The issue of whether the kids Goetz shot were trying to rob him or simply panhandling was never resolved.
On December 23, 1783, George Washington resigns as commander in chief of the Continental Army. Washington’s willingness to return to civilian life was an essential element in the transformation of the War for Independence into a true revolution. During the war, Congress had granted Washington powers equivalent to those of a dictator and he could have easily taken solitary control of the new nation. Some political factions, in fact, wanted to declare Washington king. His modesty in declining the offer and resigning his military post at the end of the war fortified the republican foundations of the new nation. On December 23, 1823, A newspaper in Troy, New York, publishes an anonymous poem with the memorable opening line, "Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house…" Literature professor Clement C. Moore will later be identified as the author of the poem that will help define the modern Santa Claus.
They had been intimidating other passengers with a screwdriver. A screwdriver can be as deadly as a knife. I don't know but if I had to bet whether the junior thugs turned their lives around and became productive members of society or it thry ended up in prison I would bet the latter. You know that if that had happened in Louisiana or Texas Goetz would never have been charged with anything.
On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan. Under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978, an estimated 280 transport aircraft begin arriving in Kabul shortly after midnight. Rather than aid, the aircraft are carrying three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. Within a few days, the Soviets had secured Kabul, while ground forces beginning entering Afghanistan from the north. But the Afghan Muslims proclaim a “jihad”(holy war), gaining the support of the Islamic world. When the US begins delivering military aid in 1987, the tide turns against the Soviets, and they begin a gradual pull out of the country a year later. The negative public relations and financial effects of the defeat lead significantly to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. On December 24, 1851, a devastating fire at the Library of Congress in Washington destroys about two-thirds of its 55,000 volumes, including most of Thomas Jefferson's personal library. On December 24, 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, a group of Confederate veterans convenes to form a secret society that they christen the “Ku Klux Klan". The name Ku Klux Klan is derived from the Greek word kyklos, meaning “circle,” and the Scottish-Gaelic word “clan,” which was probably chosen for the sake of alliteration. The KKK rapidly grows from a secret social fraternity to a paramilitary force bent on pushing back Reconstruction and its enfranchisement of African Americans. Within 6 years, Congress will pass the Ku Klux Act, authorizing President Grant to use military force to suppress the KKK. The Act was declared unconstitutional in 1882, but by then the KKK's terrorist activities were scaling back, and it will exist mostly in its original "secret society" guise to this day, though it has come out of the shadows on occasion. On December 24, 1972, comedian Bob Hope gives what he says is his last Christmas show to U.S. servicemen in Saigon. Countless American entertainers entertained U.S. troops stationed overseas during the holidays in the post-World War II era, but few did it bigger or better than Hope, a comedian and star of stage, radio, television and over 50 feature films. Hope began performing for servicemen in 1941, and his shows expanded over the years to include numerous showbiz friends; singers, comedians, musicians, always a few hot actresses, and celebrities from the news and sports worlds who just came along to say Merry Christmas. The 1972 show marked Hope’s ninth consecutive Christmas appearance in Vietnam. (photo: Hope on stage with Ann Margaret)
December 25, 336 A.D. is considered to be the first time the date is celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ. In the early days of Christianity, the date of death was considered much more important than the date of birth, as it marked the transition to the afterlife. Historians do not know the actual date of Jesus' birth; December 25 is chosen as it coincides with a number of festivals celebrated in other religions from which many Christians are converting. Christmas is not celebrated much after 336, until Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day, 800 A.D. Merry Christmas to all. On December 25, 1776 at about 11 pm, General George Washington leads 5,400 Colonial troops across the Delaware River, hoping to surprise the Hessian force garrisoned at Trenton, New Jersey. They divide into 3 groups, but only Washington's force, about 2,400 men, can find a path through the ice on the river. His depleted force surrounds the city and enters at about 8 the next morning, catching the Hessians groggy and hung over after celebrating into the previous night. Hundreds of Hessians escaped, but about 1,000 surrender, at a cost of only 4 colonial soldiers. With his force now split by the river, Washington withdraws from Trenton almost immediately. The victory has little military value, but is a huge morale boost for the colonies after suffering almost constant defeat throughout the previous summer and fall. On December 25, 1941, during NBC Radio's "The Kraft Music Hall", Bing Crosby sings "White Christmas," a new composition by songwriter Irving Berlin, for the first time. Crosby will record the song the following year for the film Holiday Inn, and again in 1947. The '47 recording of the secular holiday tune will sell more than 50 million copies, making it the best-selling single of all time.
On December 26, 1944, elements of General George S. Patton's 3rd Army relieve the 101st Airborne, under seige at Bastogne, Belgium. The capture of Bastogne was a major goal of the Germans in its winter offensive in the Ardennes Forest, now known as the Battle of the Bulge. Bastogne provided a road junction in rough terrain where few roads existed, but it was held by the 101. Food, medical supplies, and other resources eroded as bad weather and relentless German assaults threatened the Americans’ ability to hold out. Nevertheless, Brigadier General Anthony C. MacAuliffe met a German surrender demand with a typewritten response of a single word: “Nuts.” Called on by Eisenhower to relieve the 101st, Patton quickly planned and executed (less than 48 hours) a 90 degree maneuver, a march of nearly 100 miles, and a counterattack that broke through the German lines and relieved Bastogne. On December 26, 1966 in Los Angeles, Kwanzaa is celebrated for the first time. Kwanzaa is created by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at Cal State - Long Beach as a 7-day celebration of African American family, community, and culture. Karenga was a former black activist who was disturbed by the devastation of the Watts riots the previous year. He founded Us, a black cultural organization, and looked to Africa in search of practices and concepts that might empower and unite the nation’s African American community. He drew on African harvest celebrations to develop Kwanzaa as a nonreligious holiday that would stress the importance of family and community while giving African Americans an opportunity to explore their African identities. On December 26, 1985, primatologist and conservationist Dr. Dian Fossey is found murdered in her cabin at Karisoke, a research site in the mountains of Rwanda. It is widely believed that she was killed in connection with her lifelong crusade against poaching.
