CELEBRATIONS ON DECEMBER 29th      The Start of Hogmanay (Scotland),   the name Scots give to their New Year's Eve celebration   which runs four days,   Notably celebrated in Edinborough ..         Pepper Pot Day ..         Tick Tock Day ..         The fifth day of Christmas (Western Christianity) ..         Christian Feast Day of Thomas Becket ..         Christian Feast Day of Trophimus of Arles ..                    CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK      Christmas Week,   December 25th through January 6th ..         Kwanzaa,   December 26th through January 1st ..         The Twelve Days of Christmas,   December 25th through January 6th ..         Holiday Week,   Final Week of December ..         Yuletide,   Final Week of December ..         It's About Time Week,   Final Week of December ..         Christmas Bird Count Week,   December 14th through February 5th ..         New Years Run,   December 29th through January 1st ..                    PADDY's JOKE OF THE DAY    ..     Doctor:   "Well,   well.     It seems that your weight is perfect.     It just happens   that you are eleven feet too short."                    LILLY's DRINK OF THE DAY    ..     CONFETTI ..     Sagatiba Velha Cachaça,     Dry Vermouth,     Simple Syrup,     Lime,     Blood Orange,     Muddle the lime and Blood Orange chunks,   combine ingredients,   shake and pour contents into a bucket glass.                  SCOTTY's TOAST OF THE DAY    ..     "Then let us be merry   and taste the good cheer,     And remember,   old Christmas comes but once a year."     - Unknown
 HISTORICAL EVENTS ON DECEMBER 29th   ..     1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church         1503 Battle at Carigliano: Spanish army beats France         1539 St Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning         1541 Isabella of Poland & King Ferdinand of Austria sign Treaty of Gyalu         1558 Charles V, German Emperor, buried         1705 Prosper Jolyot's "Idomenée," premieres in Paris         1708 Great Alliance occupies Gent         1778 3,000 British soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell capture Savannah, Georgia in American Revolutionary War         1782 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston         1786 The Assembly of Notables is convened, French Revolution         1812 The USS Constitution under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures the HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three hour battle         1813 British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York during the War of 1812         1835 The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States         1837 Canadian militia destroy Caroline, a US steamboat docked at Buffalo         1837 Steam-powered threshing machine patented, Winthrop, Maine         1841 King & Grand Duke Willem II installs Order of Eikenkroon         1845 In accordance with International Boundary delimitation, United States annexes the Republic of Texas, following the manifest destiny doctrine. The Republic of Texas, which had been independent since the Texas Revolution of 1836, it is admitted as the 28th U.S. state         1848 Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)         1851 The first American Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) chapter opened in Boston Massachusetts         1852 Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants         1857 Franz Liszt's "Die Hunnenschlacht," premieres in Weimar         1860 The first British seagoing iron-clad warship, HMS Warrior is launched         1862 Battle of Chichasaw Bayou, confederate armies defeat Gen Sherman         1862 Bowling ball invented         1864 Fire Dept celebrates first annual ball         1867 First telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Co, NY         1876 The Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster occurs, 11 passenger cars crash in a ravine near Ashtabula Ohio leaving 64 injured and 92 dead at Ashtabula, Ohio         1885 Gottlieb Daimler patents 1st bike (Germany)         1890 United States 7th Cavalry kill more than 200 captive Sioux Oglala Lakota people with four Hotchkiss guns in the Wounded Knee Massacre at Wounded Knee, SD         1891 Edison patents "transmission of signals electrically" (radio)         1895 Dr L S Jameson begins failed raid on Johannesburg         1899 English fleet brings German postschip Bundesrath up         1900 General Viljoen surprise attack British garrison to Helvetia         1903 French Equatorial Africa separates into Gabon, Chad & Ubangi-Shari         1906 Montreal Wanderers beat New Glasgow (NS) for Stanley Cup (2nd of 1906)         1908 Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisc         1911 Mongolia gains independence from the Qing Dynasty         1911 Proclamation restores "Dei Gratia" from Canada's coins         1911 San Francisco Symphony formed         1911 Sun