Today in 1942, Bing Crosby recorded the Christmas classic, "White Christmas." It became the biggest selling single of all time.
Today in 1953, Mount Everest was conquered as Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal – they were the first climbers to reach the summit.
Today in 1961, food stamps were first issued in the United States.
Today in 1962, Buck (John) O’Neil became the first Black coach in major-league baseball. He accepted the job with the Chicago Cubs. O’Neil had previously been a scout with the Cubs organization.
Today in 1973, Tom Bradley became the first Black mayor of Los Angeles.
Today in 1988, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened their historic summit in Moscow.
Today in 1996, President Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, James and Susan McDougal, and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker, were convicted of fraud.
Today in 2017, Tiger Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida. He plead guilty to reckless driving the following October, and was sentenced to 12-months probation…DUI school, a $250 fine and 50 hours of community service. He was also subject to random drug testing at any time during his probationary term. It all went so well that his probation was terminated a month early in September 2018.
Today in 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller said charging President Donald Trump with a crime was never an option as there was no legal means to charge a sitting president. While President Trump gloated that this meant he was exonerated, Mueller was clear: his report does not exonerate the president.
Today in 2019, the world's smallest surviving baby, a girl identified as Saybie, was discharged from Sharp March Birch Hospital in San Diego. She had been born at 23 weeks weighing just 8.6-ounces (245 grams) and measuring 9-inchies in length – about half the size of a ‘normal’ baby at that stage. She had spent five months in the hospital...and went home as a healthy five-pound, six-ounce little angel.
Today in 2019, being transgender was de-classified as a mental health illness by the World Health Organization.
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