Historical Events
1575 – Polish Parliament selects Istvan Bathory as king of Poland
1918 – Sinn Féin candidates win 73 of 105 Irish seats in UK general election, though all will refuse to take seats in Westminster, instead meeting at a Dail Eireann in Dublin
1969 – Jackson Five make their 1st appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
1971 – U.S. premiere of “Nicholas and Alexandra”, film adaptation of Robert K. Massie’s best selling novel
2012 – 28 people, including 20 children, are shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
2020 – US Electoral College votes 306-232 to officially affirm Joe Biden’s presidential election victory
Famous Birthdays
1915 – Ruth Railton, British musical director (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, 1948-65), born in Kent, England (d. 2001)
1919 – Felix the Cat, anthropomorphic cartoon character created in the silent film era by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer
1950 – Vicki Michelle, English actress (Virgin Witch, Allo Allo), born in Chigwell, England
1964 – C. J. Snare, American vocalist (Firehouse-Love of a Lifetime), born in Washington, D.C.
1973 – Thuy Trang, Vietnamese-American actress (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), born in Saigon, Vietnam (d. 2001)
1977 – Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Colombian-Austrian conductor (Houston Symphony, 2014-22; Frankfurt Radio Symphony, 2005-2021), born in Medellín, Colombia
Famous Deaths
1799 – George Washington, American Founding Father, military leader who commanded Continental Army during War for Independence, first President of the United States (1789-97), dies at 66
1823 – Vincenzo Cuoco, Italian historian (Naples Revolution 1799), dies at 53
1906 – Jean Abraham Chrétien Oudemans, Dutch geographer and astronomer, dies at 78
1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish politician (7th President of Finland 1946-56), dies at 86
1966 – Verna Felton, American actress (Hilda-December Bride), dies at 76
2015 – Lillian Vernon, American founder and CEO of the Lillian Vernon Corporation (first company listed on US stock exchange started by a woman), dies at 88