Also,

December 2, 1804 - At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.

Also, somewhat relevant today:

December 2, 1930 - Great Depression: US President Herbert Hoover goes before the United States Congress and asks for a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.

On December 3, 1835, in Rhode Island, the Manufacturer Mutual Fire Insurance Company issued the first fire insurance policy...

Also on December 3rd, 1979- Eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a rock concert by The Who.

On December 3rd, 1948 Ozzy Osbourne was born.

ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

AIE AIE AIE AIE AIE AIE AIE!!!


(I almost used this event myself this morning.)

On December 4, 1812, Peter Gaillard patented the power mower...

Also on December 4th, 1942- President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.

(now might be a good time to re-mantle it)

On the 5th of December, 1933 the Prohibition in the United States ends:

On the 5th of December, W.A. Mozart & Claude Monet died

On the 5th of December, Walt Disney and Dr. Dre were born.

Also on Deceber 5, 1766, James Christie, founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London...

Also on December 5th, 1848- President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.

On December 6th, 1969- A free concert by the Rolling Stones at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif., was marred by the deaths of four people, including a man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel.

Also on December 6, 1876, the city of Anaheim was incorporated for a second time...

On December 7th, 1941- Japanese warplanes attacked the home base of the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, drawing the United States into World War II. More than 2,300 Americans were killed.

Also on December 7, 1889, the first of 554 performances of "The Gondoliers" took place...

December 7, my little sister was born

(dec 4 I was born)
(dec 1 my mother was born)

On December 8, 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa due to Communists pressure...

On December 8th, 1980- Rock musician John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

Lennon was 40, I was 17. I was driving my POS car on Lancaster Dr. from McKay High School to Wendy's Hamburger where I worked when the radio announced the shooting and death.

On December 8, 1979, QW became Mrs. Grumpy Old Dude.

One lucky dude!

On December 9th, 1975- President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from having to default.

And Congrats to the Dude.

Also on December 9, 1783, the first executions at Newgate Prison took place...

On December 10,1817, Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th American state...

Also on December 10th, 1958- The first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.

On December 11, 1719, the first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis was in New England...

On December 11th, 1941- Germany and Italy declared war on the United States; the U.S. responded in kind.

(my guess is it wasn't that kind.)

On December 12, 1805, Henry Wells was born in Thetford, VT. He was one of the founders of the American Express Company and he teamed up with William Fargo to form the Wells Fargo Company...

Also on December 12th, 1914- The New York Stock Exchange re-opened for the first time since July 30. The market had shut down when World War I broke out.

On December 13, 1636, the United States National Guard was created when militia regiments were organized by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony...

Also on December 13th, 1577- Sir Francis Drake of England set out with five ships on a nearly three-year journey that would take him around the world.

Dec. 13th, 2003...Saddam Hussein captured

December 13, 2000:
American Vice President Al Gore delivers his concession speech effectively ending his hopes of becoming the 43rd President of the United States.

On December 14, 1798, David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented the nut and bolt machine...

Also on December 14th, 1799- George Washington, the first president of the United States, died at his Mount Vernon, Va., home at age 67.

On December 15th, 1939- The movie "Gone With the Wind" had its world premiere in Atlanta.

Also on December 15, 1654, a meteorological office established in Tuscany began recording daily temperature readings...

On December 15th, 1809- Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine.

On December 16, 1838, the Zulu chief Dingaan was defeated by a small force of Boers at Blood River celebrated in South Africa as 'Dingaan's Day...'

I should have pointed this out yesterday, but Dec 15th, 1791 was the ratification date of the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution.

Happy Birthday Bill of Rights. Not you BoR.

December 16, 1775: Writer Jane Austen is born (d. 1817). Today, she remains one of the most popular storytellers in the English language.

Huh, I always thought she was the chick that made those crappy movie.

C'mon...Clueless was awesome!