December 18
1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1865 - Slavery was abolished with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
1892 - Peter Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" premiered at St. Petersburg's Maryinksy Theatre.
1917 - Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” and sent it to the states for ratification.
1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (The invasion, known as Operation Barbarossa, was launched in June, 1941.)
1944 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans.
1956 - Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania became the first civilian nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States. (The plant was taken offline in 1982.)
1958 - The world’s first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed “Chatterbox,” was launched by the United States aboard an Atlas rocket.
1969 - The British Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.
1992 - Kim Young-sam was elected South Korea’s first civilian president in three decades.
2000 - George W. Bush received 271 votes in the delayed Electoral College balloting.
2003 - Two federal appeals courts ruled the U.S. military could not indefinitely hold prisoners without access to lawyers or American courts.
2010 - The U.S. Senate voted 65-31 in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the Clinton-era military policy that forbids openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
2011 - The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, crossing into Kuwait in darkness in the final moments of a nine-year war.
2019 - The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial; the articles of impeachment accused him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress' investigation. (It was the first of two impeachment trials against Trump that would end in acquittal by the Senate.)
2020 - The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, as the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.
Birthdays
22 - Billie Eilish (singer)
31 - Bridgit Mendler (actress/singer)
34 - Ashley Benson (actress/model)
34 - Emily Atack (actress)
35 - Lyrica Anderson (singer)
43 - Christina Aguilera (singer)
45 - Ravi Patel (actor)
45 - Gloria Velez (model)
45 - Katie Holmes (actress)
45 - Josh Dallas (actor)
47 - Randy Houser (singer)
48 - Sia (singer)
48 - Trish Stratus (professional wrestler)
52 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (tennis player)
53 - Cowboy Troy (singer)
55 - Casper Van Dien (actor)
55 - Rachel Griffiths (actress)
58 - Shawn Christian (actor)
59 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler)
60 - Brad Pitt (actor)
62 - Angie Stone (singer)
67 - Ron White (comedian)
73 - Leonard Maltin (movie critic)
77 - Steven Spielberg (director)
80 - Keith Richards (musician)
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Today in Sports History - December 18
1932 - The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1949 - The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scored 78 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain scored 62 points against the St. Louis Hawks.
1977 - The Cleveland Cavaliers retired Nate Thurmond's jersey, #42.
1983 - The San Diego Clippers ended a 29 game road losing streak.
2006 - The NBA announced fines and supsensions related to a fight that occurred during a game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks on December 16, 2006. Both teams were fined $500,000, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games and Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith were suspended 10 games.
2012 - Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to be voted The Associated Press Player of the Year in college football.
2022 - Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout to claim a third World Cup, the first for star Lionel Messi.
1787 - New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1865 - Slavery was abolished with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
1892 - Peter Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite" premiered at St. Petersburg's Maryinksy Theatre.
1917 - Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” and sent it to the states for ratification.
1940 - Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (The invasion, known as Operation Barbarossa, was launched in June, 1941.)
1944 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime internment of Japanese-Americans.
1956 - Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1957 - The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania became the first civilian nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States. (The plant was taken offline in 1982.)
1958 - The world’s first communications satellite, SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment), nicknamed “Chatterbox,” was launched by the United States aboard an Atlas rocket.
1969 - The British Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.
1992 - Kim Young-sam was elected South Korea’s first civilian president in three decades.
2000 - George W. Bush received 271 votes in the delayed Electoral College balloting.
2003 - Two federal appeals courts ruled the U.S. military could not indefinitely hold prisoners without access to lawyers or American courts.
2010 - The U.S. Senate voted 65-31 in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the Clinton-era military policy that forbids openly gay men and women from serving in the military.
2011 - The last convoy of heavily armored U.S. troops left Iraq, crossing into Kuwait in darkness in the final moments of a nine-year war.
2019 - The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial; the articles of impeachment accused him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate rival Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress' investigation. (It was the first of two impeachment trials against Trump that would end in acquittal by the Senate.)
2020 - The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, as the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.
Birthdays
22 - Billie Eilish (singer)
31 - Bridgit Mendler (actress/singer)
34 - Ashley Benson (actress/model)
34 - Emily Atack (actress)
35 - Lyrica Anderson (singer)
43 - Christina Aguilera (singer)
45 - Ravi Patel (actor)
45 - Gloria Velez (model)
45 - Katie Holmes (actress)
45 - Josh Dallas (actor)
47 - Randy Houser (singer)
48 - Sia (singer)
48 - Trish Stratus (professional wrestler)
52 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (tennis player)
53 - Cowboy Troy (singer)
55 - Casper Van Dien (actor)
55 - Rachel Griffiths (actress)
58 - Shawn Christian (actor)
59 - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler)
60 - Brad Pitt (actor)
62 - Angie Stone (singer)
67 - Ron White (comedian)
73 - Leonard Maltin (movie critic)
77 - Steven Spielberg (director)
80 - Keith Richards (musician)
======================================
Today in Sports History - December 18
1932 - The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1949 - The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 14-0 to win the NFL Championship Game.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scored 78 points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
1962 - Wilt Chamberlain scored 62 points against the St. Louis Hawks.
1977 - The Cleveland Cavaliers retired Nate Thurmond's jersey, #42.
1983 - The San Diego Clippers ended a 29 game road losing streak.
2006 - The NBA announced fines and supsensions related to a fight that occurred during a game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks on December 16, 2006. Both teams were fined $500,000, Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games and Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith were suspended 10 games.
2012 - Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to be voted The Associated Press Player of the Year in college football.
2022 - Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout to claim a third World Cup, the first for star Lionel Messi.