Yat-sen becomes the provisional President of the Republic of China; he formally takes office on January 1st, 1912         1913 First movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn," premieres in Chicago         1914 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the first novel by James Joyce, is serialized in The Egoist         1920 The netherlands & Venezuela recover diplomatic relations         1920 Yugoslav government bans communist party         1921 William Lyon Mackenzie King succeeded Arthur Meighen as Canadian PM         1922 Dutch Constitution proclaimed         1922 Revised Netherlands Law proclaims suffrage         1926 Vatican puts French fascist Charles Maurras' work on the index         1926 Victoria (1107) beats New South Wales (221 and 230) by an innings 656 runs         1929 Police arrest Sukarno & 100s PNI-leaders         1930 Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam, Minn, to New Orleans         1930 Sir Muhammad Iqbal's presidential address in Allahabad introduces the Two nation theory and outlines a vision for the creation of Pakistan         1931 Identification of heavy water publicly announced, HC Urey         1931 Victoria score 7 for 435 in second innings to beat New South Wales         1933 Yankees refuses to release Babe Ruth so he can manage the Cin Reds         1934 First collegiate basketball doubleheader (Madison Square Garden)         1934 Federico Garcia Lorca's "Yerma," premieres in Madrid         1934 Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930         1937 2nd Irish constitution goes into effect, Irish Free State renamed Erie         1937 Lou Thesz beats E Marshall in St Louis, to become wrestling champ         1937 Pan Am starts San Francisco-to-Auckland, New Zealand service         1938 Construction on Lake Washington Floating Bridge, Seattle, begins         1939 First flight of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator         1940 NFL Pro Bowl, Chi Bears beats NFL All-Stars 28-14         1940 In the Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, England, UK, killing almost 200 civilians in World War II         1944 Belgian nazi Leon Degrelle at default to the death sentenced         1944 General Eisenhowers train returns to Versailles         1947 Ship carrying Jewish immigrants driven away from Palestine         1948 "Rape of Lucretia" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 23 performances         1948 Canada recognizes Israel         1948 US State Dept announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit         1949 First UHF television station operating regular basis (Bridgeport Ct)         1949 Hungary nationalized its industries         1949 KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut becomes the first Ultra high frequency (UHF) television station to operate a daily schedule         1951 Flying Enterprise in difficulty in Canal         1952 First transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford NY)         1954 Kingdom of Netherlands, with Netherlands & Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes into being         1955 Barbra Streisand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13         1957 Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 50-14 in NFL championship game         1957 Singers Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme wed in Las Vegas         1958 Baltimore Colts beat NY Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game         1958 TV soap "Young Dr Malone" debuts         1959 Physicist Richard Feynman gives a speech entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", which is regarded as the birth of nanotechnology         1959 Saul Levitt's "Andersonville Trial," premieres in NYC         1959 The Lisbon Metro begins operation         1962 Doug Walters makes first-class debut for NSW 17 yrs 8 days         1963 52nd Davis Cup, USA beats Australia in Adelaide (3-2)         1965 "Thunderball" premieres in US         1965 CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year         1965 Supremes release "My World is Empty Without You"         1966 Pirate Radio Phoenix, 1st transmission (Worcester, Mass)         1967 Star Trek's "Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs         1967 Turkish-Cypriot government forms in Cyprus         1968 Baltimore Colts beat Cleveland Browns 34-0 in NFL championship game         1968 Israeli commandos destroy 13 Lebanese airplanes         1968 NY Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23 in AFL championship game         1969 NY Times reports Curt Flood will sue baseball & challenge the reserve clause         1972 An Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 (a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar) crashes on approach to Miami International Airport near Everglades, Florida, killing 101         1972 Life magazine ceases publication         1972 Test Cricket debut