This Week in History: December 6th – 12th

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

 

#1 Box Office Movies

This Week in History

  • December 6th
    • 1865- The 13th Amendment, which officially ended the institution of slavery, is ratified. (United States)
    • 1884- Washington Monument is completed. (United States)
    • 1917- The Bolsheviks imprison Czar Nicholas II and his family in Tobolsk. (World)
    • 1969- Hells Angels, hired to provide security at a Rolling Stones concert in California, beats to death Meredith Hunter, concert-goer, and the hippie movement is never the same. (United States)
  • December 7th
    • 1787- Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. (United States)
    • 1836- The first Wisconsin counties are formed by the Territorial Legislature. (Wisconsin)
    • 1941- The Japanese launch a surprise attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, leading the U.S. to join the Allied cause during WWII. (United States/World)
    • 1972- American astronaut Eugene Andrew Cernan commands the last crewed flight to the Moon, effectively ending the Apollo program once they return from space. (United States)
  • December 8th
    • 1980- John Lennon is shot and killed by an obsessed fan outside his New York City apartment building. (World)
    • 1993- NAFTA is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. (United States/World)
    • 2010- SpaceX becomes the first commercial company to release a spacecraft into orbit and then successfully return it to Earth with its Dragon capsule. (United States/World)
  • December 9th
    • 1844- The first daily newspaper in Milwaukee is published as The Daily Sentinel. (Wisconsin)
    • 1965- The animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas, now widely considered a holiday classic, is first aired on American television. (United States)
    • 2008- Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is arrested on federal charges, some of them related to an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama to the highest bidder. (United States)
  • December 10th
    • 1869- Wyoming grants women the right to vote. (United States)
    • 1948- The General Assembly of the United Nations adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (World)
    • 1967- A twin-engine Beechcraft plane carrying Otis Redding crashes into Lake Monona in Madison, killing Redding and four members of his touring band. (Wisconsin/United States)
  • December 11th
    • 1941- Germany declares war on the U.S. (United States/World)
    • 1961- First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam. (United States/World)
    • 2008- Bernie Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in what is called a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. (United States)
  • December 12th
    • 1770- British soldiers responsible for the ‘Boston Massacre’ are acquitted on murder charges. (United States)
    • 1977- Saturday Night Fever had its world premiere. (United States/World)
    • 2000- The U.S. Supreme Court effectively awards the 2000 Presidential Election to George W. Bush, ending any recounts still being conducted in Florida. (United States)

Recommended Reading Related to Movies/Historical Happenings: