Today in History, 12/20

1192: Richard the Lion-Heart is captured by Leopold V of Austria on his way home from the Crusades.
1803: The Louisiana Purchase is officially completed.
1812: Sacagawea, the Shoshone guide for the Lewis & Clark Expedition dies.
1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the US.
1868: Harvey Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is born.
1915: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.
1917: The Cheka, the first Soviet secret police is founded.
1941: The American Volunteer Group, aka The Flying Tigers get in their first battle in Kunming, China. I always thought that sharkmouth was the coolest.
1945: Peter Criss, drummer for KISS is born.
1951: EBR-I (Experimental Breeder Reactor) in Arco, ID becomes the first electricity-generating nuclear power plant when it powers four 200-watt light bulbs.
1952: Jenny Agutter is born. She was the bland love interest in Logan's Run.
1954: Michael Badalucco is born. He played George "Baby Face" Nelson in O Brother Where Art Thou?
1957: Elvis is drafted.
1968: John Steinbeck is born.
1970: Nicole DeBoer is born. She had a tough row to hoe when she replaced the extremely popular Terry Farrell on Star Trek: Deep Space Nice.
1973: Bobby Darrin dies.

1976: Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago dies.
1984: A freight train carrying over a million gallons of gas derails in the Summit Tunnel in England. No lives were lost during the fire or its suppression.
1996: Carl Sagan dies.

Today in History elements mostly cribbed from The History Channel, Wikipedia, The New York Times, The Jewish World Review, The Writer's Almanac and anything else I can dig up.