Important events in history: dried blood serum produced (1933), John Gacy arrested (1978), first manned lunar mission launched (1968), radium discovered (1898), Irish Republic declared independence (1948), Snow White debuted (1937), first crossword puzzle published (1913), Elvis offers services to Nixon in War on Drugs (1970), It’s a Wonderful Life previewed (1946), Vespasian becomes fourth emperor of Rome in “Year of the Four Emperors” (69).
Dried blood serum was first produced. (1933) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania were able to rapidly freeze blood serum, the part of the blood that contains antibodies. Dried blood serum became the first substance used for emergency blood transplants and was the predecessor of modern serum albumin.
Serial killer John Gacy has been arrested. (1978) Gacy was accused of killing more than 30 young men, even as he raped and tortured many others. He was often called the “Killer Clown” as he often dressed up as a clown to entertain children’s parties.
The first manned lunar mission has been launched. (1968) Apollo 8 was the first manned vehicle to orbit the moon. Its three passengers, Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr. and William Anders, were the first men to see the Earth in its entirety, as well as the dark side of the moon.
Radium has been discovered. (1898) Pierre and Marie Curie isolated radium, one of the first radioactive elements discovered. They won a joint Nobel Prize for their work, and Marie Curie went on to win another for her contributions to chemistry. Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia due to overexposure to radium.
The Irish Republic, or Ireland, declared independence. (1948) Much of Ireland, known as the Irish Free State, became free after the Irish War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922. In 1948, however, it declared itself a free republic, the Irish Republic, and left the Commonwealth of Great Britain. This began years of tension between Great Britain and Ireland and Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.
Snow White debuted. (1937) It was the first mobile animated film ever made, and it was also the first full-length animated film shown in America. The film became the first of many Disney classics.
The first crossword puzzle has been published. (1913) Called “word-cross,” the first crossword puzzle was published in the New York World by British journalist Arthur Wynne. “Word crosses” quickly became popular, although the iconic New York Times crossword puzzle didn’t appear until 1942. Wynne’s first crossword puzzle contained a diamond-shaped puzzle and 34 clues.
Elvis has offered President Nixon his services in the War on Drugs. (1970) The famous pop singer met with Nixon to ask to be made a “federal agent in general,” although there actually was no such position. Elvis had previously written Nixon a letter detailing his distaste for “drug addicts, hippie elements, SFS (student protest) and Black Panthers” and thought he could use his celebrity status to influence young people to stay away from those groups. Nixon made Elvis an honorary federal agent and accepted a gold-plated pistol from Elvis as a gift.
It’s a Wonderful Life preview. (1946) The film initially flopped, but became a Christmas classic. The American Film Institute later named it as one of the 100 best American films ever made.
Vespasian became the fourth emperor to take control of Rome within a year. (69) The “Year of the Four Emperors” was the result of both assassinations and suicides. Things stabilized after Vespasian’s accession to the throne. He went on to found the Flavian dynasty.
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