Today is Wednesday, December 5th, the 339th day of the year. There are 26 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1791, legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at the age of 35.
In 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity was organized at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 1876, the Stillson wrench was patented by D.C. Stillson in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Stillson wrench was the world's first practical pipe wrench.
In 1931, Chicago "Black Sox" outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson died.
In 1933, Utah became the last of 36 states to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The move ended prohibition in the U.S. after a 14-year dry spell.
In 1948, the first church service in sign language for the hearing impaired was broadcast from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Jamaica, Long Island.
In 1955, the American Federation of Labor merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form what is now known as the AFL-CIO.
1955, the Black community of Montgomery, Alabama launched their boycott of the city's bus system. Their actions came in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus for a white man.
In 1995, President Clinton announced Madeleine Albright as the first female Secretary of State for his foreign policy team.
In 2013, South African icon Nelson Mandela, who led the country's revolution against apartheid, died at the age of 95. Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison before attaining freedom in 1990, became the first black South African to hold the office of President from 1994 to 1999. Mandela gained international acclaim for his tireless efforts in promoting peace and racial unity. He received more than 250 honors in his lifetime, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
In 2015, ISIS called the two shooters who killed 14-people in San Bernardino, California on December 2nd supporters. The terror group did not claim responsibility for the attack that also left 21 people injured, but hailed Syed Farook [[ sigh-EED fah-ROOK ]] and Tashfeen Malik [[ mah-LEEK ]] as martyrs on their official Iraq-based radio station.
In 2015, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcomed their second child, Saint West. He joined his sister North West as the newest member of the family.
In 2017, Colin Kaepernick picked up another honor. Beyonce made a surprise visit to the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards to give the former San Francisco 49er the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.