On This Day: December 23 On Dec. 23, 1986, the experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California. On Dec. 23, 1867, Sarah Breedlove Walker, the American businesswoman and philanthropist considered to be the first black female millionaire , was born. Following her death on May 25, 1919, her obituary appeared in The Times. 1783 George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Va. 1788 Maryland passed an act to cede a parcel of land for the seat of the national government, part of which later became the District of Columbia. 1823 The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore was first published, in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel. 1941 American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese during World War II. 1948 Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo. 1972 The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second touchdown catch by Franco Harris that was dubbed the immaculate reception. 1995 A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the childrens school. 1997 A federal jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. 2003 The government announced the first suspected case of mad cow disease in United States. 2003 A jury in Chesapeake, Va., sentenced teen sniper Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison, sparing him the death penalty. 2004 Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland pleaded guilty to a corruption charge. (He served 10 months in prison.) 2009 The parents who pulled the balloon boy hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show, were sentenced to jail by a judge in Fort Collins, Colo.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:31:57 +0000
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