| Today in History: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 |
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AP Highlight in History:
On Dec. 22, 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe’s hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising.
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| AP Photo/Dusan Vranic |
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| On this date in: |
| 1858 |
Opera composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy. |
| 1864 |
During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying, “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.” |
| 1894 |
French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (He was eventually vindicated.) |
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| AP Photo |
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| 1912 |
Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was born Claudio Alta Taylor in Karnack, Texas. |
| 1941 |
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, D.C., for a wartime conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. |
| 1944 |
During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Brigadier Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: “Nuts!” |
| 1984 |
New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. |
| 1990 |
Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland’s first popularly elected president. |
| 2000 |
Pop singer Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie in Scotland. (The couple divorced in 2008.) |
| 2001 |
Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. |
| 2005 |
Astronomers announced the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus. |
| 2010 |
President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America’s military. |
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| Today’s Birthdays: |
| Singer Meghan Trainor turns 22 years old today. |
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| AP Photo/Amy Sussman, Invision |
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| Name |
Profession |
Age |
| Jim Wright |
Former House speaker |
93 |
| Hector Elizondo |
Actor |
79 |
| Paul Wolfowitz |
Former World Bank president |
72 |
| Steve Carlton |
Baseball Hall of Famer |
71 |
| Diane Sawyer |
Broadcast journalist (“Good Morning America”) |
70 |
| Rick Nielsen |
Rock musician (Cheap Trick) |
67 |
| Jan Stephenson |
Golfer |
64 |
| Luther Campbell |
Rapper (2 Live Crew) |
55 |
| Ted Cruz |
U.S. senator, R-Texas |
45 |
| Heather Donahue |
Actress (“The Blair Witch Project”) |
42 |
| Jordin Sparks |
R&B singer (“American Idol”) |
26 |
| Actor Ralph Fiennes turns 53 years old today. |
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| AP Photo/Evan Agostini |
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