Good News in History, December 17

On this day 80 years ago, English actor Bernard Hill, most known for his portrayal of King Theoden in The Lord of the Rings, was born. Hill owns the distinction of being the only actor who has been part of two films that have won 11 Academy Awards, with the first being Titanic, in which he played Captain Edward Smith, and the second being The Return of the King. READ a bit more… (1944)

The demands for the role of King Theoden were intense, requiring plenty of filming in full armor, portraying a complex character with multiple motivations, many scenes on horseback, and the capability to deliver a rousing speech—all while being essentially a supporting role.

Bernard Hill, who died unexpectedly in May, also lent his voice to a variety of narrative efforts, including the BBC’s six-part nature documentary Wild China, and he starred in theater productions as well, most notably his portrayal of Macbeth in 1986.

MORE Good News from this Date:

• British industrial company BTH received a patent for holography, invented by Dennis Gabor (1947)
• The Air Quality Act of 1967 was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate, which initiated extensive monitoring and inspections into sources of air pollution, and what to do about it—and led to passage of the 1970 Clean Air Act (1967)
• The SALT I talks began, between the Soviet Union and the U.S., to control nuclear arms (1969)
• The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution designating November 25 as the annual International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (1999)
• The SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, made its first supersonic flight (2003)
• French sailor François Gabart set the round-the-world record for fastest solo navigation of the globe in 42 days 16 hours (2017)

234 years ago today, the Aztec, or Mexica Sun Stone was discovered under the Zocalo in Mexico City; a national icon, symbol of the nation’s past, and continuous mystery. Weighing more than 50,000 pounds and spanning 141 inches in diameter, the massive carving depicts animals, perhaps cosmological details, and orientations such as the cardinal points. It’s also believed to be a calendar of sorts, either mythological or factual.

The central disk represents, according to modern and older scholarship, the current era of humanity: perhaps by the sun god, or the earth demon.

The four squares around the central figure are as follows, according to a book published by the Getty Research Institute.

The top right square represents “Four Jaguar” (Nahuatl: Nahui Ōcēlotl), the day on which the first era ended, after having lasted 676 years, due to the appearance of monsters that devoured all of humanity.

The top left square shows “Four Wind” (Nahuatl: Nahui Ehēcatl), the date on which, after 364 years, hurricane winds destroyed the earth, and humans were turned into monkeys.

The bottom left square shows “Four Rain” (Nahuatl: Nahui Quiyahuitl). This era lasted 312 years, before being destroyed by a rain of fire, which transformed humanity into turkeys.

The bottom right square represents “Four Water” (Nahuatl: Nahui Atl), an era that lasted 676 years and ended when the world was flooded and all the humans were turned into fish. WATCH a Khan Academy lecture explaining the stone. (1790)

Happy 78th Birthday to Eugene Levy, the Canadian actor, comedian, producer, director, and writer who won a pair of major Emmys in 2020 (best comedy series and outstanding lead actor in a comedy) for Schitt’s Creek—a show he co-created with his son, and co-star, Dan Levy.

Often playing flustered and unconventional characters, Levy started off at Second City (SCTV) in Toronto with Gilda Radner and Martin Short. He’s well known for works such as the American Pie movies and multiple collaborations with actor-director Christopher Guest, co-starring in and co-writing four of his films, including Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. WATCH an interview with Stephen Colbert… (1946)

And Happy 88th Birthday to Pope Francis, who became leader of the Catholic church in March 2013.

Born of Italian-immigrant parents in Argentina and first ordained as a priest there 46 years ago, he is now beloved around the world as a man of the people. Check out the list of cheeky good news stories about this rebel pope since his arrival at the Vatican. He also wrote a book of daily inspiration in 2014, called A Year of Mercy with Pope Francis: Daily Reflections. (1936)

205 years ago today, a South American congress proclaimed Colombia to be a Republic and elected Simón Bolívar the president after he achieved great military victories (like crossing the Andes Mountains) to oust the Spanish conquerors from his homeland of Venezuela and other territories, including Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, becoming known as El Libertador, The Liberator. (1819)

Also, on this day in