Updated December 4, 2012, 1:28 pm
On Dec. 5, 1933, national Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment.
On Dec. 5, 1901, Walt Disney, the pioneer of animated cartoon films and founder of the Disney theme parks, was born. Following his death on Dec. 15, 1966, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1776 The first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. 1782 Martin Van Buren, the eighth U.S. president and the first to be born after the country was formed, was born in Kinderhook, N.Y. 1791 Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna at age 35. 1792 George Washington was re-elected president and John Adams was re-elected vice president. 1831 Former President John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 1848 President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of ’49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California. 1901 Movie producer Walt Disney was born in Chicago. 1955 The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL-CIO. 1994 Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades. 1996 Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan questioned whether the stock market was overvalued due to investors’ “irrational exuberance.” 2002 Senate Republican leader Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond’s pro-segregation 1948 presidential campaign. The ensuing uproar led to Lott’s resignation from the Senate leadership. 2006 New York became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging trans fats at restaurants. 2008 A judge in Las Vegas sentenced O.J. Simpson to 33 years in prison (with eligibility for parole after nine) for an armed robbery at a hotel room. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Author Joan Didion turns 78 years old today.
AP Photo/Charles Sykes
R&B singer Keri Hilson turns 30 years old today.
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
1932 Little Richard, Rock singer, musician, turns 80 1935 Calvin Trillin, Author, turns 77 1938 J.J. Cale, Rock musician, turns 74 1946 Jose Carreras, Opera singer, turns 66 1947 Jim Messina, Rock singer (Loggins and Messina, Poco), turns 65 1951 Morgan Brittany, Actress (“Dallas”), turns 61 1957 Art Monk, Football Hall of Famer, turns 55 1968 Margaret Cho, Comedian, actress, turns 44 1972 Cliff Floyd, Baseball player, turns 40 1975 Paula Patton, Actress, turns 37 1976 Amy Acker, Actress (“Angel,” “Dollhouse”), turns 36 1985 Frankie Muniz, Actor (“Malcolm in the Middle”), turns 27 Historic Birthdays
Walt Disney 12/5/1901 – 12/15/1966 American television producer and creator of Mickey Mouse. Go to obituary »
69 Pope Julius II 12/5/1443 – 2/21/1513
Italian pope79 Martin Van Buren 12/5/1782 – 7/24/1862
Eighth President of the United States (1837-41)84 Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz 12/5/1822 – 6/27/1907
American naturalist and educator64 Christina Rossetti 12/5/1830 – 12/29/1894
English poet36 George Armstrong Custer 12/5/1839 – 6/25/1876
American cavalry officer58 Marcus Daly 12/5/1841 – 11/12/1900
American mining tycoon74 Clyde Vernon Cessna 12/5/1879 – 11/20/1954
American aircraft manufacturer85 Fritz Lang 12/5/1890 – 8/2/1976
Austrian-American motion picture director74 Werner Heisenberg 12/5/1901 – 2/1/1976
German physicist and philosopher77 Kate Simon 12/5/1912 – 2/4/1990
American travel writer
