- 1732: Benjamin Franklin, under the name of Richard Saunders, began
                        publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac" in Philadelphia.
                      - 1776: Thomas Paine published his first "American Crisis" essay, in
                        which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls."
                      - 1777: Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to
                        Valley Forge, Pa., to camp for the winter.
                      - 1823: The first state birth registration law was enacted, in
                        Georgia.
                      - 1828: South Carolina declared the right of states to nullify
                        federal laws.
                      - 1842: United States recognized the independence of Hawaii.
                      - 1871: Corrugated paper was patented by Albert L. Jones of New York
                        City.
                      - 1891: Charles Uncles of Baltimore became the first Negro Catholic
                        priest to be ordained in the U.S.
                      - 1910: Rayon was first commercially produced.
                      - 1918: Robert Ripley began his "Believe It or Not" column in The New
                        York Globe.
                      - 1941: Hitler took complete command of German Army; The U.S. Office
                        of Censorship was created to control information pertaining to the
                        war.
                      - 1950: General Dwight D. Eisenhower was named commander of the
                        military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
                      - 1955: Carl Perkins recorded "Blue Suede Shoes."
                      - 1958: The first known radio broadcast from outer space was
                        transmitted. President Eisenhower's recorded voice issued a
                        Christmas greeting aboard an orbiting space satellite Atlas for the
                        whole world. The message said, "To all mankind, America's wish for
                        Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men Everywhere."
                      - 1959: Walter Williams, 117, said to be the last surviving veteran
                        of the Civil War, died in Houston.
                      - 1960: Frank Sinatra recorded his first session with Reprise
                        Records, singing "Ring-A-Ding-Ding" and "Let's Fall in Love."
                      - 1971: CBS aired "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," a TV movie
                        that introduced the Waltons.
                      - 1971: Stanley Kubrick's X-rated "A Clockwork Orange" premiered in
                        New York, Toronto, San Francisco and Hollywood.
                      - 1974: Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president
                        of the United States.
                      - 1975: Ron Wood joined the Rolling Stones.
                      - 1984: Britain and China signed an accord returning the British
                        colony of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997.
                      - 1984: At 23, Wayne Gretzky became the youngest and the 18th NHL-er
                        to score a career 1,000th point on an assist in Edmonton's 7-3 win
                        over the Los Angeles Kings, his 632nd game.
                      - 1985: Mary Lund became the first woman to receive a Jarvik VII
                        artificial heart. Lund received a human heart transplant 45 days
                        later and died in October 1986.

                      *Happy Birthday*
                      ----------------
                      - Jennifer Beals, 35, actress, "Flashdance"
                      - William C. De Vries, 55, surgeon/inventor, artificial heart
                      - Janie Fricke, 51, country singer
                      - Tom Gugliotta, 29, NBA forward
                      - Albert "Al" Kaline, 64, MLB right fielder, sportscaster
                      - Mike Lookinland, 38, actor, Bobby on "The Brady Bunch"
                      - John McEuen, 53, singer/musician, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
                      - Kevin McHale, 41, former NBA forward
                      - Alyssa Milano, 26, actress
                      - Tim Reid, 54, actor, "Sister Sister"
                      - Kristy Swanson, 29,actress, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
                      - Alberto Tomba, 32, Olympic skier
                      - Cicely Tyson, 65, actress/singer
                      - Robert Urich, 52, actor, "Spenser: For Hire"
                      - Reggie White, 37, former NFL defensive end