This Day in History

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December 30

There is 1 day remaining in 2016.

Tomorrow, the 366th day of the year, is the last day of 2016.


Events

1066 – Granada massacre: A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city.

1702 – Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.

1813 – War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York (all but four buildings are destroyed).

1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis (1816) between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed.

1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis (1825), between the United States and the Shawnee Nation, is proclaimed.

1853 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.

1903 – In the deadliest single-building fire in United States history, the Iroquois Theatre fire claimed over 600 lives in Chicago.

1916 – Russian mystic and advisor to the Tsar, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, was murdered by a loyalist group led by Prince Felix Yusupov. His frozen, partially-trussed body was discovered in a Moscow river three days later.

1919 – Lincoln's Inn in London, England, UK admits its first female bar student.

1922 – The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.

1936 – The United Auto Workers union stages its first sitdown strike.

1962 - Singer Brenda Lee was hurt when she attempted to rescue her poodle, Cee Cee, from her burning house. Cee Cee later died of smoke inhalation.

1965 – Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.

1999 - George Harrison and his wife Olivia were attacked when an intruder broke into their home, Friar Park, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Olivia beat off the attacker with a poker and heavy lamp. Harrison who was stabbed in the chest was admitted to hospital and treated for a collapsed lung and various minor stab wounds (over 40 stab wounds). His wife, Olivia, was treated for cuts and bruises she had suffered in the struggle with the intruder. Police later arrested Michael Abram from Liverpool who had nursed an irrational obsession with The Beatles.

2002 - Diana Ross was arrested for drunk driving by the Arizona highway patrol after a motorist called to report a swerving vehicle. When asked to walk in a straight line she fell over, could not count to 30, or balance on one foot. Police said the singer was twice over the drunk driving limit with a blood-alcohol level of 0.20, the legal limit is 0.08.

2005 – Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.

2006 – The Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks in a storm, resulting in at least 400 deaths.

2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed. And there was much rejoicing.

Births

39 – Titus; 1851 – Asa Griggs Candler (co-founded Coca-Cola Company); 1865 – Rudyard Kipling; 1911 – Jeanette Nolan(The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Big Heat); 1914 – Bert Parks; 1920 – Jack Lord (Hawaii Five-O (original)); 1925 – Ian MacNaughton (director/producer Monty Python); 1928 – Bo Diddley; 1931 – Skeeter Davis♪ ♫; 1934 – Joseph Bologna; 1934 – Del Shannon♪ ♫; 1935 – Sandy Koufax; 1935 – Jack Riley (The Bob Newhart Show); 1937 – John Hartford; 1937 – Paul Stookey♪ ♫(Peter, Paul, & Mary); 1939 – Felix Pappalardi(Mountain); 1942 – Michael Nesmith♪ ♫(The Monkees)[Interesting note: Nesmith wrote the song "Different Drum" which was a hit for The Stone Poneys, with Linda Ronstadt on lead vocals. I did not know that was Ronstadt singing that song.]; 1945 – Davy Jones♪ ♫(The Monkees); 1946 – Clive Bunker(Jethro Tull); 1946 – Patti Smith♪ ♫; 1947 – Jeff Lynne(Electric Light Orchestra); 1953 – Meredith Vieira; 1956 – Suzy Bogguss♪ ♫; 1956 – Sheryl Lee Ralph (The Distinguished Gentleman); 1957 – Matt Lauer; 1959 – Tracey Ullman; 1961 – Sean Hannity; 1961 – Ben Johnson; 1965 – Heidi Fleiss; 1975 – Tiger Woods; 1977 – Laila Ali; 1978 – Tyrese Gibson♪ ♫; 1980 – Eliza Dushku; 1983 – Kevin Systrom (co-founded Instagram); 1984 – LeBron James; 1992 – Carson Wentz

Deaths

1916 – Grigori Rasputin; 1970 – Sonny Liston; 1979 – Richard Rodgers♪ ♫; 1993 – Irving "Swifty" Lazar; 1996 – Lew Ayres; 2000 – Julius J. Epstein (co-scripted Casablanca); 2004 – Artie Shaw♪ ♫; 2005 – Rona Jaffe; 2006 – Saddam Hussein