The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The 1st and 2nd Guadalcanal Nov 13-15, 1942 - Dec. 29th, 2002

http://www.angelfire.com/ia/totalwar/Guadalcanal.html ^

[SAMWolf]

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1st and 2nd Naval Battles of Guadalcanal

The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

On November 13, 1942, Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan was patrolling near Ironbottom Sound in an unusual formation. The destroyers Cushing, Laffey, Sterett, and O’Bannon were in the lead, followed by the Atlanta, San Francisco, Portland, Helena, and Juneau, with the remaining ships trailing. What was odd about this force was that the majority of the ships with the best radar systems equipped were in the center or rear of the formation. However, this would form Task Group 67.4, which would be responsible for patrolling the entrance to Ironbottom Sound that night.

The Japanese force didn’t look any better either. The ships were arranged in a diamond formation with the main striking force in the center, which consisted of the battleships Hiei and Kirishima as well as several cruisers, leaving the destroyers to form the corners of the diamond. Once the forces neared Guadalcanal, the Hiei and Kirishima loaded their 14-inch guns with Type 3 shells, designed to bombard Henderson Field.

At 1:24 a.m., the Helena picked up the Japanese ships. Twenty minutes later, Cushing visually sighted a pair of enemy destroyers and made a left turn, followed by the other three leading destroyers. In order to avoid hitting the turning destroyers, the Atlanta turned left as well. The battle then began, and for the next 40 minutes, many ships on both sides would be sunk or damaged.

The battleship Hiei spotted the Atlanta directly ahead and once the searchlights homed in on the incoming cruiser, the Atlanta opened fire on the battleships searchlights and several other destroyers nearby. The Atlanta hit the Akatsuki before being damaged by several torpedoes and shells from Akatsuki started fires raging throughout the ship. The crippled Atlanta drifted away from the battle.



Next, the destroyer Cushing came as the lead attacker. The Cushing fired 6 torpedoes and several 5-inch shells at Hiei and Amatsukaze, but none of them hit the enemy ships. The Hiei then crippled Cushing with 10 direct hits from 14-inch guns.

The Laffey was next, and began hitting Hiei with machine guns. One of these hits killed Hirokai Abe’s chief of staff, Masakane Suzuki. Laffey then fired a torpedo at Hiei, but the torpedo didn’t arm and bounced harmlessly off Hiei's hull. The Laffey was then sunk by a torpedo fired from the destroyer Teruzuki, which blew off the stern, and a 14-inch shell from Kirishima that exploded in the boiler room. The order to abandon ship was given, and many of the crew were in the water when the Laffey exploded, killing most of the crew both on the ship and in the water.

Several more ships charged the Japanese formation. The Sterett lined up to hit Nagara before it lost its radio and radar capabilities. The Sterett then used its last torpedo to destroy the Akatsuki before drifting away. Next came the destroyer O’Bannon, which passed Sterett and open fire on Hiei.

The San Francisco switched to engage another Japanese destroyer. However, the drifting Atlanta drifted near the enemy destroyers and the shells from the San Francisco exploded on the Atlanta's superstructure, destroying it and killing Admiral Scott. After seeing this, Admiral Callaghan ordered a cease fire to re-group. Then, once all ships were regrouped, Callaghan ordered his ships to focus on the larger ships first.

The San Francisco advanced on the Hiei, and the ships exchanged fire. The Hiei’s first salvo were Type 3 shells, which were high explosives and not designed to penetrate armor, and as a result, did little damage except for killing most of the crew on the deck. The third salvo hit the bridge, killing Admiral Callaghan and most of the bridge crew. While damage crews worked on repairing the damaged ship, Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless turned the ship to rejoin the battle, knowing that if the flagship San Francisco left, the rest of the force may follow.



The Portland was next in line, following the San Francisco. Portland was hit in the propeller by a torpedo that locked the cruiser in a right turn. After the Portland’s first loop, the Hiei was waiting and the two ships exchanged fire. The Portland hit the battleship several times before continuing around on its loop.

The Helena followed Portland, with the Juneau afterwards. Helena engaged the Akatsuki, which was too busy firing at the disabled San Francisco to see the Helena approaching. The Helena pummeled the Japanese destroyer until the cruiser was driven off by three other Japanese destroyers.

Next came the cruiser Juneau. The Juneau attempted to engage enemy ships. While searching for a target, the cruiser was hit by a torpedo that removed the cruiser from the battle.

The four trailing destroyers came next. The Aaron Ward was hit 9 times by enemy shells while trying to avoid the crippled Sterett. The Barton also had to avoid a wreck, and was almost immediately sunk by two torpedoes, one of which was launched from Amatsukaze After Barton sank, the Monssen took on two destroyers . Two starburst shells exploded, lighting the area. The captain of the Monssen, believing that the shells were fired from American ships, turned on the recognition lights and was sunk by 47 Japanese shells. Fletcher managed to escape damage altogether.



