December 9


December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the
Gregorian calendar. There are 22 days remaining.

Events:

   * 1793 - The first American newspaper, the American Minerva, is
     established by Noah Webster
   * 1824 - Battle of Ayacucho - Peru defeats Spain
   * 1835 - The Army of the Republic of Texas captures San Antonio
   * 1851 - First YMCA in North America established in Montreal, Quebec
   * 1861 - Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War created by the United
     States Congress
   * 1872 - P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first serving African American
     governor of a U.S. state
   * 1888 - Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United
     States War Department
   * 1931 - Spain becomes a republic
   * 1940 - British Army attacks Italian forces in North Africa
   * 1941 - China declares war on Japan, Germany, and Italy.
   * 1950 - Harry Gold sentenced to thirty years in jail for stealing United
     States nuclear weapon secrets for the Soviet Union
   * 1958 - John Birch Society founded.
   * 1961 - Adolf Eichmann found guilty of war crimes in Israel
   * 1962 - Tanganyika becomes a republic
   * 1963 - Zanzibar becomes independent
   * 1987 - First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank
   * 1990 - Lech Walesa becomes the first directly elected president of
     Poland.
   * 1992 - Separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is announced.
   * 1992 - US Marines land in Somalia.

Births:

   * 1594 - King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (+ 1632)
   * 1608 - John Milton, poet, writer (+ 1674)
   * 1842 - Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist
   * 1848 - Joel Chandler Harris, author (+ 1908)
   * 1876 - Berton Churchill, pioneer Hollywood actor (+ 1940)
   * 1878 - Grand Duke Michael Romanov, Russian royalty (+ 1918)
   * 1885 - Grete Wiesenthal, dancer and choreographer (+ 1970)
   * 1886 - Clarence Birdseye, frozen food pioneer (+ 1956)
   * 1897 - Hermione Gingold, actress (+ 1987)
   * 1898 - Emmett Kelly, circus clown (+ 1979)
   * 1899 - Jean de Brunhoff, author (+ 1937)
   * 1901 - …dšn von Horv‡th, dramatist and narrator (+ 1938)
   * 1902 - Margaret Hamilton, actress (+ 1985)
   * 1905 - Dalton Trumbo, writer, member of the "Hollywood Ten" (+ 1976)
   * 1906 - Grace Murray Hopper, computer pioneer (+ 1992)
   * 1909 - Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actor (+ 2000)
   * 1911 - Broderick Crawford, actor (+ 1986)
   * 1911 - Lee J. Cobb, actor
   * 1912 - Tip O'Neill, former speaker of the United States House of
     Representatives (+ 1994)
   * 1915 - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, opera singer
   * 1916 - Kirk Douglas, actor and film producer
   * 1922 - Redd Foxx, comedian, actor (+ 1991)
   * 1928 - Dick Van Patten, actor
   * 1929 - John Cassavetes, actor and film director (+ 1989)
   * 1930 - Buck Henry, actor, comedian, writer, director, producer
   * 1933 - Morton Downey Jr., talk show host (+ 2001)
   * 1934 - Dame Judi Dench actress
   * 1934 - Junior Wells, musician (+ 1998)
   * 1938 - Deacon Jones, American football star
   * 1941 - Beau Bridges, actor
   * 1941 - Dan Hicks, musician
   * 1942 - Dick Butkus, American football player
   * 1943 - Rick Danko, musician (The Band)
   * 1947 - Steve Owens, football player
   * 1947 - Tom Daschle, American politician
   * 1950 - Joan Armatrading, singer
   * 1953 - John Malkovich, actor
   * 1957 - Donny Osmond, entertainer
   * 1969 - Jakob Dylan, musician
   * 1972 - Tre Cool, musician (Green Day)

Deaths:

   * 1930 - Andrew "Rube" Foster, pioneer of Negro League baseball
   * 1937 - Nils Gustaf DalŽn, engineer, physicist
   * 1965 - Branch Rickey, baseball commissioner
   * 1971 - Ralph Bunche, diplomat
   * 1972 - Louella Parsons, gossip columnist
   * 1996 - Mary Leakey, archeologist, anthropologist
   * 1998 - Archie Moore, boxer

Holidays and Observances:

   * Roman Empire - Opalia held in honor of Ops