Today in History, 12/26

Jeez, a couple of real cheap shots at Pauline Kael today. Sorry, Pauline, in whatever afterlife you inhabit!
838: A storm causes heavy flooding in the Netherlands. 2437 people die.
1606: First performance of King Lear. Pauline Kael pans it.
1776: The British are defeated in the Battle of Trenton.
1791: Charles Babbage is born. He originated the idea of a programming computer, but his difference engine was never built in his lifetime.
1837: George Dewey is born. He was an admiral in the US Navy during the Spanish American War. He famously said, "You may fire when ready, Gridley." It was a very popular catchphrase in the US up until about WWII. Now I think I'm the only one who still says it. 1871: Gilbert & Sullivan collaborate for the first time. The opera the produce, Thespis, does only fair-to-middlin' business and they don't work together for four years.
1893: Mao Zedong is born. He was very naughty.
1903: Elisha Cook, Jr. is born. He played Wilmer the gunsel in The Maltese Falcon and a cowardly gunman in about a million other movies. He also played Samuel T. Cogley in the Star Trek: TOS episode "Court Martial.1906: The world's first feature film, The Story of the Kelly Gang is released. Pauline Kael pans it.
1919: The Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees.1921: Steve Allen is born. According to MST3K, he invented a cheap, efficient desalination process.

1933: FM radio is patented.

1940: Phil Spector is born. He is responsible for the "Wall of Sound" sound that the Beach Boys used so much (and which is reason enough to hate him, as far as I'm concerned). He also has produced or written more hit records than I've had hot dinners. Don't let him date your sister, especially if she's an over-40 actress/model desperately trying to achieve some kind of fame.

This look just screams "Not Guilty!"

1941: Winston Churchill becomes the first British Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the US Congress.
1944: The Glass Menagerie premieres.
1945: John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted is born. His son, Adam was most probably killed by Ottis Toole.
1947: Carlton Fisk is born in Bellows Falls, VT. He once said to Deion Sanders, "If you don't play the game right, I'm going to kick your ass right here."1956: David Sedaris is born.
1963: Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica is born.

1972: Harry S Truman dies
1985: Dian Fossey is murdered by poachers in Africa.