Today in History ...

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1425 – The Catholic University of Leuven is founded. 1851 – The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal. 1888 – Statistician Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department. 1922 – Gabriel Narutowicz is elected the first president of Poland. 1941 – The American 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Vigan, Luzon. 1946 – The "Subsequent Nuremberg trials" begin with the "Doctors' trial," prosecuting physicians and officers alleged to be involved in Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia. 1958 – The John Birch Society is founded in the United States. 1965 – A Charlie Brown Christmas, first in a series of Peanuts television specials, debuts on CBS. 1973 – British and Irish authorities sign the Sunningdale Agreement in an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. 1979 – The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction. 2008 – The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arrested by federal officials for crimes including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama's election to the Presidency. 2013 – At least seven are dead and 63 are injured following a train accident near Bintaro, Indonesia.