of Jeff Thomson & Max Walker v Pakistan at MCG         1974 Murray Schisgal's "All Over Town," premieres in NYC         1975 11 killed, 75 hurt by terrorist bomb at LaGuardia Airport in NYC         1975 A bomb explodes at LaGuardia Airport in New York, New York, killing 11 people and injuring 74         1977 Ronald Ribman's "Cold Storage," premieres in NYC         1978 Shah of Iran, asks Shapour Bahktiar to form a civilian government         1978 Spain constitution goes into effect         1978 Test Cricket debut of Allan Robert Border, v England at the MCG         1979 Red Army beats NY Islanders 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum         1980 Shuttle STS-1 moves from Vandenberg AFB to Launch Complex 39A         1982 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica         1982 Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant ends his career with Alabama (323 wins)         1983 Gavaskar makes the highest Test Cricket score by an Indian, 236* v West Indies         1983 Graeme Yallop completes 268 v Pakistan at cricket MCG         1983 US announced withdrawal from UNESCO         1984 5th United Negro College Fund         1984 Blues took 27 shots against Islanders in 1 period         1984 Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parlimetary elections         1988 Soviet Red Army Team edges NY Islanders, 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum         1988 Victorian Post Office Museum in Australia closes         1989 Jane Pauley says goodbye to NBC's "Today" show         1989 Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees         1989 Vaclav Havel becomes president of Czechoslovakia         1989 Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova, named athletes of decade by AP         1991 "Christmas Carol" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 14 perfs         1991 12th United Negro College Fund         1991 Boeing 747-200F of China Airlines crash into mountain at Taipei         1992 Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil, tries to resign amidst corruption charges, but is then impeached         1992 Governor Cuomo grants Jean Harris (Scarsdale Diet Dr killer) clemency         1993 Courtney Love sues doctors for leaking news of her methadone treatment         1993 Todd Bridges arrested for transporting methamphetamine (speed)         1994 B737-400 flies into a mountain at Edremit East Turkey, 54 killed         1994 Bangladesh government of Zia resigns         1994 Last Dutch electro-magnetic telephone exchange shuts down         1994 Shane Warne takes a hat-trick v England at cricket MCG         1996 "Dreams & Nightmares" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC         1996 "Skylight" closes at Royale Theater NYC after         1996 "Taking Sides" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC         1996 Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war         1997 Carquest Bowl 8, Georgia Tech beats West Virginia, 35-30         1997 Hong Kong begins to slaughter all the nation's 1.25 million chickens to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain (bird flu)         1997 Orville Lynn Majors, 36, arrested for many deaths under his care         1997 Russia signs agreement to build a $3B nuclear power plant in China         1998 Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over 1 million lives         2001 A fire at the Mesa Redonda shopping center in Lima, Peru, kills at least 291         2003 The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct.
 SCOTTY's QUOTE OF THE DAY    ..     “If I had one wish,   it would be to not have a reason to make one.”     - Unknown                  PADDY's BEERS OF THE DAY    ..     - Eastern Hemisphere -     Chimay Tripel White,   brewed by Bières de Chimay,   also known as Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont   in Chimay, Belgium.     It is a Tripel with an ABV of 8%         - Western Hemisphere -     AleSmith Decadence,   brewed by AleSmith Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA, USA.     It is a South German-Style Weizenbock                  LILLY's WINE OF THE DAY    ..     Maryhill (2007) Proprietor's Reserve.     It is a Merlot from Columbia Valley,   priced at approximately $30 per bottle.                  FAMOUS BIRTHS ON DECEMBER 29th    ..     