On This Day December 20th

 OTD

December 20th is the 354th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 11 days remain until the end of the year.

 Events

1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after the Third Crusade.

1803 – The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.

1860 – South Carolina became the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.

1915 – World War I: The last Australian troops were evacuated from Gallipoli.

1940 – Captain America Comics #1, containing the first appearance of the superhero Captain America, is published.

1946 – It's a Wonderful Life premieres at the Globe Theatre in New York to mixed reviews.

1951 – The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho, became the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity—the electricity-powered four light bulbs.

1989 – The United States' invasion of Panama deposes Manuel Noriega.

2007 – Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days.

2007 – Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days.

 Birthdays

1792 – Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, French painter and educator (d. 1845)

1841 – Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)

1868 – Harvey Samuel Firestone, American businessman, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (d. 1938)

1881 – Branch Rickey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)

1902 – Sidney Hook, American philosopher and author (d. 1989)

1922 – Beverly Pepper, American sculptor and painter (d. 2020)

1932 – John Hillerman, American actor (d. 2017)

1942 – Bob Hayes, American sprinter and football player (d. 2002)

1945 – Peter Criss, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer

1958 – James Thomson, American biologist and academic

1980 – Ashley Cole, English footballer

1997 – Suzuka Nakamoto, Japanese singer

 Holiday Spotlight

Sacagawea Day

  Sacagawea was born in May 1788 in the Lemhi Valley, near the Salmon River and the Rocky Mountains, in present-day Lemhi County, Idaho. She was kidnapped at the age of 12 by enemies of the Shoshones, the ‘Hidatsa’ tribe, and was taken to a Hidatsa-Mandan settlement in North Dakota. Sacagawea then became the property of French Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, who took her as one of his wives in 1804. The name ‘Sacagawea’ has been disputed over time as some believe it is of Hidatsa origin, meaning ‘bird woman,’ while others think it is of Shoshone origin, meaning ‘boat pusher.’

 President Thomas Jefferson sanctioned the Lewis and Clark expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark after purchasing 828,000 square miles of almost entirely unexplored territory from France. They met with Charbonneau and Sacagawea, who provided a language link between English, French, Hidatsa, and Shoshone, which would be useful. They journeyed with the Corps of Discovery on the northern plains, across the Rocky Mountains, to the Pacific Ocean, and back again. Sacagawea was with her two-month-old son, Jean Baptiste, and was just 16 when they left. She was the only woman on the expedition.

 Her numerous contributions to the expedition, like her knowledge of some terrain, her ability to identify edible plants, and her calming presence when the group faced strangers amongst a host of others, brought about her being celebrated today. She died of Putrid fever in December 1812 at Fort Manuel in what is now Kennel, South Dakota, at 24. Although some say she lived much longer

 Other Include

Cathode Ray Tube Day

Dot Your I's Day

Games Day

Go Caroling Day

International Human Solidarity Day

Mudd Day

National Fried Shrimp Day

National Sangria Day

Poet Laureate Day

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