December 5 - What happened today?

Home What happened today in history? Blamepro's Almanac for December 5
In the headlines today:

2002	Roone Arledge, creator of ABC's Wide Word of Sports and Nightline programs, dies of cancer at age 71.
1999	Cuban leader Fidel Castro demands that the US return 5-year-old refugee Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba.
1978	The NASA Pioneer Venus 1 space probe begins sending photos of Venus back to Earth.
1974	The last original episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus airs on BBC TV.
1955	The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge to form the AFL-CIO.
1943	Singer-actress Dinah Shore marries western film actor George Montgomery.
1933	Prohibition ends as Utah becomes the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution.
1926	French Impressionist painter Claude Monet dies of lung cancer at age 86.
1848	The discovery of gold in California is announced by US president James K. Polk in a message to Congress.
1792	George Washington and John Adams are re-elected US president and vice president, respectively. (photo credit: NARA)
1791	Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dies in Vienna at age 35.
1776	The Phi Beta Kappa fraternity is formed.