++This Tweet in History: December 31, 2009++

WRLD: 1991 - United 69 years + 1 day earlier, USSR dissolves

SPRT: 1972 - Pirate star, Clemente, perishes in crash of plane carrying food, supplies, to quake victims in Nicaragua

OTHR: 1695 - Homeowners hit the bricks to avoid window tax

BDAY: Diane von Furstenburg; John Denver; Simon Wiesenthal; Henri Matisse

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++This Tweet in History: December 30, 2009++

WRLD: 1922 - Soviet, Socialist republics unite

SPRT: 1981 - Great One, at 20, nets 5 goals, getting to 50 in record time

TECH: 1986 - Brits announce farewell to canary in a coal mine

BDAY: Tiger Woods; Davy Jones; Michael Nesmith; Rudyard Kipling

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++This Tweet in History: December 29, 2009++

WRLD: 1890 - US war on Plains Indians ends tragically with massacre at Wounded Knee

SPRT: 1878 - Habana kicks off Cuban leagues with 21-20 victory. Umm - that's baseball, not football

OTHR: 1992 - Brazil's pres can't quit in time to avoid impeachment; ends up being cleared

BDAY: Jude Law; Ted Danson; Mary Tyler Moore; Andrew Johnson

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++This Tweet in History: December 28, 2009++

WRLD: 1879 - Train tumbles into the Tay in bridge collapse during gale-force winds; all 75 perish; train salvaged

SPRT: 1975 - Red hot Red Army puts Rangers on ice in Cold War clash

OTHR: 1612 - Galileo observes, ignores star -- whoops! It's Neptune

BDAY: Denzel Washington; Nichelle Nichols; Earl "Fatha" Hines; Woodrow Wilson

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++This Tweet in History: December 27, 2009++

WRLD: 1945 - 28 nations sign World Bank into existence

SPRT: 1932 - Rockefeller's collaboration with NBC to clean up NYC's Speakeasy Belt spawns Radio City Music Hall

OTHR: 1657 - Stuyvent flushes remonstrance in old New York

BDAY: Gerard Depardieu; Marlene Dietrich; Louis Pasteur; Johannes Kepler

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Histortweet Week in Review - W/E December 26, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the weeks ending December 26, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Ypres, December 25, 1914 - Brit, German soldiers defy orders, lay down arms for Christmas: http://bit.ly/41kDNo
The Back-Story: [SFX:Silent Night; Down by the Riverside; I Don't Really Want to Fight] The First World War was marked by trench warfare: The combatants dug themselves in for protection from the other side’s machine guns and artillery, awaiting a coming offensive that would break the deadlock. The trenches were unsanitary, cold, and uncomfortable, and subject to flooding and collapse. Staring across a no-man’s land at one’s adversary, in similar straits, it was hard not to feel a sort of kinship. As Christmas approach, each side began supplying its soldiers with gifts: boxes of chocolates, tobbacco, and greeting cards. There prevailed a festive spirit, and a desire for a lull in the fighting. Across the trenches, the British heard their German counterparts singing German carols, and responded in English. Envoys stepped into no-man’s land carrying gifts, and offering to celebrate together. For that one night – and, in some places, for as long as a week, till new year’s day, there was peace on earth, and goodwill toward men.[SFX: War]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Las Vegas, December 25, 2002 - Hnida's kick smashes through NCAA's gender barrier: http://bit.ly/6XtsWh

The Back-Story: [SFX: Anything You Can Do; Route 66; I am Woman]Katie Hnida was a walk-on to the University of Colorado’s football team her freshman year, where she became the second woman to suit up for an NCAA Division 1-A game, and the first to suit up for a bowl game. In 2002, she transferred to the University of New Mexico and, again, walked on to the football team. On Christmas Day, she attempted an extra point at the Las Vegas bowl, and, although the kick was blocked, she was the first woman to play in a division 1-A game. The following year, she kicked two points after touchdown to become the first woman to score in a Division 1-A game. Following graduation, Hnida hit the lecture circuit, and played semi-pro ball for the Colorado Cobras. [SFX: Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves]

[SFX: SOUND827]: In Other News: DATELINE Washington, DC, December 1970 - The King drops in on the president to volunteer as drug czar: http://bit.ly/14RTzz