765 Ali Al-Ridha, Saudi Arabian 8th of the Twelve Imams (d. 818)         1563 Francesco Maria Guaitoli, composer         1586 Francisco de Moncada, Spanish earl of Osuna/marquis of Aytona         1678 Gotthard Wagner, composer         1709 Elizabeth of Russia (Elizaveta Petrovna), Tsarina of Russia (1741-62), daughter of Peter the Great (d. 1762)         1721 Madame de Pompadour, French mistress of King Louis XV of France (d. 1764)         1743 Alexander van Bylandt, Dutch military officer         1767 Aime Ambroise Simon Leborne, composer         1776 Charles Macintosh, Scottish inventer, patented waterproof fabric         1792 Archibald Alison, Scottish historian (History of Europe)         1796 Johann Christian Poggendorff, German physicist (d. 1877)         1800 Charles Goodyear, American inventor (vulcanization process for rubber) (d. 1860)         1808 Andrew Johnson, American politician, 17th President of the United States (1865-1869) (d. 1875)         1808 Gyorgy Apponyi, Hungarian Parliament member         1809 Albert Pike, Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (d. 1891)         1809 William Ewart Gladstone, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1868-1874, 1880-1886, 1892-1894) (d. 1898)         1813 Etienne-Joseph Soubre, composer         1816 Carl Ludwig, German physician (d. 1895)         1831 Adam Badeau, Bvt Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (d. 1895)         1833 John James Ingalls, (Rep-Ks)         1843 Elisabeth of Wied (Carmen Sylva), Queen of Romania and writer (d. 1916)         1850 Tomas Breton y Hernandez, composer         1856 Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician (Stieltjes integral) (d. 1894)         1859 Venustiano Carranza, President of Mexico (1915-1920)         1866 Joseph Limburg, liberal Second-Member of parliament (1905-1919)         1869 Bill Howell, Australian cricketer         1870 Albert Amrhein, German rugby player         1874 François Brandt, Dutch rower (d. 1949)         1876 Pablo Casals, Spanish violinist, cellist, conductor, composer (d. 1973)         1877 Max Hess, American gymnast (d. 1969)         1879 Billy Mitchell, American General (WW I) (d. 1936)         1880 Jean-Fernand Vaubourgoin, composer         1881 Jess Willard, American boxer (d. 1968)         1881 Scott Leary, American swimmer (d. 1958)         1885 Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, Austrian-Russian general (d. 1921)         1887 Kiyoshi Nobutoki, composer         1888 Joseph Beran, Czech archbishop of Prague, cardinal         1892 Emory Parnell, American actress (Rocket Man, County Fair)         1896 David Alfaro Siqueiros, Mexican painter, muralist (Lib of Chile) (d. 1974)         1897 Hermann Heiss, composer         1898 Jeanne Leleu, composer         1899 Nie Rongzhen, Chinese military leader, People's Liberation Army Chief of General Staff (d. 1992)         1900 Willie Humphrey, jazz Clarinetist         1902 Nels Stewart, Canadian NHL ice hockey player (d. 1957)         1903 Clyde McCoy, jazz trumpeter, bandleader         1904 Kuvempu, Indian author and poet (d. 1994)         1907 James Gardner, designer         1908 Claire Dodd, Actress (Ex-Lady, In the Navy)         1908 Gerben Sonderman, Dutch test pilot (Fokker)         1908 Helmut Gollwitzer, German theologian and author (d. 1993)         1910 Ronald Coase, English-American economist (Nobel Prize laureate)         1912 Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Australian composer (Triad)         1913 Laurence Gower, Academic         1914 Albert Tucker, Australian painter (d. 1999)         1914 Billy Tipton, American pianist (d. 1989)         1915 Bill Osmanski, American football player (d. 1996)         1915 Charles L(eonard) Harness, American sci-fi author (Paradox Men, Wolfhead)         1915 John P W Meefout, Dutch sculptor (Laying Woman)         1915 Robert Ruark, American writer (Something of Value)         1917 Ramanand Sagar, Indian director and producer (d. 2005)         1917 Tom Bradley, American politician, 38th Mayor of Los Angeles (1973) (d. 1998)         1919 Pieter Terpstra, Dutch journalist, writer (De dei is forroun/Havank-T)         1919 Roman Vlad, composer         1920 Syd Dernley, hangman         1920 Viveca Lindfors, Swedish-American actress (Way We Were, Welcome to LA) (d. 1995)         1921 Dobrica Cosic, writer         1921 Mala Powers, American actress (Cyrano de Bergerac) [or 12/20/31]         1921 Robert C. Baker, American chef, inventer (Chicken nugget) (d. 2006)         1922 William Gaddis, American author (d. 1998)         1923 Shlomo Venezia, Greek-Italian author and holocaust survivor (d. 2012)         1924 Joe Allbritton, American businessman and publisher, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (d. 2012)         1925 Pete Dye, American golf course architect         1927 Andy Stanfield, American sprinter (d. 1985)         1927 Jim Simpson, American sportscaster (Monday Night Baseball)         1928 Bernard Cribbins, English actor (Val Doonican Show) and singer         1930 Willy Giefer, composer         1931 Barbara Steele, English actress (Castle of Blood, Dark Shadows)         1931 Prince Gu of Korea, Korean royalty (d. 2005)         1931 Yi Gu, Japanese-American son of Bangja, Crown Princess Euimin of Korea (d. 2005)         1932 Inga Swenson, American actress (Gretchen-Benson)         1933 Prez "Kidd" Kenneth, blues singer, guitarist         1934 Ed Flanders, American actor (Dr Westphall-St Elsewhere) (d. 1995)         1934 Tom Jarriel, American newscaster (ABC