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Almanac ~ Tuesday, 12-6-16

George and Ira (his birthday today) Gershwin

Tuesday, December 6th is the 341st day of the year. That means there are 18 shopping days until Christmas Eve, which also corresponds with the first day of Hannukah. 

  • Sunrise: 7:12am
  • Sunset: 4:51pm

Tides at the Golden Gate:

  • High: 4:58am/4:01pm
  • Low: 10:31am/10:33pm

 
33% of the waxing moon will (may?) be visible, setting at 11:40pm

 
International celebrations today include it being…

 
Constitution Day - Spain

Farmer’s Day - Ghana

Foundation of Quito - Ecuador

Independence Day - Finland

St. Nicholas Day - Ukraine, Aruba, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Monaco,

 
It’s also…

 
National Gazpacho Day

Microwave Oven Day

Miners' Day

National Pawnbrokers Day

 
On this day in…

 
1790 - The U.S. Congress moved from New York to Philadelphia.

 
1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.

 
1877 - Thomas Edison demonstrated the first gramophone, with a recording of himself reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb.

 
1884 - The construction of the Washington Monument was completed by Army engineers. The project took 34 years.

 
1917 - Finland proclaimed independence from Russia.

 
1921 - The Catholic Irish Free State was created as a self-governing dominion of Britain when an Anglo-Irish treaty was signed.

 
1923 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge became the first president to give a presidential address that was broadcast on radio.

 
1947 - Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by U.S. President Truman.

 
1957 - America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed when the satellite blew up on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, FL.

 
1973 - Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the vice-president of the United States after vice-president Spiro Agnew resigned.

 
1989 - Egon Krenz resigned as leader of East Germany.

 
1990 - Iraq announced that it would release all its 2,000 foreign hostages.

 
1997 - A Russian Antonov 124 military transport crashed into a residential area in Irkutsk, Russia, shortly after takeoff. 70 people were killed.

 
1998 - In Venezuela, former Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez was elected president. He had staged a bloody coup attempt against the government six years earlier.

 
 
Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...

 

  • Henry VI (England) 1421
  • William S. Hart 1870
  • Alfred Joyce Kilmer 1886
  • Osbert Sitwell 1892
  • Ira Gershwin 1896
  • Alfred Eisenstadt 1898
  • Agnes Moorehead 1906
  • Dave Brubeck 1920
  • Wally Cox 1924
  • David Ossman 1936
  • Helen Cornelius 1941
  • Len Barry 1942
  • Jonathan King 1944
  • James Naughton 1945
  • Tom Hulce 1953
  • JoBeth Williams 1953
  • Miles Chapin 1954
  • Chris Stamey (dB's) 1954
  • Tish Hinojosa 1955
  • Steven Wright 1955
  • Rick Buckler (The Jam) 1955
  • Bill Lloyd (Foster and Lloyd) 1955
  • Randy Rhoads 1956
  • Peter Buck (R.E.M.) 1956
  • Janine Turner 1962
  • Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) 1962
  • Ulf Ekberg (Ace of Base) 1970
  • Ryan White 1971

 

David Latulippe is host of On the Arts, KALW's weekly radio magazine of the performing arts, as well as for Explorations in Music, and the Berkeley Symphony broadcasts. He has also hosted and produced the radio series From the Conservatory, Music from Mills, and Music at Menlo, and is principal guest host for Revolutions Per Minute.