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UPI Almanac for Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018

On Dec. 16, 1944, Germany launched a counteroffensive in World War II that became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

By United Press International
Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau, Belgium, against Task Force Myers, on December 18, 1944, as part of the Battle of the Bulge. File Photo courtesy the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau, Belgium, against Task Force Myers, on December 18, 1944, as part of the Battle of the Bulge. File Photo courtesy the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Today is Sunday, Dec. 16, the 350th day of 2018 with 15 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus and Venus. Evening stars are Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus.

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Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of England's King Henry VIII, in 1485; novelist Jane Austen in 1775; Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky in 1866; anthropologist Margaret Mead in 1901; science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke in 1917; science fiction writer Philip K. Dick in 1928; actor Liv Ullmann in 1938 (age 80); sports journalist Frank Deford in 1938; journalist Lesley Stahl in 1941 (age 77); TV producer Steven Bochco in 1943 (age 75); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Benny Andersson (ABBA) in 1946 (age 72); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) in 1949 (age 69); actor Ben Cross in 1947 (age 71); actor Benjamin Bratt in 1963 (age 55); actor Miranda Otto in 1967 (age 51); actor Krysten Ritter in 1981 (age 37); actor Theo James in 1984 (age 34); actor Anna Popplewell in 1988 (age 30).

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On this date in history:

In 1773, about 50 American patriots, protesting the British tax on tea, dumped 342 chests of it into Boston harbor in what became known as the "Boston Tea Party."

In 1835, a fire swept New York City, razing 600 buildings and causing $20 million damage.

In 1893, Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In 1907, America's "Great White Fleet" set out on its year-long circumnavigation of the globe on the order of President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1913, British actor Charles Chaplin reported to work at Keystone Studios in Hollywood, launching a legendary film career. The entertainer came to be known for his trademark hat and cane.

In 1944, Germany launched a counteroffensive in World War II that became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

In 1960, 131 people were killed in the collision of two planes over foggy New York Harbor.

In 1971, Pakistan's military surrendered in a war with India and the Bengali population, which wanted independence. The surrender established Bangladesh as a separate country.

In 1978, Cleveland, Ohio defaulted on its financial obligations, the first American city to do so since the Great Depression.

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In 1989, Walter LeRoy Moody sent his first of four pipe bombs in a waves of attacks that killed two people. His first bomb killed federal judge Robert Vance at his home in Alabama.

In 1991, the U.N. General Assembly repealed a resolution equating Zionism with racism. It had been a major stumbling block in achieving peace in the Middle East.

In 1998, U.S. and British jet fighters began a four-night campaign of bombing more than 100 Iraqi military targets in what was called Operation Desert Fox. The long-threatened action came after the allies concluded Iraq wouldn't cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

In 2008, the U.N. Security Council adopted its first resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in five years, calling on both sides to step up efforts for a lasting peace and stating that U.S.-brokered talks were "irreversible."

In 2010, Larry King tapes his last episode of Larry King Live after 25 years on CNN.

In 2013, John Donald Cody, who operated a fake veterans charity that collected $100 million in donations, was sentenced to 28 years in prison in Ohio.

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In 2014, Taliban militants attacked a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing more than 140 people, mostly children.


A thought for the day: "I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal." -- Jane Austen

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