Vatican II became ecumenical law, NAFTA was signed, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed, John Lennon was killed, the Race Relations Act came into effect, coaxial cable was patented, the Immaculate Conception was declared, the Ambrosian Library opened, and the Broadway Theater began showing musicals. CBS’ I Love Lucy was the first show to acknowledge pregnancy.
Pope Paul VI promulgated Vatican II into ecumenical law. (1965) The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, made a number of changes to Catholic practices, including the liturgy, the use of film and other media, and the way other non-Catholic churches were viewed.
NAFTA was signed into law. (1993) On this day US President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), virtually eliminating tariffs between the US, Mexico and Canada and creating the largest free trade area in the world.
US President Ronald Reagan and USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. (1987) This was the first treaty that required both nations to reduce the size of their land-based nuclear stockpiles.
John Lennon was killed by a deranged fan. (1980) Former Beatle and longtime activist John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York apartment building by Mark David Chapman.
The Race Relations Act has come into effect in Great Britain. (1965) The act made it a civil offense to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their “color, race, or ethnic or national origin.” The law applied only to public situations and excluded discrimination in terms of employment or housing. It was later revised to include these areas in 1968.
Coaxial cable has been patented. (1931) This type of cable was revolutionary at the time because it greatly reduced interference in telecommunications. Without coaxial cable, telephones and cable TV would have been impossible.
Pope Pius IX declared the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. (1854) This dogma, stating that the Virgin Mary possessed a “sanctifying grace” at her birth, and therefore had no original sin.
The second public library in Europe has been inaugurated. (1609) The Ambrosian Library opened its reading room on this day, making it the second largest public library in Europe, after the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
The Broadway Theater started showing musicals. (1930) His first show was Cole Porter’s The New Yorkers. Although The Broadway Theater has gone through a few incarnations since it began showing musicals in the 1930s – for a short time, like Cine Roma, it only showed Italian films – but it has since become one of the most popular theaters in the world.
The first television acknowledgment of pregnancy was made. (1952) CBS’ I Love Lucy was the first show to acknowledge pregnancy in the Dec. 8 episode “Lucy is Enceinte,” although CBS executives did not allow cast members to use the word pregnant. Instead, they could only use the word “waiting.”
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