TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – DEC 30 2018
1460 Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield (Northern England), Duke of York killed and his forces soundly defeated by forces for King Henry VI
1809 Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
1817 1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1853 The United States bought some 45,000 sq mi of land from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Area is now southern Arizona & New Mexico
1861 Banks in the United States suspend the practice of redeeming paper money for metal currency, a practice that would continue until 1879.
1862 The draft of the Emancipation Proclamation is finished and circulated among President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet for comment.
1905 Governor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho is killed by an assassin’s bomb.
1906 The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, later laid down the foundations of Pakistan
1907 Abraham Mills’ commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1922 Soviet Russia is renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1924 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society
1932 The Soviet Union bars food handouts for housewives under 36 years of age. They must now work to eat.
1936 The United Auto Workers union staged its first sit-down strike, at the Fisher Body Plant in Flint, MI.
1947 Romania’s King Michael is forced to abdicate by Soviet-backed Communists. Communists now control all of Eastern Europe.
1953 The first color TV sets went on sale for about $1,175.
1959 The George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub commissioned
1963 Congress authorizes the Kennedy half dollar
1973 1st picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek-Skylab)
1974 Beatles are legally disbanded (4 years after suit was brought)
1978 Ohio State dismisses Woody Hayes as its football coach
1988 Canadian Senate OK’s free trade pact; with US
1988 Former Soviet President Brezhnev’s son-in-law sentenced to 12-year (bribery)
1988 Mercedes-Benz pays $20.2-M fine failed to meet ’86 government fuel standard
1993 Israel and the Vatican signed an agreement of mutual recognition to put an end to Jewish-Christian hostilities.
1996 A passenger train was bombed by Bodo separatists in India’s eastern state of Assam. At least 26 people were killed and dozens were seriously injured.
2006 Saddam Hussein, former Iraq dictator, is executed by hanging for crimes committed against his own people during his rule.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
