Happy pre finals week to all! We are just 11 days away from the end of the semester, and even fewer remain for those lucky few. As the days until the end of the semester dwindle, I have, like many (most) of us, lost almost all sense of creativity. Instead of riddling you with the quintessential “finals survival guide,” I thought it would be nice to acknowledge some events that took place on this day in history. In the lull of my studies I came across a website that lists events in chronological order that took place Dec. 9. I apologize for slapping all of you studying for history finals with even more dates. In case some of these events ever happen to show up on trivia, you’re welcome.
1793 — Noah Webster establishes New York's 1st daily newspaper, American Minerva.
1926 — USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs.
1941 — Hitler orders US ships torpedoed.
1953 — General Electric announces all communist employees will be fired.
1963 — Frank Sinatra Jr. is kidnapped.
1965 — "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres.
1967 — Jim Morrison arrested on stage for disturbing the peace.
1968 — KRNE TV channel 12 in Merriman, NB (PBS) begins broadcasting.
1968 — NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
1978 — The first game of Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), Chicago Hustle vs. Milwaukee Does.
1983 — United States performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
1985 — Phoenix Arizona, gets 3" of snow (Hmm…).
1987 — Larry Bird ends streak of 59 consecutive free throws.
1988 — New York Yankees sign 12-year television contract with MSG for $500M.
1989 — "Les Miserables" opens at Princess Theatre, Melbourne.
1993 — "My Fair Lady" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 165 performances.
2005 — "Brokeback Mountain," starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, is released.
2013 — No. 89 jersey (Ditka) is retired by the Chicago Bears.
Also, a happy 56th birthday to Donny Osmond!
But wait! There are many other events listed that I did not mention due to my limited word count. If you would like to inquire more about Dec. 9 or any other day of the year, you can check out the site, http://www.brainyhistory.com/days for yourself.
What's up, December 9th?
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