The Back-Story: [SFX: Users Are Losers; The No No Song] It was an odd juxtaposition: The convservative American president in his coat and tie, and “the King,” in gaudy jewelry, high collar,long hair, and sideburns. The meeting itself was something of an oddity, too. Elvis Presley showed up at the White House, with gifts – a Colt 45 pistol and some autographed pictures – and a six-page letter that he had hand-written on his flight to Washington, asking the president to name him a “Federal Agent at Large” in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Nixon welcomed Presley’s support, urging him to maintain his credibility, and providing a specially prepared badge from the bureau, with Presley’s name on it.[SFX: Julie's On the Drug Squad]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

December 20: Mentalist Uri Geller
December 21: Communist dictator Joseph Stalin
December 22: Brothers Gibb Maurice and Robin
December 23: Entrepreneur Madame CJ Walker
December 24: Poet Matthew Arnold
December 25: Mathematician Sir Isaac Newton
And December 26: Mathematician and computing pioneer Charles Babbage

[SFX:GENERIC1MOTION]Thank you for joining us for This Tweet in History, the Week in review. Be sure to follow us on Twitter.com/histortweet, and check our archives at histortweet.blogspot.com.

++This Tweet in History: December 26, 2009++

WRLD: 1941 - Churchill, first Brit PM to address Congress, urges US on as "great arsenal of democracy"

SPRT: 1906 - Johnson bashes Burns for 14 rounds, becomes first Black heavyweight champ

OTHR: 1871 - Thespis, Gilbert & Sullivan's first collaboration, debuts at Gaiety

BDAY: David Sedaris; Steve Allen; Mao Zedong; Charles Babbage

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++This Tweet in History: December 25, 2009++

WRLD: 1914 - Brit, German soldiers defy orders, lay down arms for Christmas

SPRT: 2002 - Hnida's kick smashes through NCAA's gender barrier

OTHR: 1950 - Scottish students swipe Scone Stone

BDAY: Anwar Sadat; Cab Calloway; Clara Barton; Sir Isaac Newton

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++This Tweet in History: December 24, 2009++

WRLD: 1814 - US, UK shake hands and make nice in Ghent, never to fight again

SPRT: 1969 - Flood pens letter to commissioner; ultimately opens floodgates to free agency

TECH: 1906 - Fessenden transmits first radio broadcast. Maybe.

BDAY: Mary Higgins Clark; Howard Hughes; Matthew Arnold; Kit Carson

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++This Tweet in History: December 23, 2009++

++This Tweet in History: December 23, 2009++

WRLD: 1972 - Managua rocks for 2 hours, leaving 10,000 dead; 250,000 homeless

SPRT: 1972 - Franco's Immaculate Reception propels Steelers past Raiders

TECH: 1986 - Voyager's back from history's first non-stop world tour

BDAY: Carla Bruni; Susan Lucci; Harry Shearer; Madame CJ Walker

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++This Tweet in History: December 22, 2009++

WRLD: 1989 - Ceausescu deposed as dictator of Romania; executed 3 days later, Christmas day

SPRT: 1972 - Uruguyan rugby players among 14 survivors rescued after 2-month Andes crash ordeal

OTHR: 1851 - World's first freight train lumbers into Roorkee

BDAY: Maurice Gibb; Robin Gibb; Lady Bird Johnson; Connie Mack

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++This Tweet in History: December 21, 2009++

WRLD: 1988 - Libyans down jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland

SPRT: 1918 - Amateur hockey, football great, WWI vet, Hobey Baker, dies in plane crash

OTHR: 1970 - The King drops in on the president to volunteer as drug czar

BDAY: Florence "Flojo" Florence Joyner; Chris Evert; Frank Zappa; Joseph Stalin

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++This Tweet in History: December 20, 2009++

WRLD: 1973 - Basque nationalists bomb Spanish PM's car, killing him, bodyguard, driver

SPRT: 1983 - Lafleur nets #500th; Shutt, #400, as Habs ice Devils

OTHR: 1917 - Lenin's decree creates Cheka, Soviets first secret police service

BDAY: Uri Geller; Peter Criss; Irene Dunne; Harvey Firestone

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Histortweet Week in Review - W/E December 19, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the weeks ending December 19, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE The Netherlands, December 14, 1287 - St. Lucia's flood carves out new seascape; creates Zuiderzee, claims >50,000 lives: http://bit.ly/7Y53vF
The Back-Story: [SFX:Here Comes the Flood] The day after St. Lucia day, storms in the Northern Netherlands overwhelmed a dike, resulting in the fifth largest flood of recorded history. Between 50 and 80,000 people died in the resulting flood that rewrote the geography of the Netherlands and created the Zuiderzee, or Southern Sea from what had been a mere shallow, inland lake.[SFX: Waiting for the end of the world; A Whole New World]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Massachusetts, December 15, 1891 - Naismith's vision for hoops: thirteen rules, 9-man teams, peach baskets: : http://bit.ly/xulfQ

