December 2nd History, Trivia, and Fun Facts |
December 2nd History Highlights |
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Monroe Doctrine |
The Monroe Doctrine was a declaration made by President James Monroe to Congress on December 2, 1823, in which he claimed that the Western Hemisphere was now taboo for “European powers” because no new colonies could be established on the American continent. He also said that if there were conflicts, the US would stay in its existing colonies. Although Monroe’s message was largely conceived by John Quincy Adams, the Old and New Worlds were and should be fundamentally different, representing two different spheres of influence. |
December 2nd is… |
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery National Fritters Day National Mutt Day Play Basketball Day Popping Corn Day Special Education Day |
December 2nd Quotes |
Life is full of surprises, some good, some not so good. But I think you can make fun of anything as long as it’s funny enough. I would really, really, really like to be a legend like Madonna. Madonna knows what to do next, and when she’s performing, the audience is just in awe of her. I try to contrast; life today is full of contrast… We have to change. I want to be an artist that everyone can relate to, that’s young, happy, and fun. Some say I have a beautiful voice, some say I have not. It is a matter of opinion. All I can say, those who don’t like it shouldn’t come to hear me. Nobody on this earth is perfect. Everybody has their flaws… everybody has their dark secrets and vices. |
December 2nd Birthdays |
1754 – William Cooper, politician, founded Cooperstown, New York (died in 1809) 1859 – Georges Seurat, French painter (Died in 1891) 1923 – Maria Callas, American singer (Died in 1977) 1924 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (died in 2012) 1924 – Alexander Haig, American politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (died in 2010) 1940 – Willie Brown, American football player (died in 2019) 1946 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founder of Versace (died in 1997) 1948 – Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress 1950 – Paul Watson, Canadian activist, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society 1968 – Lucy Liu, American actress 1970 – Sarah Silverman, American comedian 1973 – Monica Seles, Serbian/ American tennis player 1978 – Nelly Furtado, Canadian singer-songwriter 1981 – Britney Spears, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress 1989 – Cassie Steele, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress 1998 – Juice Wrld (Jarad A. Higgins), American rapper |
December 2nd History |
1697 – St Paul’s Cathedral was consecrated in London. 1763 – Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island. 1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French. 1816 – The first US savings bank, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS), opened for business. 1823 – US President James Monroe introduced the Monroe Doctrine. 1859 – Abolitionist leader John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. 1877 – 1877, Louis-Paul Cailletet (1832-1913) became the first to liquefy oxygen. He went on to liquefy nitrogen, hydrogen, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and acetylene. 1901 – King Camp Gillette patented (US #775134A) his safety razor. 1927 – The Ford Motor Company unveiled its second mass production model, the Ford Model A as its new automobile. 1939 – The New York Municipal Airport opened. It was renamed LaGuardia Airport, after the mayor who pushed it for construction, in 1953. 1942 – Enrico Fermi produced the first nuclear chain reaction, below Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. 1950 – #1 Hit December 2, 1950 – December 29, 1950: Phil Harris – The Thing 1954 – The US Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy for what it called “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” He was looking for communists within the government. 1967 – #1 Hit December 2, 1967 – December 29, 1967: The Monkees – Daydream Believer 1969 – On I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie (Barbara Eden) became Mrs. Anthony Nelson. 1970 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposed by President Richard Nixon, began operating. William Ruckelshaus was the first director. 1971 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) formed as a federation from the seven emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. 1972 – #1 Hit December 2, 1972 – December 8, 1972: The Temptations – Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone 1978 – #1 Hit December 2, 1978 – December 8, 1978: Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond – You Don’t Bring Me Flowers 1982 – University of Utah Medical Center performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart in Barney Clark, designed by Robert Jarvik The Jarvik-7. It expended Barney’s life by 16 weeks. 1983 – The epic (nearly 14 minutes long) music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller premiered. 1988 – The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was released in theaters. 1993 – Drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by police forces in Medellin, Colombia. 1995 – #1 Hit December 2, 1995 – March 22, 1996: Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men – One Sweet Day 1997 – Good Will Hunting, starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck debuted in theaters. December 2, 1997 (fiction) V blew up the Old Bailey, V for Vendetta, Film/DC Comics 2001 – Enron filed for bankruptcy. 2005 – Aeon Flux debuted in theaters. 2006 – #1 Hit December 2, 2006 – December 15, 2006: Akon featuring Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Love You 2009 – Nidal Hasan with thirty-two counts of attempted premeditated murder at the Fort Hood shooting spree on November 5th. There has been a lot of debate on whether it was an act of terrorism or ‘ workplace violence.’ December 2, 2011 – Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! aired on The Disney Channel December 3, 2013 – The Wiz Live! aired on NBC. |
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts |
US President #35 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963) John was the youngest man elected to the office (he was 43). With the assassination of President McKinley, Roosevelt, 42, became the youngest president in the nation’s history. Bernardo de Gálvez is one of eight people to have been granted “Honorary Citizenship” by the United States The Capital of Bulgaria is Sofia White-Tailed Sea Eagles went extinct in Scotland in 1916 due to hunting and egg collecting. In 1975 a breeding pair from Norway were re-introduced and by 2006 the 200th Sea Eagle egg hatched on the Isle of Skye. Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues #12 – Chastity. 5% of people do not experience a headache in their lifetime. If a bridge was to be build spanning the Atlantic Ocean, there would have to be some sort of lane switching area because you drive on different sides. Butler’s Law of Progress: All progress is based on a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income. Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album is the best-selling Christmas album of all time with 10 million copies shipped since its release in 1957. Some people call me the Space Cowboy, some call me the Gangster of Love. Some people call me Maurice. All those people suck at nicknames. The Capital of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan “Who’s on first?” – Dexter (Bud Abbott) in The Naughty Nineties, 1945 |
More Pop Culture History Resources |