The Japanese also took heavy damage. Yudachi, like the Monssen, lit the regonition lights, but stayed afloat until survivors get picked up. Akatsuki was sunk after severely damaging the Atlanta. The Amatsukaze was damaged by the Helena while the Japanese crew was busy firing at the crippled San Francisco, which had lost all of the weapons aboard and couldn’t fire back. Hiei took over 85 hits and stayed afloat. It took an additional torpedo and three bombs before the Hiei was ordered sunk by Admiral Isoroku Yamaoto. The destroyers Amatsukaze, Ikazuchi, and Murasame were also damaged. Admiral Hara and the Amatsukaze made a safe return, although Hara was deeply disturbed by the deaths aboard his ship.

Four sailors from the San Francisco were awarded the Medal of Honor, more than any other ship would receive in a single battle yet today. All ships returned for repairs in their home ports. The undamaged forces would again collide in Ironbottom Sound the next day.

[SAMWolf]

The Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

On the next day, November 14, 1942, a second bombardment force approached Ironbottom Sound. This force focused on the battleship Kirishima, a survivor of the previous nights engagement.

This time the Americans were ready though. Two battleships were waiting, along with the standard destroyers. Together, these ships formed the patrol force that would cover Ironbottom Sound that night. The four destroyers would be responsible for engaging the enemy, with the battleships providing long range fire support.

The Japanese forces are spotted on an approach to Guadalcanal at 10:55 p.m. Shortly afterwards, the destroyers were ordered to attack, and left to deal with the force. These ships suffered the greatest damage of all the American ships and most of the Japanese ships that night. Three of the four destroyers were sunk, and the fourth destroyer, the USS Gwin, was heavily damaged.

The battleships begin to fire shortly afterwards. At 11:17 p.m., the Washington and South Dakota opened fire. However, the South Dakota was of little use, since the battleship was plagued with a series of problems and system malfuctions which would later eliminate it from the battle. The South Dakota would be the primary target for the ships. The American battleship sustained moderate damage before returning for repairs.



While the crew of the Kirishima was firing at the wounded battleship, the Washington slipped up alongside the Kirishima and fired devastating salvos of 5- and 16-inch shells into the side of the battleship at 12:05 a.m. In the next 7 minutes, the Kirishima was nearly totally devastated, and later sank. The Washington managed to sink the destroyer Ayanami before retiring from the battle.


IJN Kirishima

Each side returned returned for repairs, with both sides suffering from heavy damage. The Japanese lost the second battleship of the war, the first being Hiei on November 13, only two days before the Kirishima was sent to the bottom of the same area. American forces lost three destroyers, with a fourth heavily damaged, and a battleship. While the battles demonstrated superior night-fighting tactics for the Japanese, the frequent conflicts were beginning to take their toll on both sides.

[SAMWolf]

One thing was clear after the battle. The Japanese had sent a convoy loaded with an entire infantry division of 12,000 men and equipment to Guadalcanal, enough to turn the tide of battle. Only 2,000 soldiers, 260 cases of ammunition and 1,500 bags of rice (a four-day supply) got ashore, after much punishment. The Americans shattered the convoy, sank two battleships, and put ashore 5,500 men and tons of supplies. The Americans had gained the edge on Guadalcanal, would clear the island, start climbing up the Solomons ladder and win the war.

A few hundred miles away, a Japanese staff officer was also penning a report, an appreciation of the Pacific war situation just before the two battles of Guadalcanal, which read, "It must be said that the success or failure in recapturing Guadalcanal Island, and the vital naval battle related to it, is the fork in the road which leads to victory for them or us."

The fork in the road had been reached. After Washington headed south from Ironbottom Sound on the morning of November 14, it was clear which way the war would go.

[SAMWolf]

'We are going into an action area. We have no great certainty what forces we will encounter. We might be ambushed. A disaster of some sort may come upon us. But whatever it is we are going into, I hope to bring all of you back alive. Good luck to all of us.'

--Captain Glenn Davis,
Commander USS. Washington

[Soaring Feather]

Good read SAM

bump

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Bentfeather. Good night. Cya tomorrow.

[Soaring Feather]

Good Night SAM

[Light Speed]

In 1995 in San Fransisco attended the reunion of USS Isherwood DD-520.
During that week had dinner with a man who was an exec. officer on DD-520... sharing with me a history prior to the I...his time aboard USS Benham..and Guadalcanal.
He was blown from Benham into the water when a Japanese Long lance torpedo tore her bow off.
The man saw the entire Pacific war..and some in the Atlantic with Isherwood in 43 before her transit to the Pacific.

