1791 – Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gives its approval. It becomes the first 10 amendments of the constitution.
1854 – First street cleaning machine is used in Philadelphia.
1925 – First hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Montreal Canadiens 3, New York Americans 1.
1935 – National Football Championship, University of Detroit Stadium: Detroit Lions beat New York Giants 26-7 for their first title.
1939 – “Gone With the Wind”, drama film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, premieres in Atlanta. It wins Best Picture 1940 and, inflation not adjusted, is the highest grossing film of all time.
1944 – Congress gives General Dwight Eisenhower his 5th star.
1946 – National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, New York City: Chicago Bears beat New York Giants 24-14. A record crowd of 58,346 watched the final NFL title game played at Polo Grounds.
1952 – Christine Jorgenson is the first known American to undergo a sex-change operation.
1955 – “Folsom Prison Blues” single released by Johnny Cash. It was named Billboard Song of the Year in 1968.
1956 – WRAL-TV channel 5 in Raleigh-Durham, a CBS affiliate, begins broadcasting.
1961 – Martin Luther King Jr. joins over 500 civil rights demonstrators in jail. He was arrested for protesting in Albany, Georgia.
1967 – The Beatles release fan-club single “Christmas Time is Here Again.”
1976 – Oil tanker Argo Merchant runs aground on the Nantucket Shoals, spilling 7.6 million gallons of fuel oil – one of the largest oil spills at sea.
1980 – New York Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield becomes highest-paid player when he signs a 10-year, $15-million contract.
1992 – Arthur Ashe is named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year.
1995 – Playboy goes back on sale after a 36 year ban in Ireland.
2005 – Introduction of the F-22 Raptor into US Air Force active service.
2011 – ESPN and the NCAA extend their TV rights deal through 2023-24, giving the network worldwide multi-media rights to 24 NCAA championships for various sports. The deal is worth $500 million.
2018 – Affordable Care Act (‘Obamacare’) ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas. The ruling is later reversed by Supreme Court.
2021 – Bruce Springsteen sells his music back catalogue to Sony Music Entertainment for an estimated $500 million. It’s possibly the biggest deal ever for a single artist.
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