Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2019. There are 29 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 2, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on Harpers Ferry the previous October.

On this date:

In 1816, the first savings bank in the United States, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business.

In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate passed, 67-22, a resolution condemning Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., saying he had "acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the first full-scale commercial nuclear facility in the U.S., began operations. (The reactor ceased operating in 1982.)

In 1969, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet got its first public preview as 191 people, most of them reporters and photographers, flew from Seattle to New York City.

In 1970, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency opened its doors under its first director, William D. Ruckelshaus.

In 1980, four American churchwomen were raped and murdered in El Salvador. (Five national guardsmen were convicted in the killings.)

In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Dr. Barney Clark, who lived 112 days with the device.

In 1990, composer Aaron Copland died in North Tarrytown, New York, at age 90. Actor Bob Cummings died in Woodland Hills, California, at age 80.

In 1993, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin.

In 2015, a couple loyal to Islamic State opened fire at a holiday banquet for public employees in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding 21 others before dying in a shootout with police.

Ten years ago: A day after President Barack Obama announced plans to deploy 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan, leading congressional Democrats said they had serious misgivings but would not try to stop the deployments. Republicans said they supported the force increase even as they questioned Obama's July 2011 deadline to start bringing troops home. Tiger Woods issued a statement saying he'd let his family down with "transgressions" that he regretted "with all of my heart," and that he would deal with his personal life behind closed doors.

Five years ago: Israel's divided government fell apart as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired two rebellious Cabinet ministers and called for a new election more than two years ahead of schedule. Islamic militants killed 36 quarry workers in northern Kenya who they believed were non-Muslims.

One year ago: Israeli police recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges, adding to a growing collection of legal troubles for the longtime leader.

Today's Birthdays: Former Attorney General Edwin Meese III is 88. Former Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is 80. Actress Cathy Lee Crosby is 75. Movie director Penelope Spheeris is 74. Actor Ron Raines is 70. Country singer John Wesley Ryles is 69. Actor Keith Szarabajka is 67. Actor Dan Butler is 65. Broadcast journalist Stone Phillips is 65. Actor Dennis Christopher is 64. Actor Steven Bauer is 63. Country singer Joe Henry is 59. Rock musician Rick Savage (Def Leppard) is 59. Actor Brendan Coyle is 56. Rock musician Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is 51. Actress Suzy Nakamura is 51. Actress Rena Sofer is 51. Rock singer Jimi HaHa (Jimmie's Chicken Shack) is 51. Actress Lucy Liu is 51. Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 49. Actor Joe Lo Truglio is 49. International Tennis Hall of Famer Monica Seles is 46. Singer Nelly Furtado is 41. Pop singer Britney Spears is 38. Actress-singer Jana Kramer is 36. Actress Yvonne Orji is 36. Actress Daniela Ruah is 36. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 36. Actor Alfred Enoch is 31. Pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth is 28. Actresses Deanna and Daniella Canterman are 27.

Thought for Today: "When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt." -- Henry J. Kaiser, American industrialist (1882-1967).

Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.