Weekend News, 20/20)         1935 Tony Bramall, English auto dealer, multi-millionaire (Harrogate)         1936 Mary Tyler Moore, American actress         1936 Ray Nitschke, American football player, NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers) (d. 1998)         1936 Vitaly Alexeyevich Godzyatsky, composer         1937 Barbara Steele, English actress         1937 Mary Tyler Moore, American actress (Mary Tyler Moore, Ordinary People)         1937 Wayne Huizenga, American businessman, founded AutoNation         1938 Harvey Smith, English horse rider         1938 Jon Voight, American actor (Deliverance, Midnight Cowboy)         1938 Wayne Huizenga, CEO (Waste Management, Blockbuster, Miami Dolphins)         1939 Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, president of Maldives (1978)         1940 Brigitte Kronauer, writer         1940 Ed Buce, American country singer (Texas)         1940 Peter Koelewijn, Dutch writer, vocalist (Come off that Roof)         1941 Ray Thomas, English singer-songwriter (The Moody Blues)         1942 Dinah Christie, English-Canadian actress and singer         1942 Jerry Summers, rocker         1942 Rajesh Khanna, Indian actor, singer, and producer (d. 2012)         1942 Rick Danko, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Band) (d. 1999)         1943 Bill Aucoin, American talent manager (d. 2010)         1943 JHR Maij-Wegge, Dutch traffic minister (-1994)         1944 Rodney Redmond, New Zealand cricketer         1945 Adje Roland, Dutch disc-jockey         1946 Laffit Pincay Jr, jockey (Ky Derby 1984, Belmont 1982-84, Swale)         1946 Marianne Faithfull, English singer-songwriter (Money) and actress         1946 Paul Trible, (Sen-R-Va)         1947 Cozy Powell, English drummer (Emerson, Lake & Powell, The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath) (d. 1998)         1947 Richard Crandall, American physicist and computer scientist (d. 2012)         1947 Ted Danson, American actor (Sam Malone-Cheers, 3 Men & a Baby, Saving private Ryan) and producer         1947 Vincent Winter, Scottish actor (d. 1998)         1948 Peter Robinson, Irish politician, 3rd First Minister of Northern Ireland         1949 David Topliss, English rugby player         1949 Syed Kirmani, Indian cricketer         1950 Jon Polito, American actor (Fire With Fire, Homicide)         1951 Georges Thurston, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 2007)         1951 Laurel Masse, American jazz singer (Manhattan Transfer-Operator)         1951 Yvonne Elliman, American singer-songwriter (I Don't Know How to Love Him) and pianist         1952 Gelsey Kirkland, American ballerina (Nutcracker)         1952 Nikolai Andrianov, Soviet gymnist (Olympic-gold-1972, 76, 80)         1953 Alan Rusbridger, Zambian-English journalist         1953 Gali Atari, Israeli singer and actress         1953 Kate Schmidt, American javelin thrower (Olympic-bronze-1972)         1953 Stanley Tookie Williams, American author, murderer, gang leader, co-founder (the Crips), executed (d. 2005)         1954 Albrecht Böttcher, German mathematician         1954 Glenn Myernick, American soccer coach (Olympics-gold-96)         1954 Prince Takamado of Japan (d. 2002)         1954 Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)         1955 Jan Pijnenburg, Dutch drummer (Doe Maar-Bomb)         1955 Neil Giraldo, Musician (Pat Benatar Band)         1956 Dolf de Vries, Dutch musical director, arranger (Josephine)         1956 Fred MacAulay, Scottish comedian and radio host         1957 Brad Grey, American film producer         1957 Oliver Hirschbiegel, German director         1957 Paul Rudnick, American author and screenwriter         1958 Curt Allen Byrum, American PGA golfer (1989 Hardee's Golf Classic)         1958 Nancy J. Currie, American astronaut         1959 Leslie Graves, American actress (Brenda-Capitol)         1959 Patricia Clarkson, American actress (Shutter Island)         1959 Paula Poundstone, American comedian (Emmy Awards) and actress         1960 Dave Gilbert, Australian cricketer         1960 David Boon, Australian cricketer         1960 Katerina Didaskalou, Greek actress         1960 Matthew Kandegas, American painter         1960 Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Congolese militia leader, founder (Union of Congolese Patriots)         1961 Jim Reid, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Freeheat)         1961 Kevin Granata, American educator, victim of the Virginia Tech massacre (d. 2007)         1961 Robert Louis Tewdwr Moss, journalist, travel writer         1962 Devon White, Jamaican baseball player, outfielder (Florida Marlins)         1963 Dave McKean, English illustrator, photographer, director, and pianist         1963 Des Foy, English rugby player         1963 Francisco Bustamante, Filipino billiard player         1963 Liisa Savijarvi, Canadian skier         1963 Sean Payton, American football player and