The Back-Story: [SFX: Come on Feel the Noise; Basketball Jones; Give me the ball] James Naismith was the physical education teacher at Springfield College, a YMCA training school. The students, confined to the indoors in the cold, New England winters, grew rowdy and short-tempered. The head of phys ed at the school, Dr. Luther Gulick, gave Naismith the task of developing a game that could be played indoors, to provide athletic distraction, wouldn’t take up too much room, and would rely on skill, not only on strength. Naismith came up with 13 rules for a sport played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets for goals. Within a few years, the YMCA introduced the sport to many nations and, shortly before he died, he was flown to Berlin to watch as the game was introduced at the Berlin Olympics.[SFX: I’ll try something new]

[SFX: SOUND827]: Entertainment: DATELINE Japan, December 16 1997 - Episode of kids' cartoon induces seizures in hundreds of Japanese children: http://bit.ly/J5VQg

The Back-Story: [SFX: Shock Treatment; TV Party]The Pokemon series, derived from the from the Nintendo game, follows Ash Ketchum, a Pokemon master in training, and his group of friends as they travel through the world of Pokemon. In the 38th episode, broadcast only in Japan, Ash and his friends go inside a malfunctioning Poke ball to find out what’s wrong. A scene with a thunderbolt attack was animated with extremely intense strobe flashes, for about four seconds, in fullscreen. At this point, viewers experienced blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. A few had seizures and convulsions, or lost consciousness. The number of people affected by the by the incident was unprecedented, and the Pokemon Shock episode was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show.[SFX: I Want to Be Sedated]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

December 13: Entertainer Dick Van Dyke
December 14: Mystic Nostradamus
December 15: Industrialist J. Paul Getty
December 16: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven
December 17: Conductor Arthur Fiedler
December 18: Actress and pin-up girl Betty Grable
And December 19: Conservatonist Richard Leakey

[SFX:GENERIC1MOTION]Thank you for joining us for This Tweet in History, the Week in review. Be sure to follow us on Twitter.com/histortweet, and check our archives at histortweet.blogspot.com.

++This Tweet in History: December 19, 2009++

WRLD: 1984 - Thatcher, Deng sign Sino-British declaration, not renewing British lease on Hong Kong

SPRT: 1986 - sentence pronounced on Mets fan for World Series leap of faith. Mets won, btw

OTHR: 2001 - Record high air pressure recorded in Mongolia

BDAY: Richard Leakey; Al Kaline; Cicely Tyson; David Susskind

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++This Tweet in History: December 18, 2009++

WRLD: 1888 - Wetherill and Mason search for lost cattle,find lost city instead

SPRT: 1932 - Bears maul Spartans in first NFL championship game that looks more like arena football

OTHR: 1898 - First official automotive speed record is a blazing 39 mph

BDAY: Steven Spielberg; Keith Richards; Ossie Davis; Betty Grable

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++This Tweet in History: December 17, 2009++

WRLD: 1926 - Elected government ousted, authoritarian Smetona reinstated in Lithuanian coup

SPRT: 1979 - Barrett drives faster than the speed of sound. Unofficially.

ENTR: 1969 - Tiny Tim tiptoes to late-night TV's altar with Miss Vickie

BDAY: Milla Jovovich; Eugene Levy; William Safire; Arthur Fiedler

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++This Tweet in History: December 16, 2009++

WRLD: 1689 - British Parliament passes Bill of Rights, one of British non-constitution's big 4

ENTR: 1997 - Episode of kids' cartoon induces seizures in hundreds of Japanese children

HUH?: 1826 - Long live Fredonia! About 2 weeks long

BDAY: Arthur C. Clark;Wassily Kandinsky; Jane Austen; Ludwig van Beethoven

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++This Tweet in History: December 15, 2009++

