Today in 342 AD, the real Saint Nicholas died. A Bishop in Myra, Italy during the 4th century, he became associated with gift giving because he secretly provided dowries to poor brides-to-be.
Today in 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – the amendment abolishing slavery in the US – was ratified.
Today in 1884, Army engineers completed the construction of the Washington Monument. The project had taken 34 years to complete.
Today in 1902, Martha Washington became the first American woman to appear on an US stamp.
Today in 1923, Americans heard the first Presidential address broadcast on radio by President Calvin Coolidge.
Today in 1957, America's first attempt at sending a satellite into space failed – when the unmanned rocket exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
Today in 1964, the TV special, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," first aired.
Today in 1969, the '60s unofficially ended with a disastrous (and murderous) Rolling Stones concert in northern California. To cap off a U-S tour, The Stones did a free concert at Altamont Speedway in Livermore. The show, which also included Jefferson Airplane, Santana and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on the bill was attended by 300,000. Marred by violence and a fatal stabbing, the event was chronicled in the movie, “Gimme Shelter.”
Today in 1973, House Minority Leader Gerald Ford was sworn in as Richard Nixon's Vice President. He succeeded Spiro Agnew, who had resigned in the wake of tax evasion and kickback charges. He took office our nation’s only unelected President the following August in the wake of Richard Nixon’s resignation.
Today in 1988, legendary crooner 52-year-old Roy Orbison died at a Nashville-area hospital following a heart attack.
Today in 1989, 14 women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a 25-year-old gunman in what became known as the Montreal Massacre. The shooter had separated the men from the women and before opening fire on the women he screamed, "I hate feminists." He also turned the gun on himself. Almost immediately, the incident became a galvanizing moment in the country in which mourning turned into outrage about all violence against women.
Today in 1999, the Supreme Court, agreed to reconsider its landmark Miranda ruling – saying they would decide whether police still must warn criminal suspects that they have a "right to remain silent." In a 7-2 decision the following June, the court affirmed the previous decision.
Today in 1999, SabreTech, an aircraft maintenance company, was convicted of mishandling the oxygen canisters blamed for the cargo hold fire that caused the 1996 ValuJet crash in the Everglades that killed 110 people.
Today in 2017, “Time” magazine named their Person of the Year as "The Silence Breakers" – people who came forward to report sexual misconduct.
Today in 2017, President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, announcing plans to move US embassy there.
Today in 2017, astronomers announced they’d discovered the most distant, supermassive black hole..13-billion light-years away, 800-million times bigger than the Sun. Researchers compared it to seeing photos of a 50-year-old man when he was 2 ½-years old. How old is the thing? About 690-million years after the Big Bang.