Moments in Time – December 25, 2024

#MiddleburyCT

• On Jan. 6, 1975, “Wheel of Fortune,” one of American television’s longest-running syndicated game shows, debuted on NBC. Created by Merv Griffin, it was hosted for decades by Pat Sajak and Vanna White, the latter of whom often contributed her own puzzles and was noted as apparently never wearing the same gown twice in more than 6,000 episodes.
• On Jan. 7, 1785, Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries flew from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon, becoming the first people to cross the English Channel by air, though they almost crashed into it along the way due to excess weight from objects that had to be jettisoned.
• On Jan. 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, which created new standards and goals for America’s public schools and applied tough corrective measures for failure to meet them. Nowadays, however, it is largely regarded as a failed experiment.
• On Jan. 9, 1887, nearly an inch of snow fell every hour for 16 hours on the western American plains, impeding the ability of already starving cattle that “staggered through village streets and collapsed and died in dooryards” to find food. Millions of the animals were lost, sending hundreds of ranchers into bankruptcy and ending the era of the open range.
• On Jan. 10, 2008, Tata Motors introduced the small, bubble-shaped Nano, billing it as the world’s cheapest car with an anticipated price of about $2,500, thanks to its lack of amenities including radio, airbags, air conditioning, even a second windshield wiper.
• On Jan. 11, 2010, Miep Gies, the last survivor of the small group that helped hide Anne Frank, her family and four others from the Nazis during World War II, died in the Netherlands at age 100.
• On Jan. 12, 1995, Malcolm X’s daughter Qubilah Shabazz was arrested for conspiring to kill Louis Farrakhan, who she believed was responsible for her father’s assassination. After she admitted her “responsibility,” though not guilt, the government accepted a plea bargain.

© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.