December 16th, 2009

Today in History

1985:
In New York City, Mafia bosses Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead , making hit organizer John Gotti the leader of the Gambino family.

1958:
A fire at a store in Bogotá, Colombia kills 83 people.

1944:
World War II: A V-2 rocket hits the Rex Cinema in Antwerp killing 567 people.

1811:
The first of a series of severe earthquakes occurs, in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri in the United States.

1773:
The Boston Tea Party: a crowd of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians dumps 342 crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the British Tea tax.