DD-397 was assigned to the screen of USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) in December 1941. In the last hours of peace in the Pacific, BENHAM, steaming as a part of Task Force Eight, was battling rough seas west of Oahu. The force, centered around the carrier, three heavy cruisers and nine destroyers, was returning from Wake Island after delivering aircraft to the Marines on the island outpost. TF 8 had been scheduled to enter Pearl Harbor early on Sunday morning, December 7, but adverse sea conditions made refueling the destroyers a slow process. The delay kept the valuable task force at sea while dozens of ships were caught by the Japanese attack that began the war. Weeks later, USS SARATOGA (CV-3) was torpedoed southwest of Hawaii by the Japanese submarine I-16. BENHAM's role as convoy escort was briefly interrupted while the destroyer successfully chaperoned the wounded carrier to the repair yard at Pearl Harbor. In the frantic days that followed the Japanese attack, BENHAM continued to screen the vital carriers protecting the Hawaiian Islands from the Japanese invasion everyone expected momentarily. The nation needed a victory, however, and BENHAM task force would provide it. Two carrier task groups were organized for a special mission. The Army Air Corps, in the form of Lieutenant Colonel James Harold Doolittle, had convinced General Henry "Hap" Arnold that an air strike, using Army bombers flown from Navy carriers, had a chance to bomb Japan. The ordeal facing the destroyers assigned to cover the two carriers involved screening the flat tops to within five hundred miles of the Japanese home islands. BENHAM, along with her division mates of Destroyer Division 6, covered USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), two heavy cruisers, and an oiler. The group ordered to provide cover for the Army bombers aboard HORNET (CV-8) was designated Task Force 16.1. TF 16.2, centered around HORNET, carried sixteen B-25 "Mitchell" medium bombers. Still one hundred miles from the launch point, the force encountered a picket line of fishing trawlers. The screen took care of them, but the message went to Imperial headquarters that carriers had been sighted. The Japanese leadership concluded that American carrier aircraft could not hit targets on the Home Islands from that far out. There appeared to be time for a successful launch. At 08l5, on April 18, 1942, the first bomber of the "Doolittle Raid" left the deck of HORNET. Within hours, the raiders were dropping their loads on targets in and around Tokyo. For the first time, the people of Japan learned of their vulnerability. BENHAM and her screen succeeded in returning the carriers to Pearl Harbor without a scratch. The tide was beginning to turn and BENHAM would find herself in the midst of the pivotal actions that changed the course of the war. BENHAM screened her carriers at the battle of Midway, helping to rescue more than 700 survivors from the crews of the USS HAMMANN (DD-412), lost trying to protect her carrier, as well as a portion of the crew of the wounded carrier, USS YORKTOWN (CV-5). As the war action shifted to the South, BENHAM followed. Throughout the summer and fall, the veteran destroyer screened the Marine landings at Guadalcanal, then protected the convoys bringing supplies to the embattled island. The chores were far from uneventful. In one episode, BENHAM was protecting a transport carrying Japanese prisoners back from Guadalcanal. Just after entering Cook Strait, between the north and south islands of New Zealand, the bridge lookout spotted a huge wave, reportedly striking the destroyer well over the lookout's head. The roll, exceeding 48 degrees, suggested that BENHAM might be more stable than her critics feared. BENHAM's luck ran out in the contested waters of Ironbottom Sound, just north of Guadalcanal. The almost nightly attacks by Japanese naval forces on the beachhead had been blocked, but the result was often in doubt. Finally, Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee could deploy a force capable of checkmating the Japanese bombardment group Allied intelligence reported steaming from the enemy bases far to the north. Destroyers lead the way into the waters off Savo Island on the evening of November 14-15, 1942, and, one by one, they took the brunt of the fire from the Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. BENHAM, second in line behind USS WALKE (DD-416) and trailed by two other destroyers and two battleships, opened on the Japanese destroyer screen. Unfortunately, Japanese 24- inch "Long Lance" torpedoes were already in the water. The blast caused by the Japanese torpedo threw gun crews off their feet and tore away fifteen feet of BENHAM's bow. Immediately out of action, the destroyer was able to limp to the southwest, damage control parties struggling to keep her afloat. USS GWIN (DD-433) came along side and assisted with the efforts to save DD-397, but the creaks and groans coming from the hull of the stricken destroyer signaled that the efforts were doomed to failure. A loud crack heralded the end of the valiant tin can. Her back broken, BENHAM split in half, but only after allowing her crew to successfully abandon the doomed vessel. Gunfire from GWIN sank DD-397's remains somewhere west of Guadalcanal on November 15, 1942. USS BENHAM was awarded five battle stars for her service during World War II.

