This Week in History: December 20th – 26th
Welcome to this week’s edition of the staff blog’s ‘This Week in History!’ You will find historical facts, happenings, and associated books; #1 box office movies; and #1 NY Times best sellers from years gone by, all with book recommendations included based on each topic. This will be a weekly feature, so make sure to check out each week’s posting! NOTE: Click on any of the below book/movie titles to be taken to them in our online Café catalog!
NY Times Fiction Bestsellers
- 1945 (75 years ago): The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain
- 1970 (50 years ago): Love Story by Erich Segal
- 1985 (35 years ago): The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
- 1995 (25 years ago): The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
- 2010 (10 years ago): Port Mortuary by Patricia Cornwell
- 2015 (5 years ago): The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
#1 Box Office Movies
- 1970 (50 years ago): Scrooge
- 1985 (35 years ago): Rocky IV
- 1995 (25 years ago): Waiting to Exhale
- 2000 (20 years ago): Castaway
- 2010 (10 years ago): Little Fockers
- 2015 (5 years ago): Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This Week in History
- December 20th
- 1860- South Carolina becomes the first U.S. state to secede from the Union, the action that triggers the start of the U.S. Civil War. (United States)
- 1946- Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life premieres for the very first time in American theaters. (United States)
- 1957- Elvis Presley is drafted into the U.S. Army at the peak of his career. (United States)
- December 21st
- 1913- The New York World publishes the first modern crossword puzzle. (United States/World)
- 1945- U.S. General George Patton dies following an automobile accident in Germany. (United States/World)
- 1988- Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland because of a terrorist bombing.
- 2012- The music video for South Korean singer Psy’s humorous pop song ‘Gangnam Style’ becomes the first video on YouTube to reach one billion views. (World)
- December 22nd
- 1978- John Wayne Gacy confesses to dozens of murders. (United States)
- 1984- Bernhard Goetz shoots four youths on the subway in New York City, triggering one of the most infamous criminal cases in America. (United States)
- 2010- U.S. President Barack Obama signs legislation to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ the police regarding the service of homosexuals in the U.S. military. (United States)
- December 23rd
- 1620- Construction of Plymouth settlement, the first permanent European settles in New England, begins. (United States)
- 1783- George Washington resigns as commander in chief of the Continental Army and retires to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. (United States)
- 1888- Vincent Van Gogh chops off his ear. (World)
- December 24th
- 1814- The War of 1812 formally ends as the Treaty of Ghent is signed between the US and Britain. (United States/World)
- 1857- The first graduating high school class in the state of Wisconsin graduates, consisting of ten students from Racine High School. (Wisconsin)
- 1923- President Calvin Coolidge lights first national Christmas tree. (United States)
- 1979- The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. (World)
- December 25th
- 1776- General George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River deep into the night and surprises the British at Trenton, New Jersey, ultimately winning what will become known as the Battle of Trenton. (United States)
- 1941- Bing Crosby introduces “White Christmas” to the American public for the very first time. (United States)
- 2006- American singer and songwriter James Brown dies at the age of 73. (United States)
- December 26th
- 1963- The Beatles release their single ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ with ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ on the B-side in the United States. It is largely credited with launching Beatlemania in the United States. (United States/World)
- 1966- Kwanzaa is celebrated for the first time throughout the United States. (United States)
- 2004- A large earthquake shook the Indian Ocean floor west of the island of Sumatra, triggering an enormous tsunami that swamped coastal areas from Thailand to Africa and killed more than 200,000 people. (World)
Recommended Reading Related to Movies/Historical Happenings:
- Madness Rules the Hour: Charleston, 1860, and the Mania for War by Paul Starobin
- Elvis Presley, Reluctant Rebel: His Life and Our Times by Glen Jeansonne
- Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can’t Live Without Them by Adrienne Raphel
- I Marched with Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army’s Greatest Generals by Frank Sisson
- The Forgotten Flight: Terrorism, Diplomacy, and the Pursuit of Justice by Stuart H. Newberger
- John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster by Sam L. Amirante
- Fighting to Serve: Behind the Scenes in the War to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ by Alexander Nicholslon
- The World of Plymouth Plantation by Carla Gardina Pestana
- General Washington’s Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783 by Stanley Weintraub
- Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art, edited by David Bomford
- The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle for Prairie du Chien by Mary Elise Antoine
- Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou
- The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan by Gregory Feifer
- Washington’s Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution by Patrick K. O’Donnell
- Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star, The War Years, 1940-1946 by Gary Giddins
- The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by R.J. Smith
- In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs, edited by Andrew Blauner
- Kwanzaa: From Holiday to Everyday: A Complete Guide for Making Kwanzaa a Part of Your Life by Maitefa Angaza
- Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala