Tuesday, December 22nd
The 356th day of 2009.
There are 9 days left in the year.
Go to a previous date.
Go to lesson
Today's Highlights in History
On Dec. 22, 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah." (Go to article.)
On Dec. 22, 1907, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, the British stage actress , was born. Following her death on June 14, 1991, her obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On December 22, 1906, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Secretary of State Elihu Root. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1775 A Continental naval fleet was organized in the rebellious American colonies.
1858 Opera composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, Italy.
1864 During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah."
1894 French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. He was eventually vindicated.
1912 Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was born Claudio Alta Taylor in Karnack, Texas.
1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington, D.C., for a wartime conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1944 During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Brigadier Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: "Nuts!"
1984 New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.
1989 Playwright Samuel Beckett died in Paris at age 83.
1990 Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president.
2000 Pop singer Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie in Scotland. (The couple announced in October 2008 that they were divorcing.)
2001 Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.
2002 Rock musician Joe Strummer of The Clash died at age 50.
2005 New York transit workers ended their three-day strike without a new contract.
2005 Astronomers announced the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus.
Current Birthdays
Ralph Fiennes turns 47 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini Actor Ralph Fiennes turns 47 years old today.
87 Jim Wright
Former House speaker
73 Hector Elizondo
Actor
71 Red Steagall
Country singer
66 Paul Wolfowitz
Former World Bank president
65 Steve Carlton
Baseball Hall of Famer
64 Diane Sawyer
Broadcast journalist ("Good Morning America")
63 Rick Nielsen
Rock musician (Cheap Trick)
60 Robin Gibb
Singer (The Bee Gees)
58 Jan Stephenson
Golfer
56 BernNadette Stanis
Actress
49 Luther Campbell
Rapper (2 Live Crew)
49 Chuck Mead
Country musician (BR549)
41 Lauralee Bell
Actress ("The Young and the Restless")
41 Lori McKenna
Country singer
41 Dina Meyer
Actress
35 Heather Donahue
Actress ("The Blair Witch Project")
29 Chris Carmack
Actor
Historic Birthdays
Dame Peggy Ashcroft
12/22/1907 - 6/14/1991
English actress
(Go to obit.)
? James Oglethorpe
12/22/1696 - 6/30/1785
English founder of the British colony of Georgia
91 Jean Henri Fabre
12/22/1823 - 10/11/1915
French entomologist
87 Thomas Higginson
12/22/1823 - 5/9/1911
American abolitionist
80 Frank Kellogg
12/22/1856 - 12/21/1937
American secretary of state
65 Giacomo Puccini
12/22/1858 - 11/29/1924
Italian composer
67 Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
12/22/1876 - 12/2/1944
Italian-born French novelist, poet, and dramatist; founded Futurist artistic movement
82 Giacomo Manzu
12/22/1908 - 1/17/1991
Italian sculptor
Go to a previous date.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
Front Page Image Provided by UMI
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Children's Privacy Notice
