
75 - Marianne Faithfull (singer)
83 - Jon Voight (actor)
84 - Barbara Steele (actress)
89 - Inga Swenson (actress)
99 - Rose Lee Maphis (singer)
========================================
Today in Sports History - December 29
1934 - The first regular-season college basketball game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. New York University defeated Notre Dame 25-18.
1937 - Babe Ruth returned to baseball as the new manager of the Class D, DeLand Reds of the Florida State League. Ruth had retired from baseball in 1935.
1955 - NHL officials wear new vertically striped black-and-white sweaters for the first time in Montreal Canadiens' 5-2 win over Toronto Maple Leafs.
1957 - The Detroit Lions defeat the Cleveland Browns 50-14 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 60 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1963 - The Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants 14-10 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1968 - The Baltimore Colts defeat the Cleveland Browns 34-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1968 - The New York Jets defeat the Oakland Raiders 27-23 to win the AFL Championship Game.
1984 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 100th point in the 35th game of the season.
2003 - #22 Nebraska defeats Michigan State 17-3 to win the Alamo Bowl, a game in which Bo Pelini served as interim coach following the firing of Frank Solich; NU ends the season with a 10-3 record and ranked #19/#18 in the final polls.
2007 - The New England Patriots became the first team in 35 years to finish a regular season undefeated when they defeated the New York Giants 38-35 to improve to 16-0 headed into the playoffs.
2011 - Baylor defeated Washington 67-56 to win the Alamo Bowl in the highest-scoring non-overtime bowl game in FBS history.
2020 - The Milwaukee Bucks break the NBA record for most 3-pointers made by a team in a single game with 29 in a 144-97 win over the Miami Heat.
