December 20, Howard Beach racial murder
Today is Saturday, December 20, the 354th day of the year 2025. There are 11 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On December 20, 1986, three black men were attacked by a group of white youths in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York, resulting in the death of one of them, Michael Griffith.
Also on this date:
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was finalized and ownership of the territory was officially transferred from France to the United States.
In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union following a vote by delegates at a secession convention, encouraging other Southern states to follow suit and helping spark the American Civil War.
In 1946, the classic holiday film “It’s a Wonderful Life” premiered at the Globe Theater in New York.
In 1987, more than 4,300 people were killed when the Doña Paz (DOHN’-yuh pahz), a Philippine passenger ship, collided with the tanker Vector off the coast of Mindoro Island.
In 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, sending troops to Panama to overthrow the government of General Manuel Noriega.
In 1995, American Airlines Flight 965 from Miami to Cali, Colombia, crashed at night into a mountain near Buga, Colombia, while descending in the Cali area, killing all but four of the 163 passengers and crew on board.
In 2019, the United States Space Force was established when President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.
In 2024, a car crashed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, killing six people and injuring more than 200. The suspect, who was arrested, was a doctor from Saudi Arabia who had expressed anti-Muslim views and support for a far-right party on social media.
Today’s birthdays:
- Rock drummer Peter Criss (Kiss) is 80 years old.
- Producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”) is 79 years old.
- Musician Alan Parsons is 77 years old.
- The author Sandra Cisneros is 71 years old.
- Actor Michael Badalucco is 71 years old.
- Rock singer Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) is 59 years old.
- Filmmaker Todd Phillips is 55 years old.
- Actor Jonah Hill is 42 years old.
- Footballer Kylian Mbappé is 27 years old.