WRLD: 1961 - Tribunal pronounces final solution on Eichmann

SPRT: 1891 - Naismith's vision for hoops

OTHR: 1955 - Frederick IX starts Olsen's World Clock, 10 years after Olsen's own ticker gives out

BDAY: Dave Clark; Tim Conway; Stan Kenton; J. Paul Getty

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++This Tweet in History: December 14, 2009++

WRLD: 1287 - St. Lucia's flood carves out new seascape; creates Zuiderzee, claims >50,000 lives

SPRT: 1911 - Amundsen's team hits rock bottom first

HUH?: 1836 - Toledo War ends with almost no bloodshed

BDAY: Patty Duke; Charlie Rich; Spike Jones; Nostradamus

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++This Tweet in History: December 13, 2009++

WRLD: 1981 - Jaruzelski declares martial law in an attempt to break solidaritg

SPRT: 1983 - Pistons score 2 more than Nuggets' 184 to win NBA's highest scoring game

OTHR: 1294 - 5 months is enough for St. Celestine V, who resigns from papacy to become hermit

BDAY: Steve Buscemi; Ted Nugent; Aga Khan IV Dick Van Dyke

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Histortweet Week in Review - W/E December 12, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the weeks ending December 12, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Montreal, December 6, 1989–Madman with gun massacres 14 in misogynistic spree at Ecole Polytechnique, finally offs self (good riddance): http://bit.ly/90gAQr
The Back-Story: [SFX: I'm a Loser; Raygun] Marc Lepine, perpetrator of the worst single-day massacre in Canadian history, fit the profile: an underachieving loner who had been abused as a child. In his case, he scapegoated women and feminism. Shortly before the last day of classes before Christmas break at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, Lepine wrote a rambling, misogynistic suicide note, and, instead of just ridding the world of himself, went on a twenty-minute shooting spree at the Ecole, killing 14 women, wounding nine more women and four men. Quebecquois and others lined up by the tens of thousands outside the University of Montreal’s chapel in sub-zero temperatures for a memorial to the fallen, and the date is still designated as a national day of commemoration in Canada. [SFX: RESPECT; What's Going On]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Australia, December 6, 1956 – Blood in the water as on the battle field as Hungarian water polo team defeats Soviets: http://bit.ly/6hbRNg

The Back-Story: [SFX: Showdown; Smoke on the Water; Wade in the Water]Water polo powerhouses, Hungary and the Soviet Union faced off in Melbourne against the backdrop of Soviet tanks in Budapest. The Soviets had just brutally put down an uprising in the Hungarian capital, where thousands lay dead in the streets and many more faced show-trials and execution. In the pool at Melbourne, Olympic decorum soon flew out the window in a match that took the sport back to its violent roots of underwater jousting. Both teams traded punches from the start of the match, but, with a minute left to play and the Soviets trailing 4-0, Valentin Prokopov blindsided Hungarian Ervin Zador, causing hemorrhaging around his eye and blood in the water. The Hungarian ex-patriates among the spectators had to be restrained by Security from storming the pool, and the match was called, with the Hungarians declared victors. Almost half of the team defected after they won the next match and, with it, Hungary's fourth water polo gold. [SFX: Hit Me with Your Best Shot; How sweet it is]

[SFX: SOUND827]: Entertainment: DATELINE New York, December 8 1980 – Ex-Beatle, Lennon, shot dead by fool with a gun : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_John_Lennon

The Back-Story: [SFX: Abraham, Martin, and John] John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, returned from the recording studio at around 11:00, choosing to be dropped off at the main entrance of the Dakota, rather than the more secure courtyard, in order to oblige fans who often waited in long lines for autographs outside his home. As Lennon strode to his house, Mark David Chapman, one of the fans for whom Lennon had signed an autograph on his way to the studio, fired four hollow-point bullets into Lennon’s back. (A fifth shot sailed over Lennon’s head.) The Dakota’s doorman shook the gun from the assailant’s hand, shouting, “Do you know what you’ve done?” to which the lunatic calmly replied, “Yes, I just shot John Lennon.” Doctors at Roosevelt Hospital worked for 20 minutes attempting to revive the ex-Beatle, who was pronounced dead on arrival. Chapman is serving a life sentence in New York’s Attica State Prison, having been denied parole four times since he became eligible in the year 2000. [SFX: Imagine]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

December 6: Poet Joyce Kilmer
December 7:Baseball Legend Johnny Bench
December 8: Composer Jean Sibelius
December 9:Author John Milton
December 10: Poet Emily Dickinson
December 11: Stage and Screen Star Rita Moreno
And December 12: Painter Edvard Munch

[SFX:GENERIC1MOTION]Thank you for joining us for This Tweet in History, the Week in review. Be sure to follow us on Twitter.com/histortweet, and check our archives at histortweet.blogspot.com.

