50+ Lifestyles

December – This Month in History

By Eloise Graham

75 years ago – 1937
Dec. 1 Japan recognizes Franco government
Dec. 7 Dutch Minister Romme proclaims married women are forbidden to work
Dec. 7 Red Sox acquire the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams
Dec. 11 Italy withdraws from League of Nations
Dec. 12 Washington Redskins win NFL championship
Dec. 22 Lincoln Tunnel (NYC) opens to traffic
Dec. 25 Arturo Toscanini conducts 1st Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio
Dec. 27 German immigration officials with no explanation bar Juan Carlos Zabala (Arg), 1932 Olympic marathon champion, from entering Germany
Dec. 27 Mae West performs Adam & Eve skit that gets her banned from NBC radio
Dec. 29 Lou Thesz beats E Marshall in St Louis, to become wrestling champ

50 years ago – 1962
Dec. 3 Edith Spurlock Sampson sworn – in as first US black female judge
Dec. 4 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Dec. 6 US abandons Skybolt balastic missile program
Dec. 7 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Dec. 12 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Dec. 13 Relay 1 communication satellite launched
Dec. 14 Mariner 2 makes 1st US fly-by of another planet (Venus)
Dec. 16 David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” premieres
Dec. 16 Nepal gets constitution/becomes Constitutional Hindu Monarchy
Dec. 17 Beatles first British TV appearance (People & Places)
Dec. 21 U.S. and Cuba accord, releases bay of pigs captive
Dec. 22 1,000,000th NBA point scored
Dec. 30 Green Bay Packers beat NY Giants 16-7 in NFL championship game
Dec. 31 American Basketball League announces suspension of operation
Dec. 31 Ohio ends suit against Reds when they agree to stay in Cin for 10 yrs

25 years ago – 1987
Dec. 1 Digging begins to link England & France under English Channel
Dec. 5 53rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Brown, Notre Dame (WR)
Dec. 6 Three satanist Missouri teenagers bludgeon comrade to death for “fun”
Dec. 7 43 die in Pacific Southwest Airline crash in California (man shot pilots)
Dec. 7 Gorbachev arrives in US for a summit meeting
Dec. 7 Palestinian uprising against Israel in West Bank
Dec. 8 Flyers’ Ron Hextall becomes 1st goalie to actually score a goal
Dec. 8 Occupied Palestinians start “intefadeh” (uprising) against Israel
Dec. 8 President Reagan & Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev sign a treaty eliminating medium range nuclear missiles
Dec. 9 Larry Bird, ends streak of 59 consecutive free throws
Dec. 12 Rollermania at Madison Square Garden, Eastern Express beats Midwest Pioneers
Dec. 16 Roh Tae Woo elected president of South Korea
Dec. 20 Dona Paz ferry sinks after crash with oil tanker Vector, 4,386 die
Dec. 23 Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, serving a life sentence for attempted assassination of Pres. Gerald R Ford escapes from Alderson Prison
Dec. 25 Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, who escaped two days earlier, recaptured

Enjoy December and I’ll see you next year!