Today's Puzzle
What is the difference between a hill and a pill?
What Happened On
Smallpox Eradicated
December 9, 1979
A commission of eminent scientists declare that smallpox had been eradicated. The World Health Assembly would certify its eradication the following May. This was the first time a disease was declared eradicated. The last known case was in Birmingham, England (1978) when the virus escaped from a research lab. The researcher who accidentally let it escape committed suicide. It is estimated that smallpox killed 300-500 million people in the 20th century. It was eradicated by a massive vaccination and containment program. The eradication was aided by the facts that humans are the only reservoir for smallpox infection, and that asymptomatic carriers did not exist.
Charles Manson
December 9, 1969
The cult leader Charles Manson is indicted for the murders of Sharon Tate and others committed by his followers.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
December 9, 1965
The first in a series of Peanuts television specials debuts. The show featured characters created by Charles M. Schulz, including Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and of course Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy. Nearly half of the American households that had a television set tuned in to watch. The production costs exceeded its meager budget of $76,000 by $20,000, but has earned millions as a seasonal staple of the Christmas television lineup.
The special also killed the aluminum Christmas tree fad that had been popular since the late 1950s. Within two years of the special's airing with Charlie Brown insisting on a real and not a fake tree, aluminum tree manufacturing had all but ceased.
In 2015, former child actor Peter Robbins, who voiced Charlie Brown in this and several subsequent Charlie Brown specials, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for sending threatening letters to the manager and his wife of the trailer park he lived in.
First U.S. Christmas Seals
December 9, 1907
The First U.S. Christmas Seals go on sale in the Wilmington, Delaware post office. The proceeds went to the fight against tuberculosis. At the time, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in U.S. Emily Bissel began a fundraiser in which she created a holiday seal to be sold at the post office for a penny apiece. She got the idea from a similar program to raise money for tuberculosis in Denmark.
Patterson with the first lion killed
Patterson with the first lion killed
Tsavo Man-Eaters
December 9, 1898
The first of two man-eating lions, known as the "Tsavo Man-Eaters", is killed. The two lions had been dragging Kenyan railroad construction workers from their tents at night and eating them. John Henry Patterson, the construction leader, claimed the lions had eaten about 135 men over a nine-month period. However, modern estimates put the number closer to 30. The work crews tried to scare them off, but to no avail. Eventually, so many workers fled that construction had to be halted. Patterson then began hunting the lions. He shot the first lion in the leg, but it escaped only to come back and stalk him later that night, at which time Patterson shot it through the heart killing it. The other was killed 20 days later. Patterson had the lions' skins made into floor rugs and they are now on display at the Chicago Field Museum.
The movies Bwana Devil and The Ghost and the Darkness were based on these events.
First African American Governor of a U.S. State
December 9, 1872
P. B. S. Pinchback becomes governor of Louisiana. As Senate president pro tempore, Pinchback succeeded to the position of acting lieutenant governor upon the death of Oscar Dunn (1871). In 1872, the governor was impeached. State law required him to step aside until his impeachment case was tried. Pinchback then served in his place until January 13, 1873 when his term ended. Pinchback was born to a black freed slave and her former master in Georgia.
Todd Bridges as Willis in Diff'rent Strokes
Todd Bridges as Willis in Diff'rent Strokes
Todd Bridges Sentenced for Possession of Methamphetamine and a Loaded Gun
December 9, 1993
Todd Bridges, who played Willis in TV's Diff'rent Strokes, is sentenced to one year in a live-in drug treatment program and five years probation after having pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and a loaded gun.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Announce They Are Separating
December 9, 1992
Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana announce they are separating, but have no plans for a divorce.
John Birch Society
December 9, 1958
John Birch Society is founded.
Separation of Church and State
December 9, 1905
France enacts legislation for the separation of Church and State.
Dancer Maud Allan in the role of Salomé with the head of John the Baptist
Dancer Maud Allan in the role of Salomé with the head of John the Baptist
Dance of Seven Veils
December 9, 1905
Richard Strauss' opera Salome premieres at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden. It featured the famous Dance of the Seven Veils, which is Salome's dance performed before Herod II in the Biblical story of the execution of John the Baptist.
Joseph Pulitzer Buys His First Newspaper
December 9, 1878
Joseph Pulitzer buy his first newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His will established the well-known Pulitzer Prizes.
