Today is Thursday, December 6th, the 340th day of the year. There are 25 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1768, the first edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica was published in Scotland.
In 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in Maryland.
In 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery.
In 1876, Jack McCall was convicted of murdering Wild Bill Hickok.
In 1877, Thomas Edison demonstrated the first sound recording, reciting "Mary had a Little Lamb."
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge's address to a joint session of Congress became the first presidential address broadcast on radio.
In 1955, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Honus Wagner died at the age of 81.
In 1984, Berkeley, California, became the first American city to offer extended "domestic partnership" benefits to gay city employees.
In 1988, Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Roy Orbison died at the age of 52. He recorded such hits as "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Crying."
In 1996, Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Pete Rozelle died of brain cancer at the age of 70. He served as the league's commissioner for 29 years, helping to create the Super Bowl.
In 2008, after spending almost 28 years in a coma, U.S. heiress Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died at a Manhattan nursing home. Von Bulow's second husband Claus von Bulow was convicted and later acquitted twice of trying to kill her with insulin injections.
In 2015, Former President Jimmy Carter announced that the cancer in his brain is gone. In August the 91-year-old announced he was being treated for melanoma spots on his brain.
In 2015, President Obama addressed the nation on the ISIS-inspired attack that left 14 dead and over 20 wounded in San Bernardino, the broader threat of terrorism and how to keep America safe. It was only the third time President Obama had addressed the nation from the Oval Office.