[MistyCA]

Thank you so much for sharing that experience with us. How interesting it must have been to talk to the exec office on DD-520. Imagine being blown into the water like that! I can't even imagine that. All the men who manned those ships were extraordinary to me.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for the thread, Sam. Good work! :)

[MistyCA]

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on December 29:
1563 Francesco Maria Guaitoli composer
1586 Francisco de Moncada Spanish earl of Osuna/marquis of Aytona
1678 Gotthard Wagner composer
1709 Elisabeth Petrovna tsarina of Russia/daughter of Peter the Great
1721 Madame De Pompadour mistress of French King Louis the 15th
1743 Alexander van Bylandt Dutch military officer
1767 Aime Ambroise Simon Leborne composer
1776 Charles Macintosh Scotland, patented waterproof fabric
1792 Archibald Alison Scottish historian (History of Europe)
1800 Charles Goodyear inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
1808 Andrew Johnson Raleigh NC, (Unionist), 17th President (1865-69)
1808 György Apponyi Hungarian Parliament member
1809 William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal) British PM (1868-74, '80-86, '92-94)
1809 Albert Pike Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1891
1813 Etienne-Joseph Soubre composer
1831 Adam Badeau Bvt Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
1833 John James Ingalls (Representative-KS)
1843 Elisabeth queen of Romania/poet (Rumänische Dichtungen)
1850 Tomas Breton y Hernandez composer
1856 Thomas J Stieltjes mathematician (Stieltjes integral)
1859 Venustiano Carranza President of México (1915-20)
1866 Joseph Limburg liberal Second-Member of parliament (1905-19)
1869 Bill Howell cricketer (Australian bowler at turn of century)
1876 Pablo Casals Vendrell Catalonia Spain, cellist/conductor/composer
1878 Felix M Abel French bible scholar (Jérusalem Nouvelle)
1879 Billy Mitchell aviation hero general (WWI)
1880 Jean-Fernand Vaubourgoin composer
1887 Kiyoshi Nobutoki composer
1888 Joseph Beran Czechoslovakian archbishop of Prague/cardinal
1890 Jozef Cantré Flemish sculptor/wood carver
1892 Emory Parnell St Paul MN, actress (Rocket Man, County Fair)
1896 David Alfaro Siqueiros México, painter/muralist (Liberation of Chile)
1897 Hermann Heiss composer
1898 Jeanne Leleu composer
19-- Ronnie Younkins rocker (Kix-Hot Wire)
19-- Susie Garrett Detroit MI, actress (Punky Brewster)
1900 Willie Humphrey jazz Clarinetist
1903 Clyde McCoy jazz trumpeter/bandleader
1904 Wendell Niles Twin Valley MN, TV announcer (It Could be You)
1907 James Gardner designer
1908 Claire Dodd Arkansas, actress (Ex-Lady, In the Navy)
1908 Gerben Sonderman Dutch test pilot (Fokker)
1912 Peggy Glanville-Hicks Melbourne Australia, composer (Triad)
1913 Laurence Gower academic
1915 Robert Ruark US writer (Something of Value)
1915 Charles L[eonard] Harness US, sci-fi author (Paradox Men, Wolfhead)
1915 John P W Meefout Dutch sculptor (Laying Woman)
1917 Tom Bradley (Mayor-D-LA) (1973-93)
1919 Pieter Terpstra Dutch journalist/writer (De dei is forroun/Havank-T)
1919 Roman Vlad composer
1920 Syd Dernley hangman
1920 Viveca Lindfors Uppsala Sweden, actress (Way We Were, Welcome to LA)
1921 Dobrica Cosic writer
1925 Dina Merrill New York NY, actress (Operation Petticoat, Butterfield 8)
1927 Jim Simpson Washington DC, sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball)
1928 Bernard Cribbins Oldham England, actor (Val Doonican Show)
1930 Willy Giefer composer
1931 Barbara Steele England, actress (Castle of Blood, Dark Shadows)
1932 Inga Swenson Omaha NE, actress (Gretchen-Benson)
1933 Prez "Kidd" Kenneth blues singer/guitarist
1934 Ed Flanders Minneapolis MN, actor (Dr Westphall-St Elsewhere)
1934 Tom Jarriel LaGrange GA, newscaster (ABC Weekend News, 20/20)
1935 Tony Bramall England, auto dealer/multi-millionaire (Harrogate)
1936 Mary Tyler Moore Brooklyn NY, actress (Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People)
1936 Ray Nitschke NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers)
