United States Government Breaks Up The AT&T Bell System – 1984

The 1984 Bell System divestiture that brought an end to the affiliation branded as the Bell System was the result of a lawsuit alleging illegal practices by the Bell System.

The lawsuit alleged that AT&T and its Bell System operating companies were using its near monopoly in telecommunications to attempt to establish allegedly unfair advantage in related technologies, especially the fledgling computer industry. AT&T Corp. settled the suit and agreed to divest (”spin off”) its local exchange service operating companies in return for a chance to go into the Internet services industry. AT&T Corp.’s local operations were split into seven independent Regional Bell Operating Companies known as “Baby Bells.” RBOCs were originally known as Regional Holding Companies, or RHCs.

American Boxer Sonny Liston Died – 1970

Charles L. “Sonny” Liston was one of the most powerful punchers in the history of the heavyweight division.

He won several tournaments, including Golden Gloves as an amateur and made his professional debut by knocking out Don Smith in the first round on September 2, 1953.

Liston did not get a shot at world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson until September 25 1962, and became world champion by knocking out Patterson in the first round. In their rematch on July 22, 1963, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fight lasted two seconds longer than their first fight, with Liston once again knocking out Patterson in the first round. Liston lost his title when he faced a young contender named Cassius Clay in Miami on February 25, 1964. The cause of Liston’s death remains a mystery. The police declared it a heroin overdose, yet Liston was known to have a phobia regarding needles.

American Actor Ted Danson Born – 1947

Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor notable for his television work though he has also been featured in numerous films.

Danson was born in San Diego, California, and raised near Flagstaff, Arizona. In 1961, he was sent to Kent School where he was a basketball star. He became interested in drama while attending Stanford University. He transferred to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama in 1968. In 1982, Danson was cast in his most recognizable role, as ex-baseball player and bartender Sam Malone on the hit sitcom Cheers. The show ran from 1982 to 1993. He went on to star in the equaly successful CBS sitcom Becker, which ran from 1998-2004.

Jazz Pianist Bill Evans Records The Album Portrait In Jazz – 1959

William John Evans (better known as Bill Evans) was one of the most famous and influential American jazz pianists of 20th-century. His use of impressionist harmony, his inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and his syncopated and polyrhythmic melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists.

In December 1959, eight months after his successful collaboration with Miles Davis on the album Kind of Blue, Evans recorded Portrait in Jazz with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. This group has since become one of the most acclaimed piano trios of all time. With this group, Evans’s focus settled on traditional jazz standards and original compositions, with an added emphasis on interplay among the band members that often bordered on collective improvisation and blurred the line between soloist and accompanist.

Spain Becomes A Democracy After 40 Years Of Dictatorship – 1978

Following the death of the Dictator General Franco in 1975 and the dismantling of the Francoist régime, the Spanish State ceased to exist.

Spain was reconstituted as the Kingdom of Spain, a democratic parliamentary monarchy, where the head of state reigns, but does not rule. Prince Juan Carlos assumed the position of king and head of state. The culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy is the Spanish Constitution of 1978 approved by the Cortes Generales on October 31, 1978, and by the Spanish people in a referendum on December 6, 1978, before being promulgated by King Juan Carlos on December 27, and came into effect on December 29, the day it was published in the Official Gazette. Constitution Day on December 6 has since been a national holiday in Spain.

33rd President Of The United States Harry S. Truman Died – 1972

Harry S. Truman was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945-1953). As vice president, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Truman, whose demeanor was very different from that of the patrician Roosevelt, was a folksy, unassuming president. He popularized such phrases as “The buck stops here” and “If you can’t stand the heat, you better get out of the kitchen.” He overcame the low expectations of many political observers who compared him (unfavorably) with his highly regarded predecessor. Truman’s presidency was eventful in both domestic and foreign affairs with numerous notable achievements. On December 5, 1972, he was admitted to Kansas City’s Research Hospital and Medical Center with lung congestion from pneumonia. He subsequently developed multiple organ failure and died at 7:50 a.m. on December 26.

White House Gate Crash Prompts Security Review – 1974

On December 25, 1974, Marshall Fields crashed his Chevrolet Impala into the Northwest Gate of the White House complex.

Dressed in Arab clothing, Fields claimed that he was the Messiah and that he was laden with explosives. He drove up to the North Portico and positioned himself only several feet from the front door. After four hours of negotiations, Fields surrendered. The explosives he claimed to be in possession of were discovered to be flares. President Gerald Ford and his family were not home at the time. Along with an intrusion by Robert K. Preston in February of the same year, this incident sparked a security review by the U.S. Secret Service.

Fully Loaded Passenger Train Plunges Into River At Tangiwai, NZ – 1953

The Tangiwai disaster on December 24, 1953, was the worst rail accident in New Zealand. The overnight North Island Main Trunk express train from Wellington to Auckland, hauled by steam locomotive KA 949, fell into the Whangaehu River.

The bridge over the river had been badly damaged just minutes earlier by a lahar from the eruption of Mount Ruapehu. The damage inflicted by the lahar washed away one entire span and left only the rails with no support between the remaining concrete piers. When the train ran onto the bridge, the rails were incapable of supporting its weight and buckled in the middle sending the train into the river. Of 285 people on board, 151 died.

Greek Submarine Papanikolis Sinks Italian Ship Antonietta – 1940

Y-2 Papanikolis, together with its sister ship, Katsonis, were Greek submarines ordered after the First World War.

It was built at the Chantiers de la Loire shipyards between 1925-27, and commissioned into the Hellenic Navy on 21 December 1927. Despite her age and mechanical problems, she participated in the 1940-41 Greco-Italian War under the command of Lt Cdr Miltiadis Iatridis, carrying out six war patrols in the Adriatic. During one of these, on 23 December 1940, she sank the small Italian motor ship Antonietta, and, on the next day, the 3,952-ton troop carrier Firenze near Sazan Island. After the German invasion of April 1941, together with the rest of the fleet, Papanikolis fled to the Middle East, from where she would operate during the next three years.

General McAuliffe’s Reply To German Surrender Ultimatum “NUTS!” – 1944

General Anthony Clement McAuliffe was the United States Army general who commanded the defending 101st Airborne troops during the Battle of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

At Bastogne the 101st was put under siege by a far-larger force of Germans under the command of General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz, who soon demanded that the Americans surrender. McAuliffe sent back to Lüttwitz his now-famous reply: “NUTS!” The 101st was able to hold off the German assault until the 4th Armored Division arrived to provide reinforcement. For his actions at Bastogne, McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Patton on December 30, 1944, followed later by the Distinguished Service Medal.

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