Poor Gabriel's Almanac - December 18th

Interesting things that happened December 18th:

Birthdays on this date:

In 1707 Charles Wesley, cofounder of Methodist movement
In 1709 Elizabeth, empress of Russia (daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I)
In 1779 Joseph Grimaldi, English pantomimist, "greatest clown in history"
In 1786 Carl Maria von Weber, German Romantic composer
In 1861 Edward MacDowell, composer
In 1879 Paul Klee, Swiss abstract painter
+ Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator (1922-53), bank robber
In 1886 Ty Cobb, baseball great (played in 3000 games, batted .367, stole 892 bases)
In 1888 Robert Moses, power broker (built Long Island and NYC parks and roads)
In 1890 Edwin Armstrong, radio pioneer (invented FM)
In 1910 Abe Burrows, Broadway impresario
In 1913 Willy Brandt (SD), chancellor of West Germany (1969-74) (Nobel 1971)
In 1916 Betty Grable (in St. Louis, MO), actor (How to Marry a Millionaire)
In 1917 Lynn Bari, actor (China Girl, Shock, Nocturne), B-movie icon
+ Ossie Davis, actor (Bubba Ho-Tep, The Hill), director (Cotton Comes to Harlem, Gordon's War), social activist
In 1927 Ramsey Clark, US Attorney General (1967-69), defender of the unpopular
In 1934 Boris V. Volynov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 21)
In 1942 Mohammed Ali, boxer, Olympic gold medalist (1960)
In 1943 Keith Richards, guitarist (Rolling Stones)
In 1947 Steven Spielberg, director (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.)
In 1950 Leonard Maltin, movie reviewer
In 1963 Brad Pitt, actor (Twelve Monkeys, Seven Years in Tibet, Fight Club)

Events worth noting:

+ Feast of Our Lady of Solitude, patron of the lonely
+ Saturnalia, celebrated with gifts, lights, etc. (Ancient Rome)
In 1737 Antonio Stradivari, violin maker, dies.
In 1787 New Jersey becomes the third state.
In 1813 British take Fort Niagara in the War of 1812.
In 1839 First celestial photograph (of the moon) made in US, by John Draper, New York NY.
In 1849 William Bond obtains first photograph of moon through a telescope.
In 1865 13th Amendment ratified, slavery abolished.
In 1898 Auto speed record set -- 63 kph.
In 1899 George Grant wins patent for his golf tee.
In 1915 President Wilson, widowed the year before, marries Edith Bolling Galt.
In 1932 Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in first NFL playoff game.
In 1945 Uruguay joined the United Nations.
In 1956 Japan admitted to the United Nations.
In 1957 First civilian nuclear plant in US goes online at Shippingport, PA,
In 1958 First test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment; first voice from space: recorded Christmas message by President Eisenhower.
+ Niger gains autonomy within French Community (National Day).
In 1961 India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao and Diu.
In 1965 Borman and Lovell Splash down in Atlantic. Ends two week Gemini VII flight.
In 1969 The British parliament voted for the abolition of death penalty.
In 1971 Diana Lynn dies at age 45.
In 1972 US began its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam.
In 1973 Soyuz 13 launched into earth orbit for 8 days.
In 1974 San Francisco Visitors Center at City Hall opens.
In 1979 Stanley Barrett first to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH).
In 1980 Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin suffered a fatal heart attack at 76.
In 1985 UN Security Council unanimously condemns 'acts of hostage-taking'.

And remember ...

National Indigestion Season

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Although efforts have been taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, several errors have been found in the past. Don't place any bets on the basis of what you find here. If you spot an error, write to Poor Gabriel at poorgabriel@mystery.com .