| On this date in: |
| 1897 |
The New York Sun ran an editorial answering a question from an 8-year-old girl that included the line, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” |
| 1931 |
Britain went off the gold standard. |
| 1937 |
“The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien was published. |
| 1938 |
A hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming more than 600 lives. |
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| AP Photo/NOAA |
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| 1948 |
Milton Berle debuted as permanent host of “The Texaco Star Theater” on NBC. |
| 1957 |
“Perry Mason,” starring Raymond Burr, premiered on CBS. |
| 1964 |
Malta gained independence from Britain. |
| 1970 |
“NFL Monday Night Football” debuted on ABC. |
| 1982 |
National Football League players began a 57-day strike. |
| 1983 |
Interior Secretary James G. Watt described a special advisory panel as consisting of “a black … a woman, two Jews and a cripple.” Watt later apologized and resigned. |
| 1996 |
The board of Virginia Military Institute voted to admit women. |
| 1998 |
President Bill Clinton’s videotaped grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky scandal was publicly broadcast, showing him answering one question from prosecutors by saying, “It depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.” |
| 1998 |
Olympic gold medal track star Florence Griffith Joyner, 38, died in her sleep after suffering an epilectic seizure. |
| 2001 |
Congress approved $15 billion to help an airline industry reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. |
| 2004 |
The album “American Idiot” by Green Day was released. |
| 2008 |
“Mad Men” became the first basic-cable show to win a top series Emmy award. |
