December 22nd

Today's Highlight in History:
On December 22nd, 1894, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (Dreyfus was eventually vindicated.)

On this date:
In 1775, a Continental naval fleet was organized in the rebellious American colonies.

In 1807, Congress passed the Embargo Act, designed to force peace between Britain and France by cutting off all trade with Europe.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman sent a message to President Lincoln: "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah."

In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for a wartime conference with President Roosevelt.

In 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, US Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly said "Nuts!" when the Germans demanded the Americans' surrender.

In 1963, an official 30-day mourning period following the assassination of President Kennedy came to an end.

In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly voted to ratify the election of Kurt Waldheim to be Secretary-General.

In 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.

In 1990, Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president.

In 1991, the body of Lieutenant Colonel William R. Higgins, an American hostage murdered by his captors, was found dumped along a highway in Lebanon.

Ten years ago: Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe's hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising. Playwright Samuel Beckett died in Paris at age 83.

Five years ago: North Korea handed over the body of American pilot David Hilemon, killed when his helicopter was shot down over the communist country three days earlier. House Democrats chastised Speaker-to-be Newt Gingrich for accepting a $4.5 million book advance from Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

One year ago: A third Chinese dissident (Qin Yongmin) was sentenced to prison for trying to organize an opposition party.

"Winter is not a season, it's an occupation."

-- Sinclair Lewis, American author (1885-1951).