The earliest event that Wiki says happened on this day is “69 – Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of emperor” and the most recent are two from 2007: “Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days” & “The painting Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, is stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art, along with O Lavrador de Café, by the major Brazilian modernist painter Candido Portinari.”
A few other things that also took place on this day are:
1946 – Special preview showing of It’s a Wonderful Life in New York City for charity, one night before the official release.
1969 – James Brown’s band records “Funky Drummer.” Clyde Stubblefield’s solo would go on to become the most sampled drumbeat in music history.
1989 – US troops invade Panama.
Happy birthday to Chris Robinson, Michael Badalucco, Peter Criss, Alan Parsons, Bobby Colomby, and John Hillerman.