coach         1964 Craig Grebeck, American infielder (Florida Marlins)         1964 Kimberly Russell, actress (Sarah-Head of the Class)         1965 David Delfino, hockey goaltender (Team Italy 1998)         1965 Dexter Holland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Offspring)         1966 Bruce Bulina, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Alberta Open)         1966 Drew Hartt, Canadian Tour golfer (1995 Desert Tour)         1966 Laurent Boudouani French boxer         1966 Martin Offiah, English rugby player         1966 Stefano Eranio, Italian footballer         1967 Andy Wachowski, American director, screenwriter (The Matrix), and producer         1967 Ashleigh Banfield, Canadian journalist         1967 Chris Barnes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse, Torture Killer)         1967 Evan Seinfeld, American bass player (Biohazard), actor, and director         1967 Henry Jones, NFL safety (Buffalo Bills)         1967 Jason Gould, son of Elliot Gould & Barbra Streisand (Prince of Tides)         1967 Kevin Toth, American shot putter         1967 Tony Tolbert, NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys)         1968 Carlo H L Ponti Jr, son of Carlo Ponti & Sophia Loren         1968 Darren Perry, NFL free safety (Pittsburgh Steelers)         1968 James Mouton, American outfielder (Houston Astros)         1969 Allan McNish, Scottish race car driver         1969 Jennifer Ehle, American-English actress (Zero Dark Thirty)         1970 Aled Jones, Welsh singer         1970 Glen Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Works Progress Administration)         1970 Hidetoshi Mitsusada, Japanese race car driver         1970 Kevin Weisman, American actor         1970 Yaroslav Ihorovych Pustovyi, Ukrainian cosmonaut         1971 Eom Sang Hyeon, South Korean voice actor         1971 Jay Fiedler, NFL & WLAF quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles, Amsterdam Admirals)         1971 Margot Thien, American synchronized swimmer (Olympics-gold-96)         1971 Mark Montreuil, NFL cornerback (San Diego Chargers)         1971 Toby Mills, WLAF corner (Frankfurt Galaxy)         1972 Asheru, American rapper         1972 Jason Kreis, American soccer player         1972 Jessica Lee McMinn, Miss North Carolina USA (1996)         1972 Jude Law, English actor (Sherlock Holmes), director, and producer         1972 Leonor Varela, Chilean-American actress (Blade II)         1972 Malcolm Seabron, NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)         1972 Melissa Hall, Miss USA-Minnesota (1997)         1972 Randy Neal, NFL linebacker (Cin Bengals)         1973 Pimp C, American rapper and producer (UGK) (d. 2007)         1973 Theo Epstein, American baseball general manager         1973 Tomas Perez, Barquisimeto Venezuela, infielder (Toronto Blue Jays)         1974 Brad Hodge, Australian cricketer         1974 James Darling, linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles)         1974 Mekhi Phifer, American actor (8 Mile)         1974 Richie Sexson, American baseball player         1974 Ryan Shore, Canadian composer and producer         1974 Tom Knight, cornerback (Arizona Cardinals)         1974 Twinkle Khanna, Indian actress and producer         1975 Jaret Wright, American baseball player         1975 Kalin Olson, American playmate (Aug 1997)         1975 Shawn Hatosy, American actor         1976 Danny R. McBride, American actor (East Bound and Down, Your Highness), writer, and producer         1976 Filip Kuba, Czech ice hockey player         1977 Jimmy Journell, American baseball player         1977 Katherine Moennig, American actress (The Lincoln Lawyer)         1978 Alexis Amore, Peruvian pornographic actress         1978 Danny Higginbotham, English footballer         1978 Kieron Dyer, English footballer         1978 LaToya London, American singer and actress         1978 Matthew Carr, Australian footballer         1978 Pierre Dagenais, Canadian ice hockey player         1978 Steve Kemp, English drummer (Hard-Fi)         1979 Ariel Schrag, American cartoonist and screenwriter         1979 Diego Luna, Mexican actor (Milk)         1979 Laura Larson, Miss Maine Teen USA (1996)         1979 Mitsuhiro Ishida, Japanese mixed-martial arts fighter         1980 Matteo Saradini, Director (Residenz)         1981 Charlotte Riley, Actress (Wuthering Heights)         1981 Shaun Suisham, American football player         1981 Shizuka Arakawa, Japanese figure skater         1982 Alison Brie, American actress (Community, The Five-Year Engagement)         1982 Dale Morris, Australian footballer         1982 Gabrielle Destroismaisons, Canadian singer         1983 Gonzalo Olave, Chilean actor (d. 2009)         1983 James Kelly, Australian footballer         1983 Jessica Andrews, American country singer-songwriter         1984 Sean Stone, Actor (Natural Born Killers)         1985 Alexa Ray Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist, daughter