++This Tweet in History: December 12, 2009++

WRLD: 1964 – On first anniversary of Kenya’s independence, Kenyatta becomes its first president

SPRT: 1965 – Rookie Sayers ties league record for touchdowns in a game

OTHR: 1917 – With 90 borrowed bucks, Father Flanagan founds Boys Town

BDAY: Tracy Austin; Dionne Warwick; Frank Sinatra; Edvard Munch

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++This Tweet in History: December 11, 2009++

WRLD: 1994 – Yeltsin sends troops after bombing missions fail to bring about Chechnya’s submission

SPRT: 1981 – Defeat in Berbick bout bounces Ali into retirement – for real, this time

OTHR: 1969 – Soviets uncover roots of the decline of Western civilization: gratuitous nudity

BDAY: Jermaine Jackson; Teri Garr; Rita Moreno; Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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++This Tweet in History: December 10, 2009++

WRLD: 1993 – End of an 8-century era as Wearmouth Colliery, last in a line dating from the Middle Ages, closes shop

SPRT: 1979 – Kidd on motorcycle defies death in 80 foot leap over viaduct

OTHR: Nobel’s first prizes awarded

BDAY: Kenneth Branagh; Susan Dey; Dorothy Lamour; Emily Dickinson

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++This Tweet in History: December 9, 2009++

WRLD: 1990 – Solidarity’s Walesa becomes first directly elected president of Poland

SPRT: 1987 – England’s cricket tour through Pakistan comes to abrupt end after Gatting-Rana tiff

OTHR: 1992 – Fairy tale wedding ends unhappily ever after as Charles, Di announce split

BDAY: Donny Osmond; Redd Foxx; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; John Milton

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++This Tweet in History: December 8, 2009++

WRLD: 1991 – Soviet Union dissolves into Commonwealth of Independent States

SPRT: 1940 – Bears skin Washington in 73-0 championship rout

ENTR: 1980 – Ex-Beatle, Lennon, shot dead by fool with a gun

BDAY: Jim Morrison; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Jean Sibelius; Mary Queen of Scots

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++This Tweet in History: December 7, 2009++

LI> WRLD: 1941 – Infamy as Japanese launch Pearl Harbor surprise

SPRT: 1925 – Freestyling future Tarzan establishes new mark in the pool

OTHR: 1930 – First TV commercial airs, illegally

BDAY: Larry Bird; Johnny Bench; Ted Knight; Louis Prima

Histortweet 2X Week in Review - W/E November 28, December 5, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, double-wide edition, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the weeks ending November 28 and December 5, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Northwest US, November 25, 1971 – DB Cooper and his $200,000 ransom money parachute over Washington state; neither to be seen again: http://bit.ly/AQaOF

The Back-Story: [SFX: Jump; Leaving on a jet plane; For the love of money]The day before Thanksgiving, in 1971, DB Coooer, whose real name may never be known, boarded a Northwest Orient flight in Portland Oregon. Once the plane was airborne, he handed a flight attendant a note, saying that he had a bomb in his briefcase, and demanding $200,000 in cash and three parachutes. His demands were relayed to the airline, which readied the money and parachutes at SeaTac Airport. On the ground, Cooper exchanged the passengers for the money and chutes. Airborne again, Cooper opened the door and leapt to his fate. Although some fragments of the money were recovered years later, what ultimately became of Cooper and his loot is not known. [SFX: Angel from the Coast; Never Catch Her]

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Europe, November 30, 1700 – Sweden’s Teenage King Charles, vastly outmanned, outflanks, outfights Russian forces at Narva: http://bit.ly/7nh1Dn

