December 11
1816 - Indiana became the 19th state.
1844 - Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.
1936 - Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated his throne for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson; Edward's brother, Prince Albert then became king and took the name George VI.
1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States during World War II; the United States responded in kind.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
1972 - Apollo 17’s lunar module landed on the moon with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt aboard; they became the last two men to date to step onto the lunar surface.
1980 - President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating a $1.6 billion environmental “superfund” to pay for cleaning up chemical spills and toxic waste dumps.
1994 - Russian troops invaded Chechnya in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Moscow's power in the region.
1997 - Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros was indicted for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI.
1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth’s greenhouse gases.
1998 - Majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, over Democratic objections.
2001 - In the first criminal indictment stemming from 9/11, federal prosecutors charged Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, with conspiring to murder thousands in the suicide hijackings. (Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison.)
2002 - A congressional report found that intelligence agencies that were supposed to protect Americans from the Sept. 11 hijackers failed to do so because they were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented the attacks.
2008 - Bernard Madoff, an investment manager, was charged with defrauding clients of as much as $50 billion in what might be the largest swindle in Wall Street history. (Madoff died in April 2021 while serving a 150-year federal prison sentence.)
2013 - Time magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of the Year, saying the Roman Catholic church’s new leader — the first from Latin America — had changed the perception of the 2,000-year-old institution in an extraordinary way in a short time.
2018 - A Virginia jury called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the man who killed a woman when he rammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (James Alex Fields Jr. received that sentence in July, 2019.)
2020 - The Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues that were rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court.
2021 - Anne Rice, author of best-selling gothic novels including “Interview With the Vampire,” died at age 80 due to complications from a stroke.
2022 - NASA’s Orion capsule returned from the moon, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a dramatic 25-day test flight.
Birthdays
27 - Hailee Steinfeld (actress)
33 - Alexa Demie (actress)
37 - Karla Souza (actress)
44 - Rider Strong (actor)
49 - Rey Mysterio (professional wrestler)
54 - Max Martini (actor)
56 - Mo'Nique (actress/comedian)
57 - Gary Dourdan (actor)
61 - Ben Browder (actor)
65 - Nikki Sixx (musician)
69 - Jermaine Jackson (singer)
70 - Bess Armstrong (actress)
76 - Teri Garr (actress)
79 - Lynda Day George (actress)
79 - Brenda Lee (singer)
83 - Donna Mills (actress)
92 - Rita Moreno (actress)
================================
Today in Sports History - December 11
1938 - The New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers 23-17 in the NFL Championship Game.
1947 - The Pacific Coast League's application for major league status in baseball was rejected.
1949 - The Cleveland Browns defeated the San Fransisco 49ers 21-7 in the final AAFC Championship Game.
1951 - Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball.
1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers set an NBA record with their 21st consecutive win.
1981 - Muhammad Ali lost the final professional fight of his career to Trevor Berbick by unanimous decision in 10 rounds.
1992 - The National Hockey League Governors named Gary Bettman as the first NHL commissioner in League history, effective Feb. 1, 1993.
1993 - Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penguins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.
2001 - It was announced that Little League Baseball Inc. would require more detailed documentation of the eligibility of its players. Four months before, the Rolando Paulino Little League team from the Bronx, NY, had its third-place finish taken away after pitcher Danny Almonte was found to be too old to play.
2002 - Joe Sakic scores his 500th career NHL goal.
2004 - USC quarterback Matt Leinart wins the Heisman Trophy.
2021 - Alabama quarterback Bryce Young wins the Heisman Trophy.
1816 - Indiana became the 19th state.
1844 - Nitrous oxide was used for the first time in dentistry.
1936 - Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated his throne for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson; Edward's brother, Prince Albert then became king and took the name George VI.
1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States during World War II; the United States responded in kind.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
1972 - Apollo 17’s lunar module landed on the moon with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt aboard; they became the last two men to date to step onto the lunar surface.
1980 - President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating a $1.6 billion environmental “superfund” to pay for cleaning up chemical spills and toxic waste dumps.
1994 - Russian troops invaded Chechnya in an unsuccessful attempt to restore Moscow's power in the region.
1997 - Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros was indicted for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI.
1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth’s greenhouse gases.
1998 - Majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, over Democratic objections.
2001 - In the first criminal indictment stemming from 9/11, federal prosecutors charged Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, with conspiring to murder thousands in the suicide hijackings. (Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison.)
2002 - A congressional report found that intelligence agencies that were supposed to protect Americans from the Sept. 11 hijackers failed to do so because they were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented the attacks.
2008 - Bernard Madoff, an investment manager, was charged with defrauding clients of as much as $50 billion in what might be the largest swindle in Wall Street history. (Madoff died in April 2021 while serving a 150-year federal prison sentence.)
2013 - Time magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of the Year, saying the Roman Catholic church’s new leader — the first from Latin America — had changed the perception of the 2,000-year-old institution in an extraordinary way in a short time.
2018 - A Virginia jury called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the man who killed a woman when he rammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (James Alex Fields Jr. received that sentence in July, 2019.)
2020 - The Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues that were rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court.
2021 - Anne Rice, author of best-selling gothic novels including “Interview With the Vampire,” died at age 80 due to complications from a stroke.
2022 - NASA’s Orion capsule returned from the moon, parachuting into the Pacific off Mexico to conclude a dramatic 25-day test flight.
Birthdays
27 - Hailee Steinfeld (actress)
33 - Alexa Demie (actress)
37 - Karla Souza (actress)
44 - Rider Strong (actor)
49 - Rey Mysterio (professional wrestler)
54 - Max Martini (actor)
56 - Mo'Nique (actress/comedian)
57 - Gary Dourdan (actor)
61 - Ben Browder (actor)
65 - Nikki Sixx (musician)
69 - Jermaine Jackson (singer)
70 - Bess Armstrong (actress)
76 - Teri Garr (actress)
79 - Lynda Day George (actress)
79 - Brenda Lee (singer)
83 - Donna Mills (actress)
92 - Rita Moreno (actress)
================================
Today in Sports History - December 11
1938 - The New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers 23-17 in the NFL Championship Game.
1947 - The Pacific Coast League's application for major league status in baseball was rejected.
1949 - The Cleveland Browns defeated the San Fransisco 49ers 21-7 in the final AAFC Championship Game.
1951 - Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball.
1971 - The Los Angeles Lakers set an NBA record with their 21st consecutive win.
1981 - Muhammad Ali lost the final professional fight of his career to Trevor Berbick by unanimous decision in 10 rounds.
1992 - The National Hockey League Governors named Gary Bettman as the first NHL commissioner in League history, effective Feb. 1, 1993.
1993 - Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke wins the Heisman Trophy.
2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penguins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.
2001 - It was announced that Little League Baseball Inc. would require more detailed documentation of the eligibility of its players. Four months before, the Rolando Paulino Little League team from the Bronx, NY, had its third-place finish taken away after pitcher Danny Almonte was found to be too old to play.
2002 - Joe Sakic scores his 500th career NHL goal.
2004 - USC quarterback Matt Leinart wins the Heisman Trophy.
2021 - Alabama quarterback Bryce Young wins the Heisman Trophy.
