December 3rd: My Birthday

Not much to say, I don't quite feel celebratory about this year's birthday.

Above is a pic of me and my younger cousin when I was about 16 yrs. I'll bring it in to the cosmetic surgeon's office when I go for my facelift (snark) (er, not).

Below is a list of historical events that occurred on December 3rd.

1984 India Bhopal Chemical Accident
December 3rd, 1984 : Thousands of people die from the effects of toxic gases which leaked from Bhopal Union Carbide Factory near the central Indian city of Bhopal. The leak also caused injuries to nearly 250,000 more with over 10,000 have since died from toxic gas related diseases. The cause of the leaks was traced to most of the safety systems not working and the deaths and injuries were caused by exposure to the highly toxic gasses.


1967 South Africa First Heart Transplant
December 3rd, 1967 : Surgeons at the Groote Shur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard, perform the first human heart transplant.


1943 Hungary Concentration Camps
December 3rd, 1943 : In Budapest more than 2,000 citizens in cafes and restaurants were arrested allegedly to “combat a wave of defeatism” a Turkish report said. Those captured were held on trumped up charges of spreading lies about what was happening in Africa and Russia. Some prisoners were released, but most went to concentration camps.


1944 Greece Civil War
December 3rd, 1944 : Following the liberation of Greece by British forces from German forces a civil war breaks out in Athens as communist guerillas battle democratic forces for control of a liberated Greece.


1957 Algeria Independence
December 3rd, 1957 : France was struggling to hold Algeria and it was costing the French government $2,380,000 a day. The issue of Algerian independence was a contentious one and was debated constantly. Premier Maurice Bourges-Maunory’s government fell because it was against Algeria’s autonomy.


1964 U.S.A. Students Arrested
December 3rd, 1964 : Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.


1965 U.S.A. Ku Klux Klansmen Convicted of Murder
December 3rd, 1965 : An all-white jury in the southern US state of Alabama has convicted three Ku Klux Klansmen over the murder of white civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo.


1971 India / Pakistan War
December 3rd, 1971 : Border battles between India and Pakistan erupt into full-scale war when jets from West Pakistan attack at least four Indian airports.


1974 Britain Economic Crisis
December 3rd, 1974 : In the midst of a terrible economic crisis, the Labor government of Britain was going to slash defense budgets by $464 million initially and then up to $1.74 billion by 1980. The areas most affected would be east of the Suez.

1979 U.S.A. Who Concert
December 3rd, 1979 : Eleven Who fans are killed and dozens are injured in a crush of people trying to get into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. when thousands of fans (with first-come, first-served festival seating tickets) rush towards the locked doors when they mistook the sound check for the concert having started.


1986 China MBA Courses
December 3rd, 1986 : After President Reagan’s historic visit to China in 1984, an MBA course was sponsored by both Chinese and American governments. Thirty-nine Chinese students were to be become “experts in capitalism” and U.S. businesses were partnering with them. Chairman Deng Xiaopung was moving China further down the road to capitalism and industrialization.


1989 Malta Summit Ends Cold War
December 3rd, 1989 : The leaders of the two world superpowers, the US President George Bush and Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev declare an end to the Cold War (The Malta summit is regarded as the official end of the Cold War).


1999 Space Mars Polar Lander
December 3rd, 1999 : NASA loses contact with Mars Polar Lander shortly before it's planned atmospheric entry, the failure of the mission was blamed on a software error.


2002 U.S.A. Priests Indiscretion Uncovered
December 3rd, 2002: Thousands of personnel files released under a court order showed that the Archdiocese of Boston went to great lengths to hide priests accused of abuse, including clergy who allegedly snorted cocaine and had sex with girls aspiring to be nuns.


2006 Iran Missile Testing
December 3rd, 2006 : Iran made a show of strength by testing missiles some of which could reach Israel. The tests occurred after an American-led warship did military exercises in the Persian Gulf. Iran and the West continue to be in conflict over Iran’s nuclear power program.