November 30, 1835

Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens was born.

 

On November 30, 2001, Gary Ridgway was arrested by the Kings County (WA) Sheriffs Department for the murders of Marcia Chapman, Opal Mills, Cynthia Hinds, and Carol Ann Christensen. More victims were later added to the indidctment of the notorious Green River Killer.

Sheriff Dave Reichert is credited as the man who tracked him down and solved the case, with an able assist from fellow task force member Robert Keppel. Reichert went on to serve seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ridgway subsequently pled guilty to killing 48 women, though he claimed to have murdered as many as 80. He was the deadliest convicted serial killer in the United States.

He is currently serving 49 life sentences at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington.





Reichert

 

On This Day In History
November 30, 1954
Meteorite strikes Alabama woman

The first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human being occurs at Sylacauga, Alabama, when a meteorite crashes through the roof of a house and into a living room, bounces off a radio, and strikes a woman on the hip. The victim, Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges, was sleeping on a couch at the time of impact. The space rock was a sulfide meteorite weighing 8.5 pounds and measuring seven inches in length. Mrs. Hodges was not permanently injured but suffered a nasty bruise along her hip and leg.

Ancient Chinese records tell of people being injured or killed by falling meteorites, but the Sylacauga meteorite was the first modern record of this type of human injury. In 1911, a dog in Egypt was killed by the Nakhla meteorite.

 

1782: Briton and the United States signed the preliminary articles of the Treaty of Paris as part of the Peace of Paris, a collection of treaties concluding the American Revolution.

 

On this day in history

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I’ve created a Monster

 

On this day in history, November 30, 1874, indomitable British statesman, WWII hero Winston Churchill is born
Son of prominent English politician father and American mother, Churchill topped BBC survey of 100 Greatest Britons.


British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (center) inspecting air raid damage in Battersea, South London, during the Blitz, Sept. 10, 1940

 

30 Nov 1941

Emperor Hirohito ordered Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to proceed with plans to start the Pacific War, and subsequently, Tojo rejected US proposals to de-escalate tension in the Far East.

Japanese destroyers Akembono and Ushio departed Tokyo Bay, Japan for Midway, where they were to bombard US military facilities once hostilities began.

The Japanese ambassador in Germany, Hiroshi Oshima, was informed by his superiors that war with the United States was near, and he was to inform Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop of such news.

Winston Churchill sent Franklin Roosevelt a message requesting a conference on the impending war with Japan. Roosevelt would reject the request to avoid appearing like he was taking the United States toward war for the defense of the British Empire.

 

December 1, 1913

The world's first assembly line debuts at a Ford factory in Highland Park' Michigan to produce the Model T.

 

On December 1, 1955, black seamstress Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in violation of the segregation laws in place at the time in Montgomery, Alabama. She was placed under arrest, booked and charged with 'Disorderly Conduct.'

She asked the arresting officer “Why do you push us around?” The officer replied “I don’t know but the law is the law and you’re under arrest.”

In 'Quiet Strength: the faith, the hope, and the heart of a woman who changed a nation, reflections by Rosa Parks' with Gregory J. Reed, she stated, "I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to go home."

The arrest spurred the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead a bus boycott which lasted for 381 days. Parks' arrest is widely acknowledged as the event that coalesced the general disgust exhibited by the black community into the full-fledged, organized Civil Rights Movement.



The arrest didn't make the papers that day, but did when the bus boycott was in effect:




Unfortunately, children are seen in the background of the original publication of her book, preventing its appearance here. A later re-issue:

 

On This Day In History
December 1, 1779
George Washington establishes winter quarters at Morristown

General George Washington’s army settles into a second season at Morristown, New Jersey, on December 1, 1779. Washington’s personal circumstances improved dramatically as he moved into the Ford Mansion and was able to conduct his military business in the style of a proper 18th-century gentleman. However, the worst winter of the 1700s coupled with the collapse of the colonial economy ensured misery for Washington’s underfed, poorly clothed and unpaid troops as they struggled for the next two months to construct their 1,000-plus “log-house city” from 600 acres of New Jersey woodland.

Life was similarly bleak for the war-weary civilian population. With an economy weakened by war, household income declined 40 percent. Farmers faced raids from the British and their Indian allies. Merchants lost foreign trade. Even a great victory, such as the capture of British General John Burgoyne’s army in October 1777, led to 7,800 more mouths to feed. As in 1776, the troops were eager to go home and many did. Although enlistment papers showed 16,000 men in Washington’s ranks, only 3,600 men stood ready to accept his commands. Even those remaining were unable to sustain combat since they lacked sufficient horses to move their artillery. With their currency rendered worthless, the army relied upon requisitions from farmers to supply themselves. Military-civilian relations strained under demands on farmers and shopkeepers to sell at a loss and because of the now-professional army’s disdain for civilians. Without paper money, Congress could not pay the army. Without fair pay, farmers stopped planting. By spring, the Continental Army stood at risk of dissolution.

The British army faced a similar crisis. Civilians at home no longer shared British King George III’s determination to keep the colonies within the empire. They too suffered from lost trade and increased debt endemic to war. To fill the royal army, the crown had to tolerate Catholics, which engendered religious violence. The war of attrition was quickly becoming one of contrition for both sides.

 

1959: Twelve countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, sign a treaty that prohibits any military activity on Antarctica. The agreement stipulates that the continent will be used only for scientific research. It will be considered the first arms control agreement of the Cold War.

 

Latest Wonder of the World
1990
British and French workers meet in the middle of the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel.


May 6, 1994 — The Channel Tunnel, linking England and France, was officially opened on this day, nearly 200 years after the idea was first suggested. There were many misgivings, the sea having protected for centuries what Shakespeare described as “this precious stone set in the silver sea . . . this fortress built by Nature for herself against infection and the hand of war”.

 

1 Dec 1941

The Japanese ambassador in Germany Hiroshi Oshima was ordered to secure Joachim von Ribbentrop's signature on a document that stated that Germany would declare war on the United States should Japan and the US enter a state of war.

As US-Japan relations rapidly deteriorated, the Japanese Consulate General in California began to destroy its records, as did the Consulate General, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and the Japan Institute in New York City.

Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signed Administrative Order 9, creating the Civil Air Patrol.

Radio messages from Sasebo, Japan using outdated call signs, tricked US Navy cryptanalysts at Pearl Harbor into believing that carrier Akagi was still in home waters. Later on the same day, the cryptanalysts realized that all Japanese warships' call signs had changed.

Japanese Navy Destroyer Division 7 departed Tokyo, Japan for Midway Atoll, soon to join the rest of the Midway Neutralization Unit.

US Marine Corps 2nd Defense Battalion and 4th Defense Battalion arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.

U.S. carrier (CV-10), the second Essex Class carrier, was laid down by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. as Bon Homme Richard. The Richard would later be renamed Yorktown before launch and commissioning.

 

On December 2, 1993, the grisly reign over the Colombian cocaine industry of Pablo Escobar came to an end as he was shot dead by Colombian authorities as he and his bodyguard tried to flee across a rooftop in Medallin.

By this point, Escobar had been hunted to the point that his cartel had basically fallen apart and he had been forced to lay in the trunks of cars as he was moved from one hiding place to the next.

The U.S. DEA assisted the Colombian National Police in the pursuit of Escobar, and finally located him on this day in 1993 by using electronic, directional-finding equipment.

As he fled in a running gun battle, Escobar was hit by bullets in the torso and feet, but the 'kill shot' struck him in the head. It has long been conjectured whether this last shot was self-inflicted or delivered by the police as an execution.

Hey, Kirsten! It's been a while. Do your thing, baby!

 

On This Day In History
December 2, 1777
Philadelphia nurse overhears British plans to attack Washington’s army.

Legend has it that on the night of December 2, 1777, Philadelphia housewife and nurse Lydia Darragh single-handedly saves the lives of General George Washington and his Continental Army when she overhears the British planning a surprise attack on Washington’s army for the following day.

During the occupation of Philadelphia, British General William Howe stationed his headquarters across the street from the Darragh home, and when Howe’s headquarters proved too small to hold meetings, he commandeered a large upstairs room in the Darraghs’ house. Although uncorroborated, family legend holds that Mrs. Darragh would eavesdrop and take notes on the British meetings from an adjoining room and would conceal the notes by sewing them into her coat before passing them onto American troops stationed outside the city.

On the evening of December 2, 1777, Darragh overheard the British commanders planning a surprise attack on Washington’s army at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, for December 4 and 5. Using a cover story that she needed to buy flour from a nearby mill just outside the British line, Darragh passed the information to American Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Craig the following day.

The British marched towards Whitemarsh on the evening of December 4, 1777, and were surprised to find General Washington and the Continental Army waiting for them. After three inconclusive days of skirmishing, General Howe chose to return his troops to Philadelphia.

 

On this day in history, December 2, 1823, President Monroe touts doctrine defending Western Hemisphere
Monroe Doctrine warned European powers that expansion was 'dangerous to our peace and safety'.


Illustration depicting the birth of the Monroe Doctrine. James Monroe, the nation's 5th president, is shown standing beside a globe; John Quincy Adams is seated at left. From a painting by Clyde O. DeLand.

 

2 Dec 1941

The Japanese carrier fleet refueled in the North Pacific at 42 degrees north and 170 degrees east; at 2000 hours, the code "Niitaka Yama Noboru 1208" was issued, indicating that the attack on Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii was to be launched on 8 Dec 1941 Tokyo time, 7 Dec east of the international date line. Meanwhile, at Pearl Harbor, Admiral Husband Kimmel was briefed of the disposition of the Japanese fleet, with the whereabouts of Carrier Division 1 and Carrier Division 2 (four fleet carriers total) not known; the best American guess was that they were at Kure, Japan. Finally, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Japanese Consul-General Nagao Kita was asked to provide a report regarding the presence of any barrage balloons or torpedo nets.

 

On December 3, 1965, UK label Brunswick Records released the debut studio album by one of the truly legendary bands in rock history: The Who's 'My Generation.'

When it was released in the United States the following April by Decca Records, the title was changed to 'The Who Sings My Generation' since the song had become a huge hit. The U.S. version featured a different cover and a slightly altered track listing.

The album reached #5 on the UK charts, but failed to enter the U.S. charts at all. In 2003 it was named the second greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine.

In 2004, the title track was No. 11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 2006, 'The Kids Are Alright' was No. 34 in Pitchfork's list of the 200 greatest songs of the 1960s.

As for the stuttering on the title track, it has been suggested that it was a commentary on the pill-popping culture of 'The Mods,' but Roger Daltrey commented that he had not rehearsed the song prior to the recording, was nervous and unable to hear his own voice through the monitors. The stutter came about as he tried to fit the lyrics to the music, and producer Shel Talmy decided it worked well enough to keep.



The original studio cut:


Live (reported to be at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, but it's hard to tell from the video):

 

December 3

1947 - Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire premiered on Broadway.

1818 - Illinois was admitted as the 21st State.

 

1992: The First SMS Spreads Holiday Cheer. At an office holiday party, Vodafone CEO Richard Jarvis checks his cell phone to see the words 'MERRY CHRISTMAS.' The cheery message, composed on a PC keyboard by engineer Neil Papworth, reached Jarvis via a new technology called short message service (SMS). In coming decades, 'texting' will change how we communicate, in both good and bad ways.