The Back-Story: [SFX: King Tut; Massacre; Let's get ready to rumble!] With Sweden, the dominant Baltic power on the move, and being led by the newly crowned 18-year-old King Charles XII, its neighbors conspired to strike back. Beset on all sides, the young king lauched a bold and largely successful invasion. In November, Russian forces arrived at Narva and laid siege to the Swedes. The outmanned Swedes assembled for battle, and, seizing the opportunity provided by shifting winds of snow, went on the offensive, arriving up to 50 yards from the Russian lines without being spotted, shattering the line and forcing the Russian surrender. [SFX: I'm Winning! We are the Champions]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Boston, November 24, 1960 – Wilt the Stilt grabs 55 boards : http://bit.ly/wVzCB
The Back-Story: [SFX: Basketball Jones;] In his day, Wilt Chamberlain was so dominant, that the NBA instituted rule changes just to even the odds against him. Even so, Chamberlain was able to reach such mind-boggling numbers as as 100 points in a game, 4029 points in a season, and single-season averages of 50 points per game and 27 rebounds per game. A dominant offensive player, he was also dominant on the boards. In his rookie season, he pulled down down 45 rebounds in a single game, which still beats Charles Barkley’s modern-era record of 35, but does not compare to Chamberlain’s own 55 in a game, one year later. [SFX:I'm Outstanding]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE New York, December 1, 1975 – Griffin is first to win a second Heisman : http://bit.ly/5bpk3
The Back-Story: [SFX: I'm Winning;] Ohio State halfback, Archie Griffin, is the only back to lead the Big Ten Conference in rushing for three straight years. His 5,589 yards with the Buckeyes were, at the time, a record, and he started in Rose Bowl games every year in his college career. In his sophomore year, he placed 5th in Heisman voting, taking home the award in his junior and senior years. Pending this year’s Heisman voting, with Florida’s Tim Tebow and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford eligible for a second win, Griffin is the only player to have won the trophy twice. [SFX:I'm Outstanding]

[SFX: SOUND827]: Things that make you go huh?: DATELINE London, November 28, 1999 – Naked guy with samurai sword pops in on mass, injuring 11: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/774618.stm
The Back-Story: [SFX:One fine day to be nude; The Streak] Worshipers at St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church in South London were greeted by a shocking interruption. The nude Eden Strang, believing them to be demons who had taken human form, entered with a Samurai sword and began slashing wildly. Parishioners used whatever was at hand in an attempt to stop the attack, and, ultimately, an off-duty police officer subdued Strang with a section of organ piping. Strang was confined to a psychiatric hospital. [SFX: Insane in the Membrane; Crazy; Crazy man crazy; Institutionalized]
[SFX: SOUND827]: Technology: DATELINE Silicon Valley, November 29, 1972 – Pong’s debut ushers in video game era: http://computermuseum.50megs.com/pong.htm

The Back-Story: [SFX:Play the Game; Space Age Whiz Kids] In 1972, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari, investing $250 each. The two hired engineer, Al Alcorn, and gave him a busy-work task which they expected nothing to come out of: Design a game with two paddles and a ball. Alcorn took the assignment seriously, and, three months later, came up with a prototype. A test version was placed in Andy Capp’s Tavern, in Sunnyvale, California, and, on the first day, got so much use that its coin box jammed. The game, with its simple instructions, “Avoid missing ball for high score,” was a smash hit and became a gaming icon. [SFX: Computer Love; Have you played Atari today?]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

November 22: French President Charles de Gaulle
November 23:US President Franklin Pierce
November 24: US President Zachary Taylor
November 25: Prohibitionist Carry Nation
November 26: Absurdist dramatist Eugene Ionesco
November 27: Martial Artist Bruce Lee
And November 28: Motown mogul Berry Gordy, Jr.

November 29: Narnia Chronicler C.S. Lewis
November 30:British Statesman, Sir Winston Churchill
December 1: Actor/Director Woody Allen
December 2: Neo-impressionist Georges Seurat
December 3: Director Jean-Luc Godard
December 4: Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco
And December 5: Mickey Mouse Creator Walt Disney


[SFX:GENERIC1MOTION]Thank you for joining us for This Tweet in History, the Week in review. Be sure to follow us on Twitter.com/histortweet, and check our archives at histortweet.blogspot.com.

++This Tweet in History: December 6, 2009++

WRLD: 1989–Madman with gun massacres 14 in misogynistic spree at Ecole Polytechnique, finally offs self (good riddance)

SPRT: 1956 – Blood in the water as on the battle field as Hungarian water polo team defeats Soviets

OTHR: 1933 – Ulysses is officially not obscene

BDAY: Steven Wright; Dave Brubeck; Ira Gershwin; Joyce Kilmer

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2X Week In Review Coming. . . Stay Tuned

Hi, Folks -- We're back from a post-Thanksgiving vacation, and working hard on the special 2X Week In Review video, encompassing Thanksgiving week and this past week.

