This day in history, Dec 20, 2020 news-gazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news-gazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
December 19, 2020
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Today is Sunday, Dec. 20, the 355th day of 2020. There are 11 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Dec. 20, 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega.
On this date:
In 1790, the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally transferred from France to the United States.
In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union as all 169 delegates to a special convention in Charleston voted in favor of separation.
Associated Press
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Dec. 19, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached by the Republican-controlled House for perjury and obstruction of justice (he was subsequently acquitted by the Senate).
On this date:
In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pa., to camp for the winter.
In 1843, “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens, was first published in England.
In 1915, legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf was born in Paris. German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the pathological condition of dementia, died in Breslau (now Wroclaw), Poland, at age 51.
In 1946, war broke out in Indochina as troops under Ho Chi Minh launched widespread attacks against the French.