1936 Vitaly Alexeyevich Godzyatsky composer
1938 Jon Voight Yonkers NY, actor (Deliverance, Midnight Cowboy)
1938 Wayne Huizenga CEO (Waste Management, Blockbuster, Miami Dolphins)
1939 Maumoon Abdul Gayoom President of Maldives (1978- )
1940 Brigitte Kronauer writer
1940 Ed Buce Keiser AR, country singer (Texas)
1940 Peter Koelewijn Dutch writer/vocalist (Come off that Roof)
1941 Ray Thomas England, rock vocalist (Moody Blues-Nights in White Satin)
1942 Jerry Summers rocker
1943 Maij-Wegge Dutch traffic minister (19..-94)
1944 Rodney Redmond New Zealand cricket (opener scored century in Test vs Pakistan 1973)
1945 Adje Roland Dutch disc-jockey
1946 Laffit Pincay Jr jockey (Kentucky Derby 1984, Belmont Stakes 1982-84, Swale)
1946 Paul Trible (Senator-R-VA)
1946 Marianne Faithfull Hampstead England, vocalist (Money)
1947 Ted Danson San Diego CA, actor (Sam Malone-Cheers, 3 Men & a Baby)
1947 Cozy Powell England, rock drummer (Jeff Beck Group, Whitesnake, ELP)
1949 Angel Tompkins actress (Bees, Prime Cut, Murphy's Law)
1949 Syed Kirmani cricketer (Indian keeper after Engineer)
1950 Jon Polito Philadelphia PA, actor (Fire With Fire, Homicide)
1951 Laurel Masse Holland MI, jazz singer (Manhattan Transfer-Operator)
1951 Yvonne Elliman US actress/singer (I Don't Know How to Love Him)
1952 Nikolai Andrianov USSR, gymnast (Olympics-gold-1972, 76, 80)
1952 Gelsey Kirkland Bethlehem PA, ballerina/druggie (Nutcracker)
1953 Kate Schmidt US javelin thrower (Olympics-bronze-1972)
1954 Glenn Myernick Trenton NJ, US soccer coach (Olympics-gold-96)
1954 Roger Voudouris Sacramento CA, rock vocalist
1955 Jan Pijnenburg Dutch rock drummer (Doe Maar-Bomb)
1955 Neil Giraldo rocker (Pat Benatar Band)
1956 Dolf de Vries Dutch musical/director/arranger (Josephine)
1958 Curt Allen Byrum Onida SD, PGA golfer (1989 Hardee's Golf Classic)
1959 Leslie Graves Silver City NM, actress (Brenda-Capitol)
1959 Paula Poundstone comedienne (Emmy Awards)
1960 Dave Gilbert cricketer (Aussie pace bowler in 9 Tests 1985-86)
1960 David Boon cricketer (short backward square from Tasmania)
1961 Robert Louis Tewdwr Moss journalist/travel writer
1962 Devon White Kingston Jamaica, outfielder (Florida Marlins)
1964 Kimberly Russell actress (Sarah-Head of the Class)
1964 Craig Grebeck Cerritos CA, infielder (Florida Marlins)
1965 David Delfino hockey goaltender (Team Italy 1998)
1966 Bruce Bulina Vancouver British Columbia, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Alberta Open)
1966 Drew Hartt Calgary Alta, Canadian Tour golfer (1995 Desert Tour)
1967 Henry Jones NFL safety (Buffalo Bills)
1967 Jason Gould son of Elliot Gould/Barbra Streisand, (Prince of Tides)
1967 Kevin Toth Cleveland OH, shot putter
1967 Tony Tolbert NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys)
1968 Carlo H L Ponti Jr son of Carlo Ponti & Sophia Loren
1968 Darren Perry NFL free safety (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1968 James Mouton Denver CO, outfielder (Houston Astros)
1970 Yaroslav Ihorovych Pustovyi Kostroma Ukraine, cosmonaut
1971 Jay Fiedler NFL quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles)
1971 Margot Thien San Diego CA, synchronized swimmer (Olympics-gold-96)
1971 Mark Montreuil NFL cornerback (San Diego Chargers)
1971 Toby Mills WLAF corner (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1972 Jessica Lee McMinn Miss North Carolina USA (1996)
1972 Malcolm Seabron NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)
1972 Melissa Hall Miss USA-Minnesota (1997)
1972 Randy Neal NFL linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals)
1973 Tomas Perez Barquisimeto Venezuela, infielder (Toronto Blue Jays)
1974 Brad Hodge cricketer (promising Victorian middle-order batsman)
1974 James Darling linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles)
1974 Tom Knight cornerback (Arizona Cardinals)
1975 Kalin Olson Hot Springs AR, playmate (Aug 1997)
1979 Laura Larson Miss Maine Teen USA (1996)
2943 Kathryn Leigh Scott [Kringstad] Den Helder Netherlands, actress (Voice of the Heart, Big Shamus)

