Today in History: Thursday, December 26, 2024

Television
Daytime drama “Search for Tomorrow” concluded its 35 year run on NBC in 1986. It started on CBS on September 3, 1951. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focused primarily on the character of Joanne, known to the audience as “Jo.” Actress Mary Stuart played Jo for the entire run.

Movies:
“The Philadelphia Story”, directed by George Cukor and based on the Broadway play of the same name, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, opened in theaters in 1940. It won two Oscars: Best Picture and Stewart for Best Actor in a Leading Role…”The African Queen”, directed by John Huston and based on the 1935 novel of the same name, opened in Los Angeles in 1951. It starred Humphrey Bogart, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Katharine Hepburn…The horror classic “The Exorcist”, an adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s book about a young girl possessed by the Devil, opened in theaters in 1973. The recipient of 10 Oscar nominations, it was the first horror film historically to be nominated for Best Picture.

News:
A large earthquake in 2004 shook the Indian floor floor west of the island of Sumatra, triggering a devastating tsunami that swamped coastal areas from Thailand to Africa and killed more than 200,000 people…Celebrations for the first Kwanzaa began in the United States, and the holiday continued until January 1; the annual event, which affirms African family and social values, was created by Maulana Karenga.

Celebrity Birthdays
Oscar winner Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Blub”) is 53; “The Middle” star Eden Sher is 33.