Tuesday, December 15th
The 349th day of 2009.
There are 16 days left in the year.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Dec. 15, 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun. (Go to article.)
On Dec. 15, 1892, J. Paul Getty, the American businessman and oil tycoon who controlled the Getty Oil Company, was born. Following his death on June 6, 1976, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On December 15, 1888, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about speculation concerning the cabinet appointments of President-elect Benjamin Harrison. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1791 The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, took effect following ratification by Virginia.
1890 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, S.D., during a clash with Indian police.
1938 Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1939 The movie "Gone With the Wind" had its world premiere in Atlanta.
1944 Bandleader Glenn Miller was killed when his U.S. Army plane disappeared over the English Channel.
1961 Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
1965 Two manned spacecraft, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within 10 feet of each other while in orbit.
1966 Movie producer Walt Disney died at age 65.
1978 President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
1989 A popular uprising began in Romania; it led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
2003 The late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
2004 American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal.
2005 Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election.
Current Birthdays
Mark Warner turns 55 years old today.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., turns 55 years old today.
76 Tim Conway
Comedian ("The Carol Burnett Show")
70 Cindy Birdsong
Singer (The Supremes)
69 Nick Buoniconti
Football Hall of Famer
67 Dave Clark
Rock musician, producer (The Dave Clark Five)
63 Carmine Appice
Rock musician (Vanilla Fudge)
60 Don Johnson
Actor ("Miami Vice")
57 Julie Taymor
Director
55 Alex Cox
Director ("Repo Man," "Sid and Nancy")
55 Justin Ross
Actor
54 Paul Simonon
Rock musician (The Clash)
49 Doug Phelps
Country singer
48 Reginald Hudlin
Movie producer
46 Helen Slater
Actress
44 Molly Price
Actress
39 Michael Shanks
Actor ("Stargate SG-1," "Stargate: Atlantis")
37 Stuart Townsend
Actor
32 Kito Trawick
Crowd hyper (Ghostown DJs)
30 Adam Brody
Actor ("The O.C.")
27 George O. Gore II
Actor ("My Wife and Kids")
Historic Birthdays
J. Paul Getty
12/15/1892 - 6/6/1976
American oil tycoon
(Go to obit.)
31 Nero
12/15/AD 37 - 6/9/AD 68
Roman emperor
67 George Romney
12/15/1734 - 11/15/1802
English portrait painter
75 Joseph Moses Levy
12/15/1812 - 10/12/1888
English newspaperman; founded the London newspaper Daily Telegraph
85 Franklin Sanborn
12/15/1831 - 2/24/1917
American journalist and biographer
91 Gustave Eiffel
12/15/1832 - 12/28/1923
French civil engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower
43 Niels Ryberg Finsen
12/15/1860 - 9/24/1904
Danish physician, founder of modern phototherapy and Nobel prize winner
76 Charles Duryea
12/15/1861 - 9/28/1938
American automobile inventor
70 Maxwell Anderson
12/15/1888 - 2/28/1959
American playwright
65 Kaare Klint
12/15/1888 - 3/28/1954
Danish architect and furniture designer
78 Harold Abrahams
12/15/1899 - 1/14/1978
English athlete and Olympic gold medalist
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SOURCE: The Associated Press
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