On This Day in History - December 2nd - Almanac

Today is Thursday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2021 with 29 to follow.

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

Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include French painter Georges-Pierre Seurat in 1859; circus co-founder Charles Ringling in 1863; opera singer Maria Callas in 1923; former U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig Jr. in 1924; former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III in 1931 (age 90); former Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in 1939 (age 82); artist/dog photographer William Wegman in 1943 (age 78); actor Cathy Lee Crosby in 1944 (age 77); fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1946; figure skater Randy Gardner in 1958 (age 63); writer Ann Patchett in 1963 (age 58); actor Lucy Liu in 1968 (age 53); actor Joe Lo Truglio in 1970 (age 51); tennis player Monica Seles in 1973 (age 48); singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado in 1978 (age 43); pop singer Britney Spears in 1981 (age 40); NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 1983 (age 38); actor/country singer Jana Kramer in 1983 (age 38); actor Daniela Ruah in 1983 (age 38); actor Alfred Enoch in 1988 (age 33); singer Charlie Puth in 1991 (age 30); actor Annalise Basso in 1998 (age 23).

On this date in history:

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.

In 1823, during his annual address to the U.S. Congress, President James Monroe proclaimed a new U.S. foreign policy initiative that became known as the "Monroe Doctrine."

In 1859, abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, W.Va.

In 1927, the Model A Ford was introduced as the successor to the Model T. The price of a Model A roadster was $395.

In 1942, the Atomic Age was born when scientists demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at a laboratory below the stands at the University of Chicago football stadium.

In 1954, the U.S. Senate voted 65-22 to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., for conduct unbecoming a senator. The condemnation, which was equivalent to a censure, related to McCarthy's controversial investigation of alleged communists in the U.S. government, military and civilian society.

In 1961, Fidel Castro disclosed he was a communist, acknowledging he concealed the fact until he solidified his hold on Cuba.

In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed with Indianapolis lawyer William Ruckelshaus as its administrator.

In 1982, retired dentist Barney Clark, 62, became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart. He survived 112 days.

In 1993, Colombian drug trafficker Pablo Escobar was killed in a shootout with police and soldiers in the Colombian city of Medellin.

In 2001, U.S. forces in Afghanistan captured John Walker Lindh, 20, a U.S. citizen from San Anselmo, Calif., found fighting with the Taliban.

In 2001, energy company Enron filed for bankruptcy, sparking one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history. The Houston-based company was found to have fraudulent accounting practices.

In 2015, Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, attacked a social services facility in Southern California killing 14 before leading police in a running gun battle in which they were killed.

In 2016, a fire broke out an Oakland, Calif., warehouse killing 36 people. The Ghost Ship warehouse, which was being used for artist studios and dwellings, was hosting a concert at the time of the fire.

In 2020, Britain became the first Western nation to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

A thought for the day: "That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: Good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's ends." -- Greek soprano Maria Callas