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Deaths which occurred on December 29:
1141 Yue Fei Chinese general, executed
1170 Thomas Beckett archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II
1558 Hermann Finck composer, dies at 31
1619 Antoine Arnauld French lawyer (Philippica), dies
1630 Jan Baptist Stalpart van der Wiele Roman Catholic pastor/lyricist, dies at 51
1689 Olfert Dapper Amsterdam historian/geographer, buried
1703 Mustapha II sultan (Turkey), dies at 39
1731 J Brook Taylor English mathematician, dies at 46
1785 Johann Heinrich Rolle composer, dies at 69
1815 Saartjie Baartman the Hottentot Venus, dies in Paris
1821 Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendael South Netherlands general, dies at 61
1822 Albert Christoph Dies composer, dies at 67
1825 Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini composer, dies
1825 Jacques-Louis David French painter (Death of Marat), dies at 77
1835 Charles-Joseph Tolbecque composer, dies at 29
1836 Johann Baptist Schenk composer, dies at 83
1847 William Crotch composer, dies at 72
1871 Ferdinand Marcucci composer, dies at 71
1877 Willem Sassen Dutch Attorney General on Curaçao (Affair-S), dies
1890 Big Foot Sioux Indian chief, dies at Wounded Knee
1891 Leopold Kronecker German mathematician, dies at 68
1894 Chris Rossetti writer, dies at 64
1898 Georg Goltermann composer, dies at 74
1915 Charles Beach Hawley composer, dies at 57
1925 Félix E Vallotton Swiss painter/writer (Chaste Susanne), dies at 60
1926 Rainer M Rilke Austrias songwriter/writer (Wise Queen), dies at 51
1933 Joh Georghe Duca premier of Romania, murdered
1942 Frank D Adams Canadian geologist, dies at 83
1943 William H Singer US painter/collector (Singer Museum), dies at 75
1947 Joseph Cuvelier Belgian historian/general, dies at 78
1952 Beryl Rubinstein composer, dies at 54
1956 Martin Albertz German theologist (Jesus Christ's Church), dies at 73
1957 Tom Richmond cricketer (Notts leg-spinner took 2-86 in England Test), die
1958 Doris Humphrey US dancer/choreographer (Dances of Women), dies at 63
1959 Robin Humphrey Milford composer, dies at 56
1964 Bernard von Brentano German writer (Big Cats), dies at 63
1964 Miroslav Krejci composer, dies at 73
1965 Kusaku Yamada composer, dies at 79
1967 Paul Whiteman US orchestra leader (Fabulous Dorseys), dies at 77
1970 John de Mol Dutch accordionist, dies at 58
1971 Stuart Holmes dies of stomach ailment at 87
1972 Fritz Behrend composer, dies at 83
1976 Ivo van Damme Belgian 800/1500 meter sprinter (Olympics-silver-76), dies at 22
1980 Roy Engle actor (Police Chief-My Favorite Martian), dies at 67
1980 Tim Hardin US singer (Bird on a Wire), dies of a drug overdose at 39
1981 Guido Provoost Belgian historian, dies at 41
1982 Sol C Siegel US film producer (High Society), dies at 79
1984 Leo Robin lyricist, dies of heart failure at 84
1986 [Maurice] Harold Macmillan former British PM (1957-63), dies in Sussex, England, at 92
1986 Andrei Tarkovski Russian director (Stalker), dies at 54
1986 John Antill composer, dies at 82
1991 Julia McCarthy dies of cancer at 64
1992 L H Ruitenberg vicar/editor in chief (Reform Netherlands), dies at 87
1992 Vivienne Segal US actress (Broadway, Pal Joey), dies at 95
1994 Eugene Tanner Jr singer, dies at 58
1994 Frank Thring Australian actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur), dies at 68
1995 Hope Clara Chenhalls food inspector, dies at 85
1995 Louise Chaplin actress, dies at 87
1995 Madeleine Barot resistance heroine, dies at 86
1995 Nello Celio President of Switzerland (1972), dies at 81
1996 Alma Birk journalist/politician, dies at 77
1996 Daniel Raphaeautl Mayer journalist/resistance leader, dies at 86
1996 Mireille Hartuch singer/songwriter, dies at 90
1996 Oswald Szemerenyi philologist, dies at 83
1996 Peggy (Margaret McCrorie) Herbison politician, dies at 89
1996 Robert Morris lawyer, dies at 81
1996 Willaim Brown British TV executive, dies at 67
1996 William Thomas Pennar Davies poet author/theologian, dies at 85
1997 (Hanlon) Pat Clarke cyclist, dies at 82
1997 Robert Steel academic, dies at 82

