FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012

Today is Friday, December 21, the 356th day of 2012. There are 10 days left in the year.

1620 ― 103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock

1898 ― Scientists Pierre & Marie Curie discover radium

1910 ― Explosion in coal mine in Hulton England, 344 mine workers dies

1913 ― First crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed in New York World

1925 ― Eisenstein's movie Potemkin premieres in Moscow

1958 ― Charles De Gaulle wins seven-year term as first President of 5th Republic of France

1976 ― U.N. General Assembly passes a resolution declaring 1979 as ``Year of Child”

1989 ― Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's final speech (he is executed 12/25)

1991 ― Soviet Union formally dissolves 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming

Commonwealth of Independent States

1991 ― U.S. actress Jane Fonda marries CNN President Ted Turner