Good morning, it’s Tuesday, December 18, the 352nd day of 2007. There are 13 days left in the year. After a cool start, the day should be sunny and warmer with highs in the 60s.
Christmas is just a week away, and it’s the 115th anniversary of the public premiere of Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" in St. Petersburg, Russia.
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This month’s photo:
German immigrants built the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia more than a century ago. It’s one of the largest wooden church buildings in Texas. The photo was taken by Thomas Rinard of Waco and was selected for the 2007 KWTX Hometown Calendar. Click here for information about the 2008 KWTX Hometown Calendar.
What’s Going On Today
Click Here To Check The Community Calendar For Today’s Events In Central Texas
Today's Highlight in Local History:
Texas’ Congress—170 years ago today—raised the cost of mail to 12.5 cents for delivery distances of 40 miles, 25 cents for 100 miles and 50 cents for longer routes.
Today's Highlight in History:
On December 18, 1944, in a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans (Korematsu v. United States), but also said undeniably loyal
Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained (Ex parte Endo).
On This Date:
In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was declared in effect.
In 1892, Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" publicly premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.)
In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the first nuclear facility to generate electricity in the United States, went on line. (It was taken out of service in 1982.)
In 1957, the World War II epic "The Bridge on the River Kwai" opened in New York.
In 1969, Britain's Parliament permanently abolished the death penalty for murder.
In 1972, the United States began heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets during the Vietnam War. (The bombardment ended 11 days later.)
In 1980, former Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin died at age 76.
In 1987, Ivan F. Boesky was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a major Wall Street insider-trading scandal. (Boesky served about two years of his sentence).
Ten years ago:
President Clinton extended indefinitely the deadline for withdrawal of U.S. troops helping with the U.N. peacekeeping effort in Bosnia. Onetime dissident Kim Dae-jung of South Korea was elected the country's president. Fired California highway employee Arturo Reyes Torres shot and killed four people at a maintenance yard before being killed by police. Comedian Chris
Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment; he was 33.
Five years ago:
Embattled Senate Republican leader Trent Lott sustained a double-barreled setback as Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee broke ranks to call for a change in party leadership and Secretary of State Colin Powell forcefully criticized Lott's controversial remarks on race. Robert Johnson, the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television, was chosen as owner of the NBA's new Charlotte expansion franchise.
One year ago:
Robert Gates was sworn in as defense secretary. President Bush signed legislation to let America share its nuclear know-how and fuel with India. The NBA suspended seven players for their roles in a brawl between Denver and New York; each team was fined $500,000. Animator Joe Barbera died in Los Angeles at age 95.
Today's Birthdays:
Television writer-producer Hal Kanter is 89. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark is 80. Actor Roger Smith is 75. Blues musician Lonnie Brooks is 74. Rock singer-musician Keith Richards is 64. Writer-director Alan Rudolph is 64. Movie producer-director Steven Spielberg is 61. Blues artist Ron Piazza is 60. Movie director Gillian Armstrong is 57. Movie reviewer Leonard Maltin is 57. Rock musician Elliot Easton is 54. Actor Ray Liotta is 52. Actor Brad Pitt is 44. Country singer Tracy Byrd is 41. Actress Rachel Griffiths is 39. Singer Alejandro Sanz is 39. Country/rap singer Cowboy Troy is 37. Rapper DMX is 37. Tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is 36. DJ Lethal (Limp Bizkit) is 35. Actress Katie Holmes is 29. Singer Christina Aguilera is 27. Christian rock musician Dave Luetkenhoelter (Kutless) is 25.
Thought for Today:
"The only thing we have to fear on this planet is man." - Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist (1875-1961).
(Source: Associated Press)
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