1686 – Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (as per Daniel Defoe)
1732 – Benjamin Franklin under the name of Richard Saunders begins publication of “Poor Richard’s Almanack”
1776 – Thomas Paine publishes his 1st “American Crisis” essay, in which he wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls”
1795 – 1st state appropriation of money for road building, Kentucky.
1843 – “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens is published, 6,000 copies sold.
1854 – Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents sewing machine to sew curvy seams.
1910 – Rayon 1st commercially produced, Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.
1918 – Robert Ripley began his “Believe It or Not” column (NY Globe)
1922 – Theresa Vaughn, 24, confesses in court in Sheffield, England, to being married 61 times over 5 years in 50 cities in three countries.
1941 – US Office of Censorship created to control info pertaining to WW II.
1955 – Carl Perkins records “Blue Swede Shoes”
1971 – CBS airs “Homecoming A Christmas Story” (introducing the Waltons)
1979 – “Kramer vs Kramer” directed by Robert Benton and starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep is released (Best Picture 1980).
1980 – Iran requests $24 billion in US guarantees to free hostages.
1984 – Wayne Gretzky, 23, is 18th and youngest NHL-er to score 1,000 points.
1986 – “Platoon” directed by Oliver Stone and starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe is released (Best Picture 1987)
1986 – OPEC reaches an accord that would cut production by 7 percent for the first six months of 1987 and would raise prices immediately toward a target world oil price of $18 per gallon.
1994 – Rolls-Royce announces its future cars will feature V12 engine which will be produced by BMW.
1998 – Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives forwards articles I and III of impeachment against President Bill Clinton to the Senate.
2012 – UBS Bank is fined $1.5 billion for its role in manipulating the Libor rate.
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