Today in History - December 20th
1334: Election of Pope Benedict XII
1606: The "Susan Constant", "Godspeed" and "Discovery" set sail from London to America. They landed at Jamestown, Virginia o start the first permanent English settlement in America.
1648: Oliver Cromwell arrests most of Parliament; the "Rump Parliament"
1803: The Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans.
1820: The State of Missouri enacted legislation to tax bachelors between the ages of 21-50, $1 a year for being unmarried.
1860: South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
1864: Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Georgia, as Union General William T. Sherman continued his "March to the Sea."
1933: The German government announces 400,000 citizens are to be sterilized because of hereditary defects. Many of the Nazi leaders were prosecuted for the many atrocities that occurred during and before World War II.
1939: Actress & singer Kim Weston (It Takes Two [w/Marvin Gaye]) born
1963: The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time. It remained open for the holiday season, but closed again on January 6, 1964. 4,000 people crossed over to visit relatives during this period.
1973: Singer Bobby Darin died following open-heart surgery at the age of 37.
1976: Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley died at age 74.
1989: The United States launched Operation "Just Cause," sending troops into Panama to topple the government of General Manuel Noriega.
1990: Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze shocked Soviet lawmakers by announcing his resignation, warning that "dictatorship is coming."
Source: Google Gadget - Today in History