Calendar for December 12th, 2012

2001: First Day of Chanukah

2006: Full Cold Moon

1787: Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution and became the second state in the Union

Died 1851: Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett (introduced the poinsettia plant to the U.S.)

Born 1863: Edvard Munch (artist)

1870: Joseph Hayne Rainey became the first African-American to serve as a U.S. representative

Died 1889: Robert Browning (poet)

1890: Golf was played for the first time at Franklin Park, Boston

Born 1915: Frank Sinatra (singer)

1917: Father Edward Flanagan founded a home for boys in Omaha, Nebraska--the start of Boys Town

Died 1921: Henrietta Swan Leavitt (astronomer)

Born 1923: Bob Barker (game show host)

Born 1924: Edward "Ed" Koch (former mayor of New York City)

Born 1938: Connie Francis (singer)

Born 1969: Madeleine Wickham (author)

Born 1970: Jennifer Connelly (actress)

1972: Orange soil discovered by Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt during their second day of exploration on the lunar surface

Born 1983: Katrina Elam (country music singer)

Died 2002: Dee Brown (author)

2003: Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones accepted a knighthood from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace

2003: Jean Chretien stepped down after 10 years as Canada's popular and often argumentative prime minister. Paul Martin, a former finance minister, inherited her post

Died 2003: Keiko the killer whale, star of the Free Willy movies, died at 27 of pneumonia in a Norwegian fjord

Died 2006: Peter Boyle (actor)