Today in History for 23rd December 2017:
Historical Events
1724 – Emperor Charles VI names Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria land guardian of the Austrian Netherlands
1823 – “Visit from St Nicholas” by C Moore published in Troy (NY) Sentinel
1919 – Alice H Parker patents gas heating furnace
1938 – Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
1982 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
2005 – Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Aktau, Kazakhstan crashes shortly after takeoff killing 23 people.
Famous Birthdays
1843 – Richard Conner, American Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1924)
1946 – Susan Lucci, Scarsdale, New York, American actress (All My Children, Mafia Princess)
1967 – Tim Fountain, British playwright
1969 – Stephen Grant, NFL linebacker (Indianapolis Colts)
1978 – Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
1985 – Harry Judd, British drummer (McFly)
Famous Deaths
558 – Childebert, king of France (511-58), dies at about 62
1925 – A S C Wallis, [Adele von Antal-Opzoomer], writer (Vorstengunst), dies
1953 – Lavrenti P Beria, soviet minister of internal security, executed
1964 – Arrigo Pedrollo, composer, dies at 86
1995 – David Land, impressario, dies at 77
2009 – Robert L. Howard, highly decorated officer of the United States Army (b. 1939)