On This Day: December 12 On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya gained its independence from Britain. On Dec. 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra, the American singer and actor who elevated popular song into an art, was born. Following his death on May 14, 1998, his obituary appeared in The Times. On Dec. 12, 2000, a divided U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner. 1745 John Jay, statesman and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, was born in New York City. 1787 Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first black congressman. 1897 The Katzenjammer Kids, the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, debuted in the New York Journal. 1914 The New York Stock Exchange re-opened for the first time since July 30. The market had shut down when World War I broke out. 1915 Singer Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, N.J. 1917 Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town outside Omaha, Neb. 1924 New York City Mayor Ed Koch was born in the Bronx. 1925 The first motel, the Motel Inn, opened, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. 1947 The United Mine Workers union withdrew from the American Federation of Labor. 1963 Kenya gained its independence from Britain. 1975 Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford. 1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton and submitted the case to the full House. 2003 Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the Free Willy movies, died in a Norwegian fjord. 2009 Houston became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, with voters handing a solid victory to City Controller Annise Parker.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:29:12 +0000
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