This date marks the anniversary of when Napoleon took the crown from the hands of the Pope at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1805, placing it upon his own head, effectively crowning himself the Emperor of France. The Monroe Doctrine was declared on this day in 1823. It was on this day in 1859 that abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harper's Ferry. This date also marks the anniversary of the Russians making a deal with the Central Powers in 1917 during World War I, as the Revolution there was coming to a head. It is also the anniversary of the first nuclear chain reaction in 1942, which it is safe to say, changed the direction of world history - whether for the better or worse, is open for debate. McCarthyism finally began to decline in the United States on this day in 1954. Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist on this day in 1961, promising that he would lead Cuba to revolution. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency came to fruition on this date, in 1970. A historical event which I can specifically remember occured on this day in 2001: the scandalous collapse of Enron, when it filed for bankruptcy. Finally on this day in 2010, NASA announced the discovery of a new arsenic-based life form.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
1804 - Napoleon was crowned emperor of France at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. 1816 - The first savings bank in the U.S., the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business. 1823 - U.S. President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere. 1901 - Gillette patented the KC Gillette Razor. It was first razor to feature a permanent handle and disposable double-edge razor blades. 1917 - During World War I, hostilities were suspended on the eastern front. 1927 - The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model A automobile. It was the successor to the Model T. 1939 - New York's La Guardia Airport began operations as an airliner from Chicago landed at 12:01 a.m. 1942 - A self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated by Dr. Enrico Fermi and his staff at the University of Chicago. 1943 - "Carmen Jones" opened on Broadway. 1954 - The U.S. Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy for what it called "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute." The censure was related to McCarthy's controversial investigation of suspected communists in the U.S. government, military and civilian society. 1961 - Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared in a nationally broadcast speech that he was a Marxist-Leninist and that he was going to lead Cuba to communism. 1969 - The Boeing 747 jumbo jet got its first public preview as 191 people flew from Seattle, WA, to New York City, NY. Most of the passengers were reporters and photographers. 1970 - The Environmental Protection Agency began operating under its first director, William Ruckelshaus. 1980 - The Central Committee of Poland’s Communist Party announced major Politburo changes. The changes were apparently aimed at coping with labor unrest. 1982 - Doctors at the University of Utah implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Barney Clark. He lived 112 days with the device. The operation was the first of its kind. 1985 - A Philippine civilian court acquitted armed forces chief Gen. Fabian C. Ver of charges related to the 1983 shooting death of opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino. 25 other defendants were also acquitted. 1988 - Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan. 1989 - V.P. Singh was sworn in as prime minister of India. 1990 - Chancellor Hekmut Kohl's coalition won the first free all-German elections since 1932. 1990 - The Midwest section of the U.S. prepared for a massive earthquake predicted by Iben Browning. Nothing happened. 1991 - American hostage Joseph Cicippio was released by his kidnappers. He had been held captive in Lebanon for over five years. 1992 - Germany's lower house of parliament voted in favor of the Maastricht Treaty on European unity. 1993 - Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin. 1993 - The space shuttle Endeavor blasted off on a mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. 1994 - The U.S. government agreed not to seek a recall of allegedly fire-prone General Motors pickup trucks. Instead a deal was made with GM under which the company would spend more than $51 million on safety and research. 1995 - NASA launched a U.S.-European observatory on a $1 billion dollar mission intended to study the sun. 1997 - U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to seek an independent counsel investigation of telephone fund-raising by President Clinton and Vice President Gore. It was concluded that they had not violated election laws. 1998 - Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates donated $100 million to help immunize children in developing countries. 1999 - The British government transferred political power over the province of Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive. 2001 - Enron Corp. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. The filing came five days after Dynegy walked away from a $8.4 billion buyout. It was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. 2010 - NASA announced the discovery of a new arsenic-based life form.
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII. 1823 President James Monroe outlined his famous doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere. 1859 Abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harper's Ferry. 1942 The first controlled nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated at the University of Chicago. 1954 The Senate voted to condemn Republican senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute." 1970 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. 1982 Barney B. Clark became the first person to receive an artificial heart in a transplant operation. 1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head an Muslim nation. 1990 Composer Aaron Copland died at age 90. 1999 A Protestant and Catholic cabinet convened for the first time in Northern Ireland. 2001 Enron Corp., under CEO Kenneth Lay, filed for bankruptcy.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/dec02.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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