It happened one 05 December

1876 : Fire in Brooklyn Theater in New York


On December 5, 1876, a fire broke out behind the stage of the Brooklyn theater in New York city during a performance of The Two Orphans. The fire spread quickly and the panic spread to the audience especially those in the balcony who needed to escape through narrow staircases. Hundreds of people were trampled and could not escape the fire. More than 300 people were killed and 100 of them could not be identified.

1933 : End of Prohibition in the United States


On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States ended the 18th Amendment which had instituted the prohibition on the production, sale and transportation of alcohol in the country in 1919, following campaigns by the powerful temperance societies. This prohibition had encouraged the development of criminal empires through the illegal sale of alcohol. Moreover, it cost billions of dollars to the state because of the loss of taxes on alcohol and the fight against organized crime.

1945 : Aircrafts disappear in the Bermuda Triangle


On December 5, 1945, five Avenger torpedo-bombers belonging to the U.S. Navy, with 14 men on board, went missing off the coasts of Florida and northern Bahamas. 2 hours after takeoff, squadron leader reported a malfunction of his compass and that he did not know where he was. The other aircrafts apparently had the same problem. The last message received announced the ditching of the aircrafts for lack of fuel. A Mariner took off with a rescue team of 13 men. It was never heard from again. Numerous ships went searching them despite the stormy weather, but no sign of the 6 aircrafts were ever be found, which created the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

1977 : Egypt breaks off diplomatic relations with several Arab countries


On December 5, 1977, after the Declaration of Tripoli calling for sanctions against Egypt for recognizing the state of Israel, Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with Libya, Syria, Algeria and South Yemen.

2005 : Civil Partnership Act in England


On 5 December 2005, the Civil Partnership Act came into force in England. This partnership between two people, including same-sex couples, granted the same rights and duties than marriage.

Quote of the day : 05 December

Walt Disney
I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.

Birthdays : 05 December

Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (1782)
George Armstrong Custer, American colonel (1839)
Paul Painlevé, French mathematician and politician (1863)
Fritz Lang, American director (1890)
Walt Disney, American director (1901)
Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (1901)
C. F. Powell, English physicist, Nobel Laureate (1903)
Otto Preminger, American director (1905)
Francis Bouygues, Founder of the Bouygues company (1922)
Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand (1927)
Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist, Nobel Laureate (1932)
Little Richard, American singer (1932)
Bernard Haller, Swiss actor (1933)
Eva Joly, Norwegian-French politician (1943)
Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor (1944)
José Carreras, Spanish tenor (1946)
John Altman, English composer (1949)
Jean-Luc Petitrenaud, French food critic (1950)
Patricia Kaas, French singer (1966)
Luboš Motl, Czech physicist (1973)
Frankie Muniz, American actor (1985)
André-Pierre Gignac, French footballer (1985)

They left us one 05 December

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (1791)
Alexandre Dumas (père), French writer (1870)
Claude Monet, French painter (1926)
Jan Kubelík, Czech violinist (1940)
Abanindranath Tagore, Indian writer (1951)
Robert Aldrich, American director (1983)

Tip of the Day : 05 December

An inhalation to unblock your nose


To unblock your nose, nothing beats an inhalation, especially at night before bed.
If you don't have an inhaler, you can take a bowl and a towel.
Put boiling water in the bowl or the inhaler.
Pour a few drops of eucalyptus, myrtle, niaouli or ylang ylang.
Cover your head with the towel and lean over the bowl so as to keep the steam as long as possible.
Keep the eyes closed.
If you use an inhaler, just put your nose and mouth on the device.
Breathe deeply for a few minutes.

* Warning

Vue mer : crédit photo Aseed