- 1690: John Flamsteed observed Uranus but didn't realize it was
                       undiscovered.
                     - 1779: Benedict Arnold was court-martialed for improper conduct.
                     - 1783: George Washington resigned as Commander-in-Chief of the Army
                       and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Va.
                     - 1788: Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat of
                       the national government. About two-thirds of the area became the
                       District of Columbia.
                     - 1805: Joseph Smith, religious leader and founder of the Mormon
                       movement, was born.
                     - 1823: The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore
                       ("T'was the night before Christmas...") was published anonymously
                       in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel.
                     - 1888: In a fit of depression, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cut
                       off his left ear. His "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" shows the
                       right one bandaged because he painted the mirror image.
                     - 1912: Keystone released its first "Kops" film, titled "Hoffmeyer's
                       Legacy."
                     - 1913: The Federal Reserve Banking System was created as President
                       Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law.
                     - 1920: Ireland was divided into two parts, each with its own
                       parliament.
                     - 1922: BBC Radio began daily newscasts.
                     - 1928: NBC established the first permanent coast-to-coast radio
                       network.
                     - 1930: Bette Davis arrived in Hollywood under contract to Universal
                       Studios.
                     - 1938: Margaret Hamilton's costume and broom caught fire in the
                       first scene she filmed for "The Wizard of Oz," burning the skin on
                       her right hand and singeing off her eyebrows.
                     - 1947: The transistor was invented by Walter H. Brattain, John
                       Bardeen and William Shockley of Bell Laboratories.
                     - 1961: Fidel Castro announced that Cuba would release the 1,113
                       prisoners from the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion in return for
                       $62 million worth of food, medical supplies, farm equipment and
                       cash.
                     - 1963: The Beach Boys made their first appearance on "Shindig."
                     - 1985: Teens James Vance and Raymond Belknap committed suicide,
                       sparking their families to sue rock group Judas Priest for planting
                       subliminal messages in its music.
                     - 1994: Baseball owners imposed a salary cap that was fiercely
                       opposed by players.
                     - 1996: Four women were ordained as priests in Jamaica, the first in
                       the 330-year history of the Anglican church in the Caribbean.

                     *Happy Birthday*
                     ----------------
                     - Akihito, 65, Emperor of Japan
                     - Frederic Forrest, 62, actor, "Lonesone Dove"
                     - Corey Haim, 27, actor, "The Lost Boys"
                     - Susan Lucci, 52, actress, "All My Children"
                     - Bobby Ross, 62, NFL coach, San Diego Chargers
                     - Joan Severance, 40, actress, "Wiseguy"
                     - Harry Shearer, 55, actor, cartoon voice, "This is Spinal Tap," "The
                       Simpsons"
                     - Eddie Vedder, 32, singer, Pearl Jam