Summary: <br> Listen below with the audio player or <a href="https://wp.me/pe53l-1sv">Click Here</a> for complete show notes and video from the show.<br> <br> <br> <br> Feedback<br> <br> Voice Mail<br> Question of the Week: It’s almost 2020, aside from flying cars, what futurist thing did you seriously think we’d have by now?<br> <br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chuck.tomasi/posts/10158397697483455">Chuck’s responses</a><br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kreg.steppe/posts/10156532291186319">Kreg’s responses</a><br> <br> <br> <br> On This Day In History for December 18, 2019<br> <br> It was on this date in 1777, that The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking the recent victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga in October.<br> On December 18, 1833, The national anthem of the Russian Empire, “God Save the Tsar!”, is first performed.<br> It was 154 years ago today, that US Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the USA.<br> That same date in 1892, Premiere performance of The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia.<br> December 18, 1898, Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially recognized land speed record of 39.245 mph (63.159 km/h) in a Jeantaud electric car.<br> The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition was passed by the United States Congress on this date in 1917.<br> It was 61 years ago today, that Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched.<br> Also on December 18, 1966, Saturn’s moon Epimetheus is discovered by astronomer Richard Walker.<br> It was on this date in 1973, that Soyuz 13, crewed by cosmonauts Valentin Lebedev and Pyotr Klimuk, is launched from Baikonur in the Soviet Union.<br> It was 38 years ago today, that First flight of the Russian heavy strategic bomber Tu-160, the world’s largest combat aircraft, largest supersonic aircraft and largest variable-sweep wing aircraft built.<br> Also today in 1999, NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments, including ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.<br> A meteor exploded over the Bering Sea with a force over 10 times greater than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 on December 18, 2018 at 23:55 GMT.<br> <br> Happy birthday goes out on this date to:<br> <br> German explorer, Philipp von Hutten, born on this date in 1505.<br> Christopher Polhem, the Swedish physicist and inventor was born 358 years ago today.<br> English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, J. J. Thomson, born on this date in 1856.<br> Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was born on that same date in 1863.<br> Joseph Stalin, the Georgian-Russian marshal and politician, 4th Premier of the Soviet Union was born 141 years ago today.<br> Born December 18, 1890, American engineer, invented FM radio Edwin Howard Armstrong.<br> Betty Grable, American actress, singer, and dancer was born on that same date in 1916.<br> Esther Lederberg, the American microbiologist was born 97 years ago today.<br> Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut, Boris Volynov is 85 today.<br> Also born on that same date in 1939, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate, Harold E. Varmus.<br> English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer, Keith Richards is 76 today.<br> Also born on that same date in 1946, American director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded DreamWorks, Steven Spielberg.<br> David A. Johnston, American volcanologist and geologist was born on that same date in 1949.<br> Also born on that same date in 1963, American actor and producer, Brad Pitt.<br> American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress, Christina Aguilera, born on this date in 1980.
