Bill of Rights Day honors the ratification of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which occurred on December 15, 1791. These laws protect basic human rights, including freedom of religion, speech, and peaceable assembly. Franklin D. Roosevelt first proclaimed Bill of Rights Day in 1941. Occurring on December 15 each year, it is a day for people to fly the U.S. flag and to reflect upon the significance of these amendments.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, December 15, 2022
Born
- Gustave Eiffel (architect) –
- Betty Smith (novelist) –
- Muriel Rukeyser (poet) –
- Tim Conway (comedian & actor) –
- Stuart Townsend (actor) –
- Adam Brody (actor) –
Died
- Sitting Bull (Sioux Chief) –
- Dick Stuart (also known as Dr. Strangeglove, baseball player) –
Events
- The Bill of Rights, first ten amendments to U.S. Constitution, ratified–
- Fire at the U.S. Patent Office–
- Philadelphia streets were first cleaned by a machine–
- Battle of Fredericksburg ends in defeat of union troops by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Civil War)–
- Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Jefferson Memorial took place in Washington D.C.–
- Gone With the Wind premiered, at Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia–
- Commemorative stamp depicting Echo I, world’s first passive communications satellite, issued by U.S. post office, D.C., 1960–
- First rendezvous of two manned spacecraft, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7–
- Venera 7 Soviet unmanned spacecraft landed on Venus–
- Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, premiered–
Weather
- An intense cold front swept the East Coast, dumping heavy rain on Louisiana and heavy snow on the Northeast–
- Great Blizzard hit the Prairie provinces–
- O’Hare Airport in Chicago was closed because of high winds and heavy snowfall–
- Approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses in Washington and Oregon were without power after windstorms and heavy rains caused flooding, several deaths and closed two major bridges–