ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
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Today is the 351st day of 2020 and the 86th day of autumn.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1773, Tea Act protesters dumped hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor, an act that came to be known as the "Boston Tea Party."
In 1835, a huge fire destroyed nearly 700 buildings in New York City.
In 1944, German forces began a 90-minute artillery barrage against the Allied front, signaling the onset of the Battle of the Bulge.
In 2000, President George W. Bush selected Colin Powell as the first African American secretary of state.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Jane Austen (1775-1817), author; Noel Coward (1899-1973), playwright; Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologist; Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), writer; Philip K. Dick (1928-1982), author; Lesley Stahl (1941- ), journalist; Steven Bochco (1943-2018), screenwriter/producer; Shane Black (1961- ), actor/screenwriter/director; William "The Refrigerator" Perry (1962- ), football player; Benjamin Bratt (1963- ), actor; Krysten Ritter (1981- ), actress; Theo James (1984- ), actor.
TODAY'S FACT: Margaret Mead was named "Mother of the World" by Time magazine in 1969.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1973, Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson became the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." -- Philip K. Dick, "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon"
TODAY'S NUMBER: $2.8 billion -- worldwide box-office gross of James Cameron's "Avatar," which began its wide international release on this day in 2009. It is second only to "Avengers: Endgame" on the list of highest-grossing films of all time (not adjusted for inflation).
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Dec. 14) and first quarter moon (Dec. 21).