First Formal Human Cremation in America
December 9, 1792
Henry Laurens, South Carolina, as requested in his will. He was the 5th president of the Continental Congress (1777-78).
Birthdays
Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford)
Born December 9, 1922 d. 1991
American actor. Redd Foxx is known for his role as Fred Sanford on TV's Sanford & Son (1972-77), having named his character after his brother Fred Sanford, Jr. He and LaWanda Page, who played Aunt Esther on the show, were childhood friends in St. Louis.
His character Fred Sanford was so well known for faking a heart attack and saying, "This is the big one, Elizabeth! I'm coming to join ya, honey," that when he collapsed from a real heart attack on the set of The Royal Family TV show and called out the name of his wife, the cast and crew thought he was joking around. He died later that night at the age of 68.
Redd Foxx was the only entertainer to attend Elvis Presley's wedding (1967).
Kirk Douglas (Issur Danielovitch)
Born December 9, 1916 d. 2020
American actor. He worked as a professional wrestler before making it in films.
Grace Hopper (3rd from left) at Univac I with three other programmers (1957) and log page with moth
Grace Hopper (3rd from left) at Univac I with three other programmers (1957) and log page with moth
Discovered First Computer Bug
Grace Hopper
Born December 9, 1906 d. 1992
American computer pioneer, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. While she was working on a Mark II Computer in 1947, her team discovered a moth stuck in a relay causing the computer to malfunction, causing the first "computer bug." Though the term "bug" had been used in engineering since the 1800s, this is the first recorded instance of a literal "computer bug." The moth can be seen in their log book at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. She was a pioneer in early computer languages and instrumental in the development of the computer language COBOL.
She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016).
Margaret Hamilton
Born December 9, 1902 d. 1985
American actress. Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939, also played bicycle-riding Miss Almira Gulch) - "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" During the filming of The Wizard of Oz, Hamilton received second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand while filming the wicked witch's fiery exit from Munchkinland. Her injuries required hospitalization and six weeks of recovery in her home before she could resume filming.
She also played Cora in the TV commercials for Maxwell House coffee.
Emmett Kelly
Born December 9, 1898 d. 1979
American circus clown. Known as Weary Willie, he was revolutionary for his time, as most clowns wore white face and performed stunts for laughs, Kelly wore hobo makeup and would perform skits such as trying to sweep the light from a spotlight. He performed with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1942-56) and became the mascot for the Brooklyn Dodgers after leaving Ringling Bros.
Kelly helped rescue people during the Hartford Circus Fire. A photo was taken of him in sad tramp makeup holding a bucket of water, causing the event to become known as "The Day the Clowns Cried."
Donny Osmond (Donald Clark Osmond)
Born December 9, 1957
American singer, with The Osmonds and sister Marie Osmond. Music: One Bad Apple (1971, #1), Go Away Little Girl (1971, #1), and Puppy Love (1972, #3).
TV: Donnie & Marie (1976-79) and winner of the 2009 season of Dancing with the Stars.
John Malkovich
Born December 9, 1953
American actor. Film: The Killing Fields (1984), Places in the Heart (1984), and Dangerous Liaisons (1988).
Michael Dorn as Worf
Michael Dorn as Worf
Michael Dorn
Born December 9, 1952
American actor. TV: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-94, Klingon Worf).
Dick Butkus
Born December 9, 1942 d. 2023
American football player, actor. Butkus played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1973 and was twice the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.
Beau Bridges (Lloyd Vernet Bridges III)
Born December 9, 1941
American actor. Film: The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989).
John Cassavetes
Born December 9, 1929 d. 1989
American actor. He wrote and directed Faces (1968) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
Dick Van Patten
Born December 9, 1928 d. 2015
American actor. TV: Eight is Enough (Tom the father). He is the founder of Natural Balance Pet Foods (1989).
Frank Sturgis (Frank Angelo Fiorini)
Born December 9, 1924 d. 1993
American private investigator. He was one of the five Watergate burglars (1972) whose capture led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon. He served 14 months in prison for his part.
Thomas "Tip" O'Neill
Born December 9, 1912 d. 1994
American politician, Speaker of the House.
Broderick Crawford
Born December 9, 1911 d. 1986
American Oscar-winning actor. Film: All The King's Men (1949, Oscar). TV: Highway Patrol (Dan Matthews).