Please be sure to tune in at http://youtube.com/histortweet, or watch here and read the transcript.

Thanks for sticking with us!

++This Tweet in History: December 5, 2009++

WRLD: 1977 – Egypt severs relations with Declaration of Tripoli signatories

HUH?: 1945 – Bermuda Triangle claims Flight 19

OTHR: 1766 – Christie’s journey of a thousand auctions begins with first sale

BDAY: Frankie Muniz; Little Richard; Walt Disney; Martin Van Buren

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++This Tweet in History: December 4, 2009++

WRLD: 1674 – Marquette founds mission that evolves into Second City

SPRT: 1909 – U. Toronto defeats Parkdale Canoe club for in first Grey cup

HUH?: 1952 – 4,000 Londoners die in four days of . . . smog? http

BDAY: Marisa Tomei; Jeff Bridges; Dennis Wilson; Francisco Franco

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++This Tweet in History: December 3, 2009++

WRLD: 1984 – 2,000 perish in Bhopal, worst industrial accident in history

ENTR: 1979 – A dozen trampled to death in crush at Who concert

TECH: 1967 – Barnard completes first transplant of the human heart

BDAY: Anna Chlumsky; Ozzy Osbourne; Jean-Luc Goddard; Joseph Conrad

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++This Tweet in History: December 2, 2009++

WRLD: 1971 – Emirates of the world, unite! Independent UAE is borne of 6 Trucial states

SPRT: 1975 – Griffin is first to win a second Heisman

OTHR: 1942 – Fermi and team usher in nuclear age with self-sustaining nuclear reaction

BDAY: Monica Seles; Gianni Versace; Maria Callas; Georges Seurat

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++This Tweet in History: December 1, 2009++

WRLD: 1958 – 90 students die in Chicago school’s fire, sparking reforms in fire safety

TECH: 1982 – Rough road ahead for Clark, recipient of first permanent artificial heart

OTHR: 1955 – Rosa Parks it on bus; will not be moved by Jim Crow

BDAY: Bette Midler; Richard Pryor; Woddy Allen; Lou Rawls

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++This Tweet in History: November 30, 2009++

WRLD: 1700 – Sweden’s Teenage King Charles, vastly outmanned, outflanks, outfights Russian forces at Narva

SPRT: 1872 – In first international soccer game, neither Scots, English score first

OTHR: 1954 – Alabama’s Hodges survives close encounter of the meteoric kind

BDAY: Clay Aiken; Shirley Chisholm; Winston Churchill; Jonathan Swift

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++This Tweet in History: November 29, 2009++

WRLD: 1947 – UN’s Partition Plan splits British Mandate in Palestine into Jewish, Arab states

SPRT: 1890 – Middies whip Cadets in first incarnation of Amry-Navy football game

TECH: 1972 – Pong’s debut ushers in video game era

BDAY: Chuck Mangione; Vin Scully; C.S. Lewis; Louisa May Alcott

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++This Tweet in History: November 28, 2009++

++This Tweet in History: November 28, 2009++

WRLD: 1520 – Magellan breaks on through to the other side

SPRT: 1929 – It’s not now but Nevers who scores all 40 in Cards over Bears

HUH?: 1999 – Naked guy with samurai sword pops in on mass, injuring 11

BDAY: Anna nicole Smith; Jon Steward; Randy Newman; Berry Gordy, Jr.

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++This Tweet in History: November 27, 2009++

WRLD: 1967 – de Gaulle shuts Brits out of the Market. . . again

SPRT: 1965 – That's Howe many goals for Gordie? 600

OTHR: 1895 – Nobel’s will, funds annual, eponymous prizes

BDAY: Caroline Kennedy; Jimi Hendrix; Bruce Lee; “Buffalo” Bob Smith

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++This Tweet in History: November 26, 2009++

WRLD: 1983 – Robbers, hoping for £3 million in cash from Brinks Mat wind up with £26 million in gold

SPRT: 1917 – NHL rises from NHA’s ashes as Canadian affair

OTHR: 1789 – National Day of Thanksgiving, as proclaimed by Washington

BDAY: Tina Turner; Robert Goulet; Charles Schultz; Eugene Ionesco

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Thanks!