This Day in History

[omeg]

<table style="width:475px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">Welcome to the <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=2db14e9ecd3607ee2d96a0b1945f7d15dba61da8d6685802140b5e378cd69243" >THIS DAY IN HISTORY</a> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font> December 18 : General Interest1620: Mayflower docks at Plymouth Harbor In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor... <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=2db14e9ecd3607ee2018c8d3ab034370308e695a9437f34a09712628ff73b4c2" >read more</a> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font>American Revolution1777 : States give thanks Automotive1968 : Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opens in New York Civil War1862 : Rebles rout Yankees in western Tennessee Cold War1972 : Nixon announces start of Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam Crime1878 : The death of Molly-ism Disaster1982 : Power plant burns in Venezuela General Interest1912 : Piltdown Man discovered  <a></a>Hollywood1946 : Director Steven Spielberg born Literary1870 : Short story writer H.H. Munro is born in Burma Music1961 : The Tokens earn a #1 hit with The Lion Sleeps Tonight Old West1888 : Wetherill and Mason discover Mesa Verde Presidential1915 : Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Bolling Galt Sports1886 : Ty Cobb is born Vietnam War1972 : Nixon orders the initiation of Operation Linebacker II World War I1916 : Battle of Verdun ends World War II1941 : Japan invades Hong Kong 

 

[omeg]

<table style="width:475px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">Welcome to the <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=b7ffc69e61d0afebac79ac4d7221ab37058222caed4ac10770b975ac9cfe8cb1" >THIS DAY IN HISTORY</a> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font> December 19 : General Interest1998: President Clinton impeached After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice... <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=b7ffc69e61d0afeb4024aacd9b6d4d778fbd6fcee5df054dd971f16cc484cff6" >read more</a> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font>American Revolution1776 : Thomas Paine publishes American Crisis  <a></a>Automotive1968 : Bullitt hits the silver screen in Sweden Civil War1817 : Confederate General James Archer is born Cold War1986 : Gorbachev releases Sakharov from internal exile Crime1986 : World Series parachutist sentenced<a></a>  Disaster1907 : Pennsylvania miners perish in coal mine explosion<a></a>  General Interest1777 : Continental Army enters winter camp at Valley Forge 1972 : Last lunar-landing mission ends 1984 : Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China Hollywood1997 : Titanic sails into theaters Literary1732 : Poor Richard's Almanack is published Music<a></a>2005 : Ahmadinejad bans all Western music in Iranian state television and radio broadcasts  Old West1964 : John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn released Presidential1777 : Washington leads troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge Sports1917 : National Hockey League (NHL) opens its first season  <a></a>Vietnam War1964 : Another bloodless coup topples the government in Saigon 1972 : North Vietnam condemns Linebacker raids World War I1915 : Haig becomes commander-in-chief of the British army in France World War II1941 : Hitler takes command of the German army

 

[omeg]

<table style="width:475px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">Welcome to the <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=5839eb48590ec09aae17c207dd58788dcf2d793cb74ec5099ea6da061ad9a78e" >THIS DAY IN HISTORY</a> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font> December 20 : General Interest1957: Elvis Presley is drafted On this day in 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays at Graceland, his newly purchased Tennessee mansion, rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the United States Army... <a href="http://click.email-updates.history.com/?qs=5839eb48590ec09a82b317ba84adddde2d966bd2746813e3484ee6c8a31ba326" >read more</a> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></font>American Revolution1783 : Virginia cedes western land to federal government Automotive1989 : Roger & Me opens in U.S. theaters  Civil War1862 : Rebels raid Union supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi  Cold War1963 : Berlin Wall opened for first time Crime1986 : Man chased to his death in Howard Beach hate-crime Disaster1987 : Ferry collides with oil tanker near Manila General Interest1946 : French crack down on Vietnamese rebels 1989 : The U.S. invades Panama 1995 : NATO assumes peacekeeping duties in Bosnia Hollywood1989 : Michael Moore's Roger & Me opens Literary1579 : John Fletcher is baptized Music1969 : Funky Drummer is recorded Old West1803 : The French surrender Orleans to the U.S. Presidential1836 : Jackson submits Indian treaty to Congress Sports1983 : Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt get landmark goals in same game  Vietnam War1960 : National Liberation Front formed 1967 : President Johnson visits Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam World War I1914 : First Battle of Champagne begins World War II1941 : Hitler to Halder: No retreat! 

 

[daremeto]

First U.S. presidential election On this day in 1789, America's first presidential election is held. Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. As expected, George Washington won the election and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789.As it did in 1789, the United States still uses the Electoral College system, established by the U.S. Constitution, which today gives all American citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote for electors, who in turn vote for the president. The president and vice president are the only elected federal officials chosen by the Electoral College instead of by direct popular vote.Today political parties usually nominate their slate of electors at their state conventions or by a vote of the party's central state committee, with party loyalists often being picked for the job. Members of the U.S. Congress, though, cant be electors. Each state is allowed to choose as many electors as it has senators and representatives in Congress. The District of Columbia has 3 electors. During a presidential election year, on Election Day (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), the electors from the party that gets the most popular votes are elected in a winner-take-all-system, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which allocate electors proportionally. In order to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes out of a possible 538.On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December of a presidential election year, each state's electors meet, usually in their state capitol, and simultaneously cast their ballots nationwide. This is largely ceremonial: Because electors nearly always vote with their party, presidential elections are essentially decided on Election Day. Although electors aren't constitutionally mandated to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, it is demanded by tradition and required by law in 26 states and the District of Columbia (in some states, violating this rule is punishable by $1,000 fine). Historically, over 99 percent of all electors have cast their ballots in line with the voters. On January 6, as a formality, the electoral votes are counted before Congress and on January 20, the commander in chief is sworn into office.Critics of the Electoral College argue that the winner-take-all system makes it possible for a candidate to be elected president even if he gets fewer popular votes than his opponent. This happened in the elections of 1876, 1888 and 2000. However, supporters contend that if the Electoral College were done away with, heavily populated states such as California and Texas might decide every election and issues important to voters in smaller states would be ignored.