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Born December 9, 1909 d. 2000
American actor. Quote: "I was only saying to the Queen the other day how I hate name dropping."
He married Mary Pickford in what was called the "Marriage of the Century".
Brace Beemer
Born December 9, 1902 d. 1965
American radio actor. Radio: The announcer for The Lone Ranger from its first radio broadcast in 1933. When the voice of the Lone Ranger, Earle Graser, died in a car accident, Beemer took over the role of The Lone Ranger character until the end of the series in 1954.
Clarence Frank Birdseye
Born December 9, 1886 d. 1956
American inventor. He created a way of deep-freezing foods, and co-founded General Foods Corp.
Joel Chandler Harris
Born December 9, 1848 d. 1908
American author, creator of Uncle Remus.
John Milton
Born December 9, 1608 d. 1674
English poet. Writings: Paradise Lost (1667) and Paradise Regained (1671).
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882
Sir Edwin Sandys
Born December 9, 1561 d. 1629
English politician, treasurer of the Virginia Company (1619-24). He financed the Mayflower expedition to the New World (1620). In 1621, he was imprisoned for suspicion of plotting to establish a republican government in America.
Deaths
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (Peter John Sheen)
Died December 9, 1979 b. 1895
American Emmy-winning Catholic evangelist. He was the first TV preacher of note. He won an Emmy as Most Outstanding TV Personality (1952).
The actor Ramón Estévez took the last name of his stage name Martin Sheen from him (Martin was from casting director, Robert Dale Martin, who gave him his first big break).
Quote: "Hearing nuns' confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn."
Radio: The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930-50). TV: Life Is Worth Living (1952-57).
Sgt. William Harvey Carney
Died December 9, 1908 b. 1840
American soldier. His acts of bravery in the Civil War were the first actions to earn an African American the Medal of Honor. In 1863, during the Civil War assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, Carney, although seriously wounded, struggled across the battlefield carrying the Union flag. His citation reads, "When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded."
Although his were the first actions for which a Medal of Honor was awarded to an African American, he wasn't awarded his medal until 1900, during which time other African Americans had received their award for actions which occurred after his heroics.
It is believed he escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad.
This battle is portrayed in the film Glory (1989).
Al Unser Sr.
Died December 9, 2021 b. 1939
American auto racer. Four-time Indy 500 winner (1970-71, 78, 87).
Mary Ann Mobley
Died December 9, 2014 b. 1937
American actress, Miss America (1959). TV: Diff'rent Strokes (the second Maggie McKinney).
Gene Barry (Eugene Klass)
Died December 9, 2009 b. 1919
American actor. Film: The War of the Worlds (1953, Dr. Clayton Forrester). TV: Bat Masterson (title role).
Paul Martin Simon
Died December 9, 2003 b. 1928
American politician, U.S. Senator (1985-97, Democrat Illinois). Known for his bowtie and horn-rimmed glasses.
Wrong-Way Corrigan (Douglas Groce Corrigan)
Died December 9, 1995 b. 1907
American aviator. He made a nonstop transatlantic flight from N.Y. to Ireland without a permit (1938), claiming he had intended to fly to Los Angeles, but had followed the wrong end of his compass. He had repeatedly applied for a permit for a transatlantic flight, but was rejected because his airplane was deemed not airworthy.
Vincent Gardenia (Vincent Scognamiglio)
Died December 9, 1992 b. 1920
Italian Tony-Emmy-winning actor. TV: All in the Family (Frank Lorenzo).
William Augustus Wellman
Died December 9, 1975 b. 1896
American film director, Wings (1927, winner of the first Best Picture Oscar), Public Enemy (1931), and The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).
Gene Carr
Died December 9, 1959 b. 1881
American cartoonist. Creator of Lady Bountiful (1902). He was a pioneer of the use of sequential panels in cartoons. Lady Bountiful was one of the first cartoons to have a lady protagonist.
Ezra Cornell
Died December 9, 1874 b. 1807
American telegraph pioneer. Founder of Western Union Telegraph (1855) and Cornell University (1865).
Clement IX
Died December 9, 1669 b. 1600
Italian religious leader, 238th Pope (1667-69).
Pius IV
Died December 9, 1565 b. 1499
Italian religious leader, 224th Pope (1559-65). He reopened the Council of Trent (1562).