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On this day...
1503 Battle at Carigliano: Spanish army beats France
1539 St Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning
1541 Isabella of Poland & King Ferdinand of Austria sign Treaty of Gyalu
1558 Charles V, German emperor, buried
1705 Prosper Jolyot's "Idomenée" premieres in Paris
1708 Great Alliance occupies Gent
1778 English troops occupy Savannah, Georgia
1782 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1813 British burn Buffalo New York during the War of 1812
1837 Canadian militia destroy Caroline, a US steamboat docked at Buffalo
1837 Steam-powered threshing machine patented, Winthrop ME
1841 King/grand duke Willem II installs Order of Eikenkroon
1845 Texas admitted as the 28th state
1848 Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1852 Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
1857 Franz Liszt's "Die Hunnenschlacht" premieres in Weimar
1862 Battle of Chichasaw Bayou: confederate armies defeat General Sherman
1862 Bowling ball invented
1864 Fire Department celebrates 1st annual ball
1867 1st telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Company, New York
1876 11 passenger cars crash in a ravine near Ashtabula OH, 92 die
1876 Frédéric A Bartholdi (Statue of Liberty sculptor) weds Jeanne-Emilie
1885 Gottlieb Daimler patents 1st bike (Germany)
1890 US 7th Cavalry massacre 200+ captive Sioux at Wounded Knee SD; Indian "war" in the west
1891 Edison patents "transmission of signals electrically" (radio)
1895 Dr L S Jameson begins failed raid on Johannesburg
1899 English fleet brings German postschip Bundesrath up
1900 General Viljoen surprise attack British garrison to Helvetia
1903 French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad & Ubangi-Shari
1906 Montréal Wanderers beat New Glasgow (Nova Scotia) for Stanley Cup (2nd of 1906)
1908 Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville WI
1911 San Francisco Symphony is formed
1911 Proclamation restores "Dei Gratia" from Canada's coins
1913 1st movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn" premieres in Chicago IL
1920 The netherlands/Venezuela recover diplomatic relations
1920 Yugoslav government bans communist party
1921 William Lyon Mackenzie King succeeded Arthur Meighen as Canadian PM
1922 Revised Netherlands Law proclaims suffrage
1926 Vatican puts French fascist Charles Maurras' work on the index
1926 Victoria (1107) beat New South Wales (221 & 230) by an innings 656 runs
1929 Police arrest Sukarno & 100s PNI-leaders
1930 Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam MN, to New Orleans LA
1931 Identification of heavy water publicly announced, HC Urey
1931 Victoria score 7 for 435 in second innings to beat New South Wales
1933 Yankees refuse to release Babe Ruth so he can manage the Cincinnati Reds
1934 1st collegiate basketball doubleheader (Madison Square Garden)
1934 Japan renounces Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 & London Treaty of 1930
1934 Federico García Lorca's "Yerma" premieres in Madrid
1937 Pan Am starts San Francisco CA-to-Auckland, New Zealand service
1937 Ireland adopts constitution (Irish Free State becomes Eire)
1937 Lou Thesz beats E Marshall in St Louis, to become wrestling champion
1938 Construction on Lake Washington Floating Bridge, Seattle WA, begins
1940 Germany begins dropping incendiary bombs on London (WWII)
1940 NFL Pro Bowl: Chi Bears beats NFL All-Stars 28-14
1944 Belgian Nazi Léon Degrelle at default to the death sentenced
1944 General Eisenhowers train returns to Versailles
1947 Ship carrying Jewish immigrants driven away from Palestine
1948 US State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit
1948 "Rape of Lucretia" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 23 performances
1948 Canada recognizes Israel
1949 1st UHF television station operating regular basis (Bridgeport CT)
1949 Hungary nationalized its industries
1952 1st transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford NY)
1954 Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Netherlands & Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes into being
1955 Barbra Streisand's 1st recording, "You'll Never Know" at age 13
1957 Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 50-14 in NFL championship game
1957 Singers Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé wed in Las Vegas
1958 Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game
1958 TV soap "Young Dr Malone" debuts
1959 Saul Levitt's "Andersonville Trial" premieres in New York NY
1962 Doug Walters makes 1st-class debut for New South Wales 17 years 8 days
1963 52nd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Adelaide (3-2)
1965 CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year
1965 Supremes release "My World is Empty Without You"
1965 "Thunderball" premieres in US
1966 Pirate Radio Phoenix, 1st transmission (Worcester MA)
1967 Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1967 Turkish-Cypriot government forms in Cyprus
1968 Baltimore Colts beat Cleveland Browns 34-0 in NFL championship game
1968 New York Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23 in AFL championship game
1968 Israeli commandos destroy 13 Lebanese airplanes
1969 New York Times reports Curt Flood will sue baseball & challenge the reserve clause
1972 Eastern Tristar Jumbo Jet crashes near Everglades killing 101
1972 Life magazine ceases publication
1972 Test Cricket debut of Jeff Thomson & Max Walker vs Pakistan at MCG
1974 Murray Schisgal's "All Over Town" premieres in New York NY
1975 11 killed, 75 hurt by terrorist bomb at LaGuardia Airport in New York NY
1977 Ronald Ribman's "Cold Storage" premieres in New York NY
1978 Shah of Iran, asks Shapour Bahktiar to form a civilian government
1978 Spain constitution goes into effect
1978 Test Cricket debut of Allan Robert Border, vs England at the MCG
1979 Red Army beats New York Islanders 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum
1980 Shuttle STS-1 moves from Vandenberg AFB to Launch Complex 39A
1982 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
1982 Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant ends his career with Alabama (323 wins)
1983 US announces withdrawal from UNESCO
1983 Gavaskar makes the highest Test Cricket score by an Indian, 236 vs West Indies
1983 Graeme Yallop completes 268 vs Pakistan at cricket MCG
1984 Blues take 27 shots against Islanders in 1 period
1984 Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parliamentary elections
1984 5th United Negro College Fund
1988 Soviet Red Army Team edges New York Islanders, 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum
1988 Victorian Post Office Museum in Australia closes
1989 Vaclav Havel becomes President of Czechoslovakia
1989 Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova are named athletes of the decade by the Associated Press
1989 Jane Pauley says goodbye to NBC's "Today" show
1990 Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton weds Shannon Kelley
1991 "Christmas Carol" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 14 performances
1991 12th United Negro College Fund
1991 Boeing 747-200F of China Airlines crash into mountain at Taipei
1992 Governor Cuomo grants Jean Harris ("Scarsdale Diet" Murderess) clemency
1993 Courtney Love sues doctors for leaking news of her methadone treatment
1993 Todd Bridges arrested for transporting methamphetamine (speed)
1994 B737-400 flies into a mountain at Edremit East Turkey, 54 killed
1994 Bangladesh government of Zia resigns
1994 Billionaire J Paul Getty Jr marries Victoria Holdsworth on Barbados
1994 Last Dutch electro-magnetic telephone exchange shuts down
1994 Shane Warne takes a hat-trick vs England at cricket MCG
1996 "Dreams & Nightmares" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC
1996 "Skylight" closes at Royale Theater NYC after
1996 "Taking Sides" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC
1997 Carquest Bowl 8: Georgia Tech beats West Virginia, 35-30
1997 Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu
1997 Orville Lynn Majors, 36, arrested for many deaths under his care
1997 Russia signs agreement to build a $3B nuclear power plant in China

