SaturdaySat, December 19th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Independence Day Holiday is being celebrated in Kazakhstan
- National Heroes and Heroines Day is being celebrated in Anguilla
- People born on this day are Sagittarius as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2022
- EVENTS
- 190 countries agree to protect 30% of world's land and oceans by 2030 and other measures to halt declining global biodiversity at UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal.
- DEATHS
- Ali Ahmed Aslam, Pakistani-Scottish restaurateur (credited with creation of Chicken Tikki Masala), who died at 77.
- POLITICS
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte formally apologies for the slave trade on behalf of the Dutch state in a speech at the national archives in The Hague.
On this day in 2021
- DEATHS
- Drakeo, Rapper.
- Carlos Marín, Spanish pop-opera baritone (Il Divo), who died of COVID-19 pandemic at 53.
- Johnny Isakson, Politician.
- TV SERIES
- 1883: Season 1 is released. The Yellowstone prequel set in the 1880s follows James and Margaret Dutton (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) as they move their family to start a new life on Montana.
- POLITICS
- Former student activist Gabriel Boric wins Chile's Presidential election, to become the country's youngest president at 35.
On this day in 2020
- DEATHS
- Maria Piatkowskacka, Polish athlete (WR 4 x 100m relay 1964), who died at 89.
- Pelle Alsing, Swedish drummer (Roxette - "Listen to Your Heart"), who died at 60.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- Australian state of New South Wales announces 7-day state of emergency amid extreme heat and over 100 bushfires that have burnt for two months.
- Earliest fossilized trees,386 million years old, found at a quarry in Cairo, New York, study published in "Current Biology".
- BIRTHS
- Souline Mcbroom, Family Member, born in United States.
- DEATHS
- Shahdon Winchester, Trinidadian soccer winger (27 caps; Murciélagos), who died in a traffic collision at 27.
- Saoul Mamby, American boxer (WBC super lightweight title 1980-82), who died at 72.
- TV SERIES
- A Christmas Carol (2019): Season 1 is released. Originally planned as a miniseries, the now three-hour TV movie is a new version of the Dickens classic written by Steven Knight with Guy Pearce as Ebenezer Scrooge.
- GAMING: PC
- Borderlands 3: Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot for PC is released. Moxxi's assembling a crew to plunder a derelict space station casino and you've proven yourself worthy of joining her ragtag team of "experts."Successfully battle your way through Hyperion security forces and crazed casino-goers to reach a safe loaded with Eridium, cash, and all-new Legendary loot.
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- First use of a drone to deliver vaccines - to island of Erromango, Vanuatu, by Unicef.
- Drones flying over Gatwick airport, England, causes delays and cancellations for 800 flights and 110,000 people.
- DEATHS
- Mike Hiss, Race Car Driver.
- MOVIES: PG
- Mary Poppins Returns is released. In 1930s depression-era London, Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Julie Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Meryl Streep).
- GAMING: PC
- ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game for PC is released. ATOM RPG is a post-apocalyptic indie game, inspired by classic CRPGs: Fallout, Wasteland, Deus Ex, Baldur's Gate and many others.
- POLITICS
- US President Donald Trump announces victory over the Islamic State and planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria.
- SPORTS
- Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards; 8 players hit from deep as Rockets shoot 26-of-55 (47.3%); James Harden leads charge, shooting 6-of-11 on 3s.
On this day in 2017
- DEATHS
- Dick Bailey, Race Car Driver.
- Clifford Irving, American novelist and investigative reporter (hoax autobiography of Howard Hughes), who died of pancreatic cancer at 87.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Episode 3: Hell is Empty for PlayStation 4 is released.
- Shooty Fruity for PlayStation 4 is released. Do your job whilst shooting guns! Shooty Fruity combines job simulation with exhilarating combat that makes you feel like a true action hero - whether McClane, Wick or Rambo. Take on new roles and unlock weapons to fight your way through your career. Scan shoot repeat!
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Brawlout for Switch is released. Brawlout packs a punch with couch and online play modes, blending platform fighter mechanics and traditional fighting game play into a stylish and fluid battle royale. Rather than slow-paced defensive battles, Brawlout goes all-out with the lightning-fast aerobatics which platform fighters are famous for. Striking the balance between the growing competitive scene and the genre’s party game roots, Brawlout hopes to cater to the veteran platform fighter, the casual fan and the newcomer looking to make their mark.
- SPORTS
- Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, American professional baseball player at 1st female pitcher to play in the Negro Leagues, who died from heart complications at 82.
On this day in 2016
- EVENTS
- Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead at an art gallery in Ankara by Turkish gunman.
- At least 48 people die after drinking bath lotion in Irkutsk, Siberia, thinking it contained alcohol.
- The Official Chart Company announced it was changing the way it calculated the Top 40 to reflect the rise in streaming. Currently,100 streams counted as one "sale" of a song. From January 2017, the ratio will become 150:1. It was hoped that the change would break the bottleneck at the top of the charts, as hits on streaming services linger for weeks on end..
- Truck driven into a Christmas market in Berlin kills 12, injures 48.
- POLITICS
- US electoral collage votes 304 to 227 to nominate Donald Trump for President over the objections of seven faithless electors.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- Thirty-three years after it was released, Michael Jackson's classic album Thriller became the first to sell more than 30 million copies in the US. The Recording Industry Association of America reported latest sales figures showing the Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-75 had now sold 29m and Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II,23m copies..
- DEATHS
- Donald Tucker, Race Car Driver.
- Douglas Dick, American actor and psychologist (Rope, Waterfront), who died at 95.
- Kurt Masur, German conductor (New York Philharmonic), who died at 88.
- POLITICS
- Third Democratic presidential candidates debate, broadcast by ABC, held in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
On this day in 2014
- EVENTS
- The Guardian newspaper calls 2014 'The year the people stood up'.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Winter Sleep is released. Aydin (Haluk Bilginer), a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal with whom he has a stormy relationship and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce. In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities.
- MOVIES: PG
- Song of the Sea is released. Ben and his little sister Saoirse, the last Seal-child, embark on a fantastic journey across a fading world of ancient legend and magic in an attempt to return to their home by the sea. [GKIDS]
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb is released. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) heads to London to revitalize the magic of the life-giving tablet.
- Annie is released. Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis), a young, happy foster kid who’s also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014, was left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they’d be back for her someday. It’s been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). But everything’s about to change when hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) – advised by his brilliant VP, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his shrewd campaign advisor, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) – makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he’s her guardian angel, but Annie’s self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it’s the other way around. [Sony Pictures]
- MOVIES: R
- Mr. Turner is released. Mr. Turner explores the last quarter century of the life of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.
- GAMING: PC
- Assetto Corsa for PC is released. Assetto Corsa is designed to provide a very realistic driving experience, with single player and multiplayer options, officially licensed cars and tracks developed using Laser scan technology, and the highest level of accuracy possible in reproducing real world motor racing environments. Also, Assetto Corsa allows for considerable customisation and modification, in order to satisfy the expectations of professional simracers, gamers who prefer to approach the driving experience more progressively, and hobbyists who just like to collect lots of cars and tracks.
On this day in 2013
- EVENTS
- 81 people are injured after part of the ceiling caved in at London's Apollo Theatre.
- GAMING: WII U
- Knytt Underground for Wii U is released. Knytt Underground, the sequel to the massively popular Knytt and Knytt Stories, is the next stage in the well-liked series, with the original boasting over 1 million downloads globally. The exciting platform game offers gamers exploration in an infinitely breathtaking atmosphere and will be available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita later this year.