of Billy Joel & Christie Brinkley         1986 Joe Anyon, English footballer         1986 Kim Ok-bin, South Korean actress, singer, and model         1987 Yuhi Sekiguchi, Japanese race car driver         1988 Agnes Szavay, Hungary tennis player         1988 Eric Berry, American football player         1988 Ágnes Szávay, Hungarian tennis player         1989 Jane Levy, American actress (Evil Dead)         1989 Left Brain, American rapper and producer (Odd Future and MellowHype)         1989 Nathan Forbes, British footballer         1990 Allen Kim, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor (U-KISS and Xing)         1991 Megan Doble, Actress (A Life)         1992 Christian Vandal, Actor (I Am the Table)         1993 Jianna Ballard, Actress (Scary Movie 3)         1994 Princess Kako of Akishino of Japan         1995 Elena Arndt-Jensen, Actress (Karla's World)         1995 Rina Ikoma, Japanese singer (Nogizaka46)         1995 Ross Lynch, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (R5)         1996 Dylan Minnette, Actor (Prisoners)         1997 Dylan Jagger Lee, Son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee         1998 Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Actor (Before Midnight)         1999 Morgan Lambert, Actress (Story of Achan)         2000 Patrick Blanchard, Actor (Glory Road)         2007 Eridani Sky Madera, Actress (Out of the Darkness).
 PADDY's WHISKEY OF THE DAY    ..     Texas Crown Club Canadian Whisky,   Priced at approximately $25 per bottle.     - In Celebration of Admission Day in Texas                  FAMOUS DEATHS ON DECEMBER 29th    ..     721 Empress Gemmei of Japan (b. 661)         1141 Yue Fei, Chinese general, executed         1170 Thomas Becket, English Archbishop of Canterbury, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II (b. 1118)         1558 Hermann Finck, composer         1563 Sebastian Castellio, French preacher and theologian (b. 1515)         1619 Antoine Arnauld, French lawyer (Philippica)         1630 Jan Baptist Stalpart van der Wiele, RC pastor, lyricist         1634 John Albert Vasa, Polish bishop, cardinal (b. 1612)         1661 Antoine Gérard de Saint-Amant, French poet (b. 1594)         1689 Olfert Dapper, Amsterdam historian, geographer         1689 Thomas Sydenham, English physician (b. 1624)         1731 (J) Brook Taylor, English mathematician (b. 1685)         1737 Joseph Saurin, French mathematician and minister (b. 1659)         1785 Johan Herman Wessel, Norwegian poet (b. 1742)         1785 Johann Heinrich Rolle, composer         1815 Saartjie Baartman, Hottentot Venus         1821 Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau de Bergendael, S Neth general         1822 Albert Christoph Dies, composer         1825 Giuseppe Maria Gioacchino Cambini, composer         1825 Jacques-Louis David, French painter (Death of Marat) (b. 1748)         1835 Charles-Joseph Tolbecque, composer         1836 Johann Baptist Schenk, composer         1847 William Crotch, composer         1871 Ferdinand Marcucci, composer         1877 Willem Sassen, Dutch attorney general on Curacao (Affair-S)         1890 Big Foot, Sioux Indian chief, dies at Wounded Knee         1891 Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (b. 1823)         1894 Christina Rossetti, English poet (b. 1830)         1897 William James Linton, American wood engraver, painter, author, and political reformer. (b. 1812)         1898 Georg Goltermann, composer         1910 Reginald Doherty, English tennis player (b. 1872)         1915 Charles Beach Hawley, composer         1916 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, faith healer, intriguer, murdered (b. 1869)         1924 Carl Spitteler, Swiss poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)         1925 Félix E Vallotton, Swiss painter, writer (Chaste Susanne)         1926 Rainer Maria Rilke, Austrian author (Wise Queen),songwriter, and poet (b. 1875)         1929 Wilhelm Maybach, German engineer, automobile designer, founder (Maybach) (b. 1846)         1933 Joh Georghe Duca, premier of Romania, murdered         1934 Alma Tell, American actress (b. 1898)         1937 Don Marquis, American author (b. 1878)         1941 Tullio Levi-Civita, Italian mathematician (b. 1873)         1942 Frank D Adams, Canadian geologist         1943 William H Singer, American painter, collector (Singer Museum)         1947 Joseph Cuvelier, Belgian historian, General         1952 Beryl Rubinstein, composer         1952 Fletcher Henderson, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1897)         1953 Violet MacMillan, American Broadway theatre actress (b. 1887)         1956 Martin Albertz, German theologist (Jesus Christ's Church)         1957 Tom Richmond, English cricketer         1958 Doris Humphrey, American dancer, choreographer (Dances of Women)         1959 Robin Milford, English composer (b. 1903)         1960 Eden