This Day In History

On December 5
1766
James Christie, founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London.
1776
In Williamsburg, VA, at the College of William and Mary, the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized.
1848
President Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming the fact that gold had been discovered in California.
1932
German physicist, Albert Einstein, was granted a visa making it possible for him to travel to the U.S.
1934
Fighting broke out between Italian and Ethiopian troops on the Somalian border.
1978
The American space probe, Pioneer Venus I, orbited Venus, and began beaming back its first picture of the planet.
1985
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 1,500 for the first time.
1998
James P. Hoffa became the head of the Teamsters union, 23 years after his father was the head. His father disappeared and was presumed dead.
2001
In Germany, Afghan leaders signed a pact to create a temporary administration for post-Taliban Afghanistan. Two women were included in the cabinet structure. Hamid Karzai and his Cabinet were planned to take over power in Afghanistan on December 22.