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Gabon : President's Birthday
Texas : Admission Day (1945)
World : Ante-Pen-Ultimate Day

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Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Thomas of Canterbury (Thomas à Beckett), bp/martyr

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Religious History
1223 Pope Honorius III formally approved the Franciscan religious order. Properly called the Order of the Friars Minor, this Catholic order was founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi.
1841 Howard College was chartered in Marion, Alabama, under Baptist sponsorship. The campus relocated to Birmingham in 1887.
1849 The Christmas hymn by Edmund Sears, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," was first published in "The Christian Register." Sears' carol features the American emphasis in Christian living, that is, the social message of "peace on earth, good will toward men."
1876 Popular American hymnwriter Philip P. Bliss, 38, died when the train in which he and his wife were riding plunged off a bridge into a ravine 60 feet below. Bliss had penned such enduring hymns as: "Wonderful Words of Life, "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning," "I Will Sing of My Redeemer" and "I Gave My Life for Thee."
1938 In Tambaram, South India, the second world meeting of the International Missionary Council closed at Madras Christian College (having opened Dec. 12th). It was afterward called the IMC's Tambaram Conference.

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Thought for the day :
" The minute a man is convinced that he is interesting, he isn`t. "

[Jen]

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[Aeronaut]

Good morning Jen.

[Jen]

Great thread Sam. I look forward to reading it. I'm taking baby Bryce home today because he infected me with what he and his mom had - stomach flu! Great... I was up quite a bit last night and I am exhausted this morning, but my stomach has settled down a little bit.

[Jen]

Hi Aeronaut. Hope you are doing well today! Good to see you this morning.

[E.G.C.]

Bump for the Foxhole.