Wednesday, December 30th
The 364th day of 2009.
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Today's Highlights in History
On Dec. 30, 1972, the United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam. (Go to article.)
On Dec. 30, 1873, Alfred Smith, the four-time governor of New York State and 1928 presidential candidate, was born. Following his death on Oct. 4, 1944, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On December 30, 1899, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Manila during the Philippine-American War. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1813 The British burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812.
1865 Author Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India.
1903 About 600 people died when fire broke out at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago.
1911 Sun Yat-sen was elected the first president of the Republic of China.
1922 Vladimir Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1928 Rock 'n' roll pioneer Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates in McComb, Miss.
1940 California's first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.
1947 King Michael of Romania agreed to abdicate, but charged he was being forced off the throne by Communists.
1978 Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson University player during a game.
1988 President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush were subpoenaed to testify as defense witnesses in the pending Iran-Contra trial of Oliver North. (The subpoenas were subsequently quashed.)
1993 Israel and the Vatican agreed to recognize one another.
1997 Armed men massacred 412 men, women and children in four mountain villages in Algeria.
1999 Former Beatle George Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his mansion west of London and stabbed him in the chest.
2003 The federal government announced it would ban the sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
2006 Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was hanged.
2007 Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of an election that opponents and observers alleged was rigged; violence flared in Nairobi slums and coastal resort towns, killing scores in the following days.
2008 In a surprise move, a defiant Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich named former state Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama's Senate seat.
Current Birthdays
LeBron James turns 25 years old today.
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James turns 25 years old today.
75 Joseph Bologna
Actor
75 Russ Tamblyn
Actor
74 Jack Riley
Actor ("The Bob Newhart Show")
74 Sandy Koufax
Baseball Hall of Famer
72 Paul Stookey
Folk singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
69 James Burrows
TV director ("Taxi," "Cheers," "Will and Grace")
67 Michael Nesmith
Rock singer, musician (The Monkees)
67 Fred Ward
Actor
64 Davy Jones
Rock singer (The Monkees)
63 Patti Smith
Rock musician
62 Jeff Lynne
Rock singer, musician (ELO)
56 Meredith Viera
TV host ("Today")
54 Sheryl Lee Ralph
Actress
53 Suzy Bogguss
Country singer
53 Patricia Kalember
Actress
52 Matt Lauer
TV host ("Today")
50 Tracey Ullman
Actress, comedian
49 Rob Hotchkiss
Rock musician
48 Sean Hannity
TV host ("Hannity & Colmes")
40 Jay Kay
Singer (Jamiroquai)
40 Byron McMackin
Rock musician (Pennywise)
40 Meredith Monroe
Actress ("Dawson's Creek")
38 Daniel Sunjata
Actor ("Rescue Me")
37 Maureen Flanniga
Actress
36 Jason Behr
Actor
34 Tiger Woods
Golfer
33 A.J. Pierzynski
Baseball player
32 Laila Ali
Boxer, TV personality
31 Tyrese
R&B singer, actor
29 Tim Lopez
Rock musician (Plain White T's))
27 Kristin Kreuk
Actress ("Smallville")
Historic Birthdays
Alfred Smith
12/30/1873 - 10/4/1944
American politician and four-time governor of New York State
(Go to obit.)
77 Bert Parks
12/30/1914 - 2/2/1992
American game show host
69 Sir Carol Reed
12/30/1906 - 4/25/1976
English film director
71 Alfred Einstein
12/30/1880 - 2/13/1952
German-born American musicologist and critic
70 Ramana Maharshi
12/30/1879 - 4/14/1950
Hindu philosopher and yogi
70 Rudyard Kipling
12/30/1865 - 1/18/1936
English writer
77 Asa Griggs Candler
12/30/1851 - 3/12/1929
American developer of Coca-Cola
62 John Milne
12/30/1850 - 7/30/1913
English seismologist and geologist; inventor of the seismograph
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