GMT

Today in History 22 Dec

401
St. Innocent I begins his reign as Catholic Pope

1775
Continental navy organized with 7 ships

1807
US Congress passes Embargo Act and President Thomas Jefferson signs into law. Prohibits American ships from trading in foreign ports, as result of involvement in hostilities between France and Britain

1885
Pope Leo XIII proclaims extraordinary jubilee

1910
US postal savings stamps 1st issued

1944
Germans demand surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium

1967
"The Graduate", American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, premieres (Best Director, 1968)

1973
OPEC Gulf Six decides to raise the posted price of marker crude from $5.12 to $11.65 per barrel effective January 1, 1974

1977
36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes

1989
After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts communist dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu

1990
Iraq announces it will never give up Kuwait

2010
Repeal of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell policy", a 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the US military, signed into law by President Barack Obama

2016
Ebola vaccine VSV-EBOV is found to be 70-100% effective in a study published in The Lancet, becoming the world's first proven vaccine against Ebola

2018
Partial shutdown of US federal government begins

2022
"American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades" - 76.4 years, according to new report by CDC, biggest factors in the fall among many, COVID-19 and drug overdoses

2022
US Drug Enforcement Administration says it seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American, more than 379 million doses of

2023
UN Security Council resolution votes to speed up delivery of desperately needed aid for Gaza 13-0 with Russia and the US abstaining

Born on this day 22 Dec

1903
Barbara Moore, Russian-born British engineer (walked across US in 86 days in 1960), born in Russia (d. 1977)

1970
Ted Cruz [Rafael Edward], Canadian-born US politician (Senate-R-Texas 2013-), born in Calgary. Alberta

JOTD

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says, "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence; then a gun shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says, "OK, now what?"