Today in History - December 2nd

1804 - On this day in history, Napoleon was crowned emperor of France at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
1816 - The first savings bank in the United States, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business.
1823 - President Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.
1927 - Today in history, The Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model A automobile. It was the successor to the Model T.
1939 - New York's La Guardia Airport began operations as an airliner from Chicago landed at 12:01 a.m.
1961 - Today in history, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared in a nationally broadcast speech that he was a Marxist-Leninist and that he was going to lead Cuba to communism.
1943 - "Carmen Jones" opened on Broadway.
1969 - On this day in history, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet got its first public preview as 191 people flew from Seattle, WA, to New York City, NY.

1970 - The Environmental Protection Agency began operating.
1993 - Today in history, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin.
1998 - Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates donated $100 million to help immunize children in developing countries.
2001 - On this day in history, Enron Corp. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. It was the largest bankruptcy in US history.
2010 - NASA announced the discovery of a new arsenic-based life form.

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, December 2nd

1949 - Today in history, Gene Autry's song "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," hit the record charts.
1959 - Bobby Darin was the subject of the TV show "This Is Your Life."
1972 - On this day in history, "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon was released.
1973 - The Who and some companions were jailed overnight for $6,000 worth of destruction they imposed on a hotel room after a show.
1981 - Today in history, "Dreamgirls" opened on Broadway. The show was based on the careers of the Supremes.
1983 - MTV aired Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video for the first time.
1986 - On this day in history, Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) ripped off her bra while performing in front of 10,000 fans in Birmingham, England.
1998 - First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Garth Brooks turned on the lights on the Christmas tree in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center.

1901 - Gillette patented the KC Gillette Razor. It was first razor to feature a permanent handle and disposable double-edge razor blades.
1942 - On this day in history, a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated by Dr. Enrico Fermi and his staff at the University of Chicago.