December 3rd
Today in 1818,Illinois was admitted as the 21st state in the union.
Today in 1828,Andrew Jackson was officially elected President of the United States.
Today in 1847,Frederick Douglass published the first issue of his newspaper, "North Star."
Today in 1947, the legendary Tennessee Williams play, "A Streetcar Named Desire,"opened on Broadway.
Today in 1964,police arrested 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.
Today in 1965, the USSR launched Luna 8;it crashed on the Moon.
Today in 1967,Christiaan Barnard(yes, that’s the correct spelling) performed the first heart transplant ever on Louis Washkansky – who survived the operation and lived for 18 days, having succumbed to pneumonia as he was taking immunosuppressive drugs.
Today in 1968, NBC aired the classic Elvis comeback special.
Today in 1976,"Rocky" starring Sylvester Stallone, Burgess Meredith and Talia Shire,opened in theaters nationwide.
Today in1979, 11 people were trampled to death at a Who concert in Cincinnati.
Today in 1984,more than 4,000 people died after a cloud of gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India.
Today in 1993, Britain's Princess Diana announced she would be limiting her public appearances, explaining that she was fed up with the media's intrusions into her life. She did to a degree, but never stopped supporting her charities.
Today in 1994,AIDS activist, Elizabeth Glaser, who along with her two children were infected with HIV because of a blood transfusion,died in Santa Monica, California, at age 47.
Today in 1997,Pierce Brosnan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Today in 1999,Tori Murden became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean alone. It took her 81 days to reach the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe from the Canary Islands.
Today in 1999,Oscar-nominated actress Madeline Kahn died at the age of 57.
Today in 1999,the film, "Being John Malkovich,"movie was released in theaters nationwide.
Today in 1999,a warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts claimed the lives of six firefighters. The blaze was started accidentally by two homeless people (Thomas Levesque and Julie Ann Barnes) who were squatting in the building and had knocked over a candle.
Today in 2006,Eddie Murphy announced he'd broken up with pregnant Mel B and denied she's carrying his child. Funny thing? She was – the DNA proved it. Their daughter, Angel Iris, was born the following April…and while he was ordered to pay child support, he refused to see his daughter for some time.According to reports, he’s had a change of heart and now enjoys a great relationship with her.
Today in 2007,devastating winter storms caused the Chehalis River to flood many cities in Lewis County, Washington, also closing a 20-mile portion of Interstate 5 for several days. At least eight deaths and billions of dollars of damages were blamed on the floods.
Today in 2010,the Boeing X-37B returned to Earth on successfully after its first orbital mission. It launched on April 22, 2010.
Today in 2014,protests erupted in cities across the US after a grand jury decided not to charge Daniel Pantaleo, the New York police officer who killed Eric Garner with an illegal choke-hold.
Today in 2015,Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that all combat roles in the American Armed Forces were now open to women.