TODAY IN HISTORY

Friday, December  23, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 23, 1968, eighty-two crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured. USS Pueblo commander Lloyd Bucher Secretary of State Dean Rusk   AP Photo
On this date in: 1783 George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Army and retired to his home at Mount Vernon, Va. 1788 Maryland passed an act to cede a parcel of land for the seat of the national government, part of which later became the District of Columbia. 1823 The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore was first published, in the Troy (N.Y.) Sentinel. 1941 American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese during World War II. 1948 Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo. 1972 The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second touchdown catch by Franco Harris that was dubbed the "immaculate reception." AP Photo/Harry Cabluck 1995 A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school. 1997 A federal jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. 2003 The government announced the first suspected case of mad cow disease in United States. 2003 A jury in Chesapeake, Va., sentenced teen sniper Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison, sparing him the death penalty. 2004 Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland pleaded guilty to a corruption charge. (He served 10 months in prison.) 2009 The parents who pulled the "balloon boy" hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show, were sentenced to jail by a judge in Fort Collins, Colo.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Susan Lucci ("All My Children") turns 65 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg Name Profession Age Bob Kurland Basketball Hall of Famer 87 Paul Hornung Football Hall of Famer 76 Jorma Kaukonen Rock musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) 71 Harry Shearer Actor, comedian ("The Simpsons") 68 Jack Ham Football Hall of Famer 63 Adrian Belew Rock musician, producer 62 Eddie Vedder Rock singer (Pearl Jam) 47 Victor Martinez Baseball player 33 Hanley Ramirez Baseball player 28 Japanese Emperor Akihito turns 78 years old today. AP Photo/Koji Sasahara