On This Day, Dec. 22: U.S. begins record 35-day partial government shutdown

Dec. 22 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1785, the American Continental Navy fleet was organized, consisting of two frigates, two brigs and three schooners. Sailors were paid $8 a month.

In 1894, French Capt. Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason by a military court-martial on flimsy evidence in a highly irregular trial and sentenced to life in prison for his alleged crime of passing military secrets to the Germans. Dreyfus was released from prison in 1899 and officially exonerated in 1906.

In 1944, ordered to surrender by Nazi troops who had his unit trapped south of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division replied with one word: “Nuts!”

In 1984, “subway vigilante” Bernhard Goetz shot and injured four would-be holdup men on a New York City subway. He served eight months in prison for carrying an illegal weapon but was cleared of assault and attempted murder charges.

On December 22, 2001, American Airlines passengers and attendants overpowered a man -- Richard Reid -- trying to light a match to detonate powerful explosives hidden in his sneakers on a flight from Paris to Miami. File Photo courtesy of the FBI — On December 22, 2001, American Airlines passengers and attendants overpowered a man — Richard Reid — trying to light a match to detonate powerful explosives hidden in his sneakers on a flight from Paris to Miami. File Photo courtesy of the FBI

In 1986, political dissident and Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov and his wife, Yelena Bonner, were allowed to return to Moscow after seven years of internal exile.

Yelena Bonner, wife of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, waves goodbye as she passes an American flag at Boston’s Logan Airport on May 24, 1986. File Photo by Jim Bourg/UPI

This long exposure shows the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the safe return of the first stage of the rocket at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on December 21, 2015. File Photo courtesy of SpaceX

In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last hard-line communist holdout against East Bloc reforms, fell from power in the face of massive demonstrations.

In 1992, all 157 people aboard Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103 died when the jetliner crashed, apparently following an in-flight collision with a military plane.

On December 22, 1984, "subway vigilante" Bernhard Goetz shot and injured four would-be holdup men on a New York City subway. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI — On December 22, 1984, “subway vigilante” Bernhard Goetz shot and injured four would-be holdup men on a New York City subway. File Photo by Monika Graff/UPI

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In 2001, American Airlines passengers and attendants overpowered a man, Richard Reid, trying to light a match to detonate powerful explosives hidden in his sneakers on a flight from Paris to Miami. As a result of the incident, U.S. airports began requiring passengers to remove their shoes for screening.

In 2005, Walmart was ordered to pay more than 100,000 California employees $172 million for depriving them of breaks to eat.

On December 22, 1944, ordered to surrender by Nazi troops who had his unit trapped south of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division replied with one word: "Nuts!" File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army — On December 22, 1944, ordered to surrender by Nazi troops who had his unit trapped south of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division replied with one word: “Nuts!” File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army

In 2006, rape charges were dropped against three former members of the Duke University lacrosse team after the alleged victim said she couldn’t be sure she had been raped.

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military. The so-called “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” legislation was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Protesters demand Walmart provide a living wage and full-time work as part of a nationwide Black Friday strike outside a Walmart store in the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles on November 29, 2013. On December 22, 2005, Walmart was ordered to pay more than 100,000 California employees $172 million for depriving them of breaks to eat. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

In 2015, SpaceX successfully returned the company’s Falcon 9 rocket to Earth, landing it vertically on a landing pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., — 10 minutes after it blasted-off for its jaunt to space and back.

In 2018, the U.S. government began a record 35-day partial shutdown after the Senate was unable to agree on a funding bill.

In 2020, FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi scored his 644th career goal for the La Liga squad, surpassing Brazilian legend Pele’s all-time record for most goals with a single club.

In 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the average U.S. life expectancy was 76.4 years, the lowest since 1996. The agency blamed the decline on the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in fatal overdoses from illicit drugs such as fentanyl.

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