Phillpotts, English author and poet (b. 1862)         1960 Philippe Panneton, Quebec physician, diplomat and writer (b. 1895)         1964 Bernard von Brentano, German writer (Big Cats)         1964 Miroslav Krejci, composer         1965 Kusaku Yamada, composer         1967 Paul Whiteman, American violinist, composer, and orchestra leader (Fabulous Dorseys) (b. 1890)         1968 Austin Farrer, English theologian and philosopher (b. 1904)         1970 John de Mol, Dutch accordionist         1970 Marie Menken, American director and painter (b. 1909)         1971 Stuart Holmes         1972 Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, Greek missionary (b. 1903)         1972 Fritz Behrend, composer         1975 Euell Gibbons, American outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets (b. 1911)         . 1976 Ivo Van Damme, Belgian 800m & 1500m sprinter (Oly-silver-76) (b. 1954)         1980 Nadezhda Mandelstam, Russian author and educator (b. 1899)         1980 Roy Engle, actor (Police Chief-My Favorite Martian)         1980 Tim Hardin, American singer-songwriter (Bird on a Wire), dies of a drug overdose (b. 1941)         1981 Guido Provoost, Belgian historian         1981 Miroslav Krleža, Croatian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1893)         1982 Sol C Siegel, American film producer (High Society)         1984 Leo Robin, lyricist         1986 Andrei Tarkovski, Russian director (Stalker) (b. 1932)         1986 Harold Macmillan, English captain and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1894)         1986 John Antill, composer         1986 (Maurice) Harold MacMillan, Prime Minister of Great-Britain (1957-63)         1988 Mike Beuttler, Egyptian race car driver (b. 1940)         1991 Julia McCarthy         1992 LH Ruitenberg, vicar, editor in chief (Reform Netherlands)         1992 Vivienne Segal, American actress (Broadway, Pal Joey)         1993 Frunzik Mkrtchyan, Russian-Armenian actor (b. 1930)         1994 Eugene Tanner Jr, singer         1994 Frank Thring, Australian actor (El Cid, Ben-Hur)         1995 Hope Clara Chenhalls, food inspector         1995 Lita Grey, American actress (b. 1908)         1995 Louise Chaplin, actress         1995 Madeleine Barot, resistance heroine         1995 Nello Celio, president of Switz (1972)         1996 Alma Birk, journalist, politician         1996 Daniel Raphaeautl Mayer, journalist, resistance leader         1996 Mireille Hartuch, French singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1906)         1996 Oswald Szemerenyi, philologist         1996 Peggy (Margaret McCrorie) Herbison, politician         1996 Robert Morris, lawyer         1996 Willaim Brown, British TV executive         1996 William Thomas Pennar Davies, poet, author, theologian         1997 (Hanlon) Pat Clarke, cyclist         1997 Robert Steel, academic         1998 Jean-Claude Forest, French writer and illustrator of comics (Barbarella) (b. 1930)         1999 Leon Radzinowicz, Polish-English criminologist and academic (b. 1906)         2001 Cássia Eller, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)         2001 Takashi Asahina, Japanese conductor (b. 1908)         2003 Bob Monkhouse, English comedian, actor, and game show host (b. 1928)         2003 Dinsdale Landen, English actor (b. 1932)         2003 Earl Hindman, American actor (b. 1942)         2004 Julius Axelrod, American biochemist (Nobel Prize laureate) (b. 1912)         2004 Ken Burkhart, American baseball player (b. 1915)         2004 Liddy Holloway, New Zealand actress (b. 1947)         2005 Gerda Boyesen, Norwegian-English psychotherapist (b. 1922)         2007 Kevin Greening, English radio host (b. 1962)         2007 Phil O'Donnell, Scottish footballer (b. 1972)         2008 Freddie Hubbard, American jazz trumpet player and composer (b. 1938)         2009 "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, American professional wrestler and football player (b. 1960)         2009 Akmal Shaikh, Pakistani-English drug trafficker, executed by lethal injection in the People's Republic of China (b. 1956)         2010 Bill Erwin, American actor (b. 1914)         2011 Tyron Perez, Filipino actor and model (b. 1985)         2012 Ben Overton, American judge (b. 1926)         2012 Bruce Stark, American cartoonist (b. 1933)         2012 Edward Meneeley, American painter and sculptor (b. 1927)         2012 George Hazlett, Scottish footballer (b. 1923)         2012 Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (b. 1918)         2012 Mike Auldridge, American singer and guitarist (The Seldom Scene and Chesapeake) (b. 1938)         2012 Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)         2012 Roland Griffiths-Marsh, Australian soldier and author (b. 1923)         2012 Salvador Reyes Monteón, Mexican footballer (b. 1936)         2012 Tony Greig, South African-English cricketer (b. 1946)         2012 William Rees-Mogg, English journalist (b. 1928).