Today in history: Dec. 28
Hall of Fame football coach and broadcaster John Madden died at 85; his exuberant calls had provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades.
1908: Messina, Italy
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In 1908, a major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian city of Messina, killing at least 70,000 people.
1945: The Pledge of Allegiance
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In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
1972: Kim Il Sung
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In 1972, Kim Il Sung, the premier of North Korea, was named the country’s president under a new constitution.
1975: "Hail Mary"
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In 1975, the “Hail Mary pass” entered the football lexicon as Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach tossed the ball to Drew Pearson for an improbable 50-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left to help the Cowboys come back to edge the Minnesota Vikings 17-14.
1981: Elizabeth Jordan Carr
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In 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American “test-tube” baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
2007: Pakistan
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In 2007, Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest as the country’s army tried to quell a frenzy of rioting in the wake of her assassination.
2011: North Korea
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Ten years ago: North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, escorted his father’s hearse in an elaborate state funeral, bowing somberly and saluting in front of tens of thousands of citizens who wailed and stamped their feet in grief for Kim Jong Il.
2014: Afghanistan
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In 2014, the war in Afghanistan, fought for 13 bloody years and still raging, came to a formal end with a quiet flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul that marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country’s own security forces.
2016: Debbie Reynolds
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Five years ago: Film star Debbie Reynolds, who lit up the screen in “Singin’ in the Rain” and other Hollywood classics, died at age 84 a day after losing her daughter, Carrie Fisher, who was 60.
2020: Adam Coy
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One year ago: A white Columbus, Ohio, police officer, Adam Coy, was fired after bodycam footage showed him fatally shooting Andre Hill – a Black man who was holding a cellphone – and failing to administer first aid for several minutes. (Coy is scheduled to face trial for murder in 2022.)
2020: Lori Loughlin
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One year ago: “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin was released from prison after spending two months behind bars for paying a half million dollars in bribes to get her two daughters into college.
2012: Vladimir Putin
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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children.
2017: Apple
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Apple apologized for secretly slowing down older iPhones, a move it said was necessary to avoid unexpected shutdowns due to battery fatigue.
2017: Doug Jones
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Officials in Alabama certified Democrat Doug Jones as the winner of a special U.S. Senate election over Republican Roy Moore, who charged that the election was “fraudulent.”
2017: Rose Marie
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Rose Marie, who began her career in show business as a child in the 1920s and co-starred on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the 1960s, died at her Los Angeles-area home at the age of 94.
2021: Harry Reid
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One year ago: Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid died at his Nevada home of complications from pancreatic cancer; the Democrat was 82.
2021: John Madden
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Hall of Fame football coach and broadcaster John Madden died at 85; his exuberant calls had provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades.
2021: Shohei Ohtani
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Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
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