On this day in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, considered one of the brightest and innovative minds in musical history, dies in Vienna at age 35. He had been ill for week and likely rushed his own death with overwork, but historians generally shrug off the notion that Mozart was pushed toward death by a rival composer as portrayed in the movie Amadeus. On this day in 1933, Utah becomes the 36th state to vote in favor of the 21st Amendment. The amendment, which repeals the national prohibition on alcoholic beverages as enacted by the 18th Amendment, is now law. Many states will continue to ban liquor, however. Mississippi will be the last to lift prohibition, in 1966. On this day in 1945, Flight 19 disappears off the coast of Florida. The training flight consists of 5 US Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, usually with a crew of 3, though on this day one plane was a man short. Their flight plan called for departure from Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station heading east over the Atlantic, followed by a turn to the north and then southwest and home. Two hours into the mission, the flight commander reported that all planes were having difficulty with their compasses and that the flight was lost. For 2 more hours, confusing and often distorted radio messages were heard from the pilots, ending in one final message from the commander for all pilots to prepare to ditch their aircraft. Radar had by then determined the planes to be somewhere north of Bermuda, and a SAR aircraft was dispatched to the area. The pilot of the Mariner aircraft reported departure within 3 minutes of receiving orders. It was the last time the aircraft, with a crew of 13, was seen or heard from. The loss of 6 naval aircraft and 27 men in one day is the most famous case of the Bermuda Triangle, an area of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida that has been the site of numerous aircraft and ship disappearances over the years.
On December 6, 1865, Georgia becomes the 27th state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Slavery is now officially banned in the United States. On December 6, 1884, workers place a 9-inch aluminum pyramid atop the Washington Monument. The tallest structure in the world, under construction on-and-off since 1848, is now complete. Although it will be surpassed by the Eiffel Tower 5 years later, a building code passed in 1910 ensures the monument will always be the tallest structure in Washington, DC. (photo shows the monument near completion earlier in 1884) On December 6, 1941, The Royal Australian Air Force sights a large number of Japanese naval vessels near the Malayan coast, south of Cape Cambodia. An Aussie pilot manages to radio that it looked as if the Japanese warships were headed for Thailand just before he is shot down by the Japanese. The intelligence reaches President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who telegrams Emperor Hirohito with the request that “for the sake of humanity,” the emperor intervene “to prevent further death and destruction in the world.” He is unaware the force seen by the Australians is a diversion to the real operation underway, nearly a thousand miles to the east......
Quite a lot has happened on December 7, in addition to Pearl Harbor...... On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. December 7, 1982, convicted murderer Charles Brooks, Jr. is given an injection of sodium pentathol. In moderate doses, the barbituate is better known as "truth serum." But today, in Huntsville Correctional Center in Texas, it is a much larger, fatal dose, the first time an execution in the US is carried out by lethal injection. Over the next decade, the federal government, the military and 32 states that permit capital punishment will adopt lethal injection as their means of execution. A kinder, gentler method will also be developed. Sodium pentathol will be replaced by a series of 3 injections: sodium thiopental to render the prisoner unconscious; pancuronium bromide to paralize the diaphragm and lungs, and finally, potassium chloride, to cause cardiac arrest and ensure the prisoner’s death. On December 7, 1993, Colin Ferguson opens fire on a Long Island commuter train from New York City, killing 6 and injuring 19. Other train passengers stopped the perpetrator by tackling and holding him down. Ferguson later attributed the shooting spree to his deep-seated hatred of white people. Defense attorney William Kunstler initially represented Ferguson, but his strategy of arguing that Ferguson was not responsible due to “black rage” infuriated even Ferguson himself. Ferguson fired Kunstler and acted as his own lawyer. At trial, Ferguson first argued that a white man had stolen his gun and shot the commuters, then tried the story that a man who shared Ferguson’s name and facial features was the real killer. He asked every surviving victim to identify their attacker under oath. Every single one fingered Ferguson. He also attempted to call President Clinton and Governor Cuomo to the stand, and finally refused to testify on his own behalf. He was convicted of 6 counts of murder and 22 counts of attempted murder, and received six life terms. On December 7, 1963, CBS TV unveils a new innovation during its coverage of the Army-Navy game. Seconds after Rollie Stichweh scored a TD for Army, CBS showed viewers an "instant replay" of the score, the announcer telling viewers,"Ladies and gentlemen, Army has not scored again." The instant replay didn't debut until the 4th quarter, and then just for that one use, the production crew having technical glitches with the 1,300 pound machine throughout the game.
December 8, 1941, Congress declares war on Japan, following a 10-minute speech from President Roosevelt. The president's speech writer began the address,"Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date that will live in history." Moments before speaking, Roosevelt scratched out the word "history" and replaced it with "infamy." The vote was 1 short of unanimous, Montana Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin, the first woman ever elected to Congress and a renowned pacifist, casting the only vote against going to war. December 8, 1987, President Reagan and Soviet Premier Gorbachev sign the first treaty between the two superpowers designed to reduce their combined nuclear arsenels. Previous agreements had merely limited growth. The historic agreement banned ground-launched short- and medium-range missiles, of which the two nations collectively possessed 2,611, most located in Europe and Southeast Asia. December 8, 1980, John Lennon, former member of the transformative 1960's rock group The Beatles, is shot entering his Manhattan apartment building by Mark David Chapman. Chapman shot Lennon four times at close range with a .38-caliber revolver. Lennon, bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital but died en route. Chapman had received an autograph from Lennon earlier in the day and voluntarily remained at the scene of the shooting until he was arrested by police. For a week, hundreds of bereaved fans kept a vigil outside the Dakota–Lennon’s apartment building–and demonstrations of mourning were held around the world.
On November 8, 1940, the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 to win the 1940 NFL championship. 79 years later, it is still the record for most points scored in a single game, and largest margin of victory.
