ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC
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Today is the 350th day of 2023 and the 85th 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, "The Great 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 nominated 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: "So books are real to me, too; they link me not just with other minds but with the vision of other minds, what those minds understand and see. I see their worlds as well as I see my own. " -- Philip K. Dick, "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer"
TODAY'S NUMBER: $2.92 billion -- worldwide box-office gross of James Cameron's "Avatar," which began its wide international release on this day in 2009. It is the highest-grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation).
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (Dec. 12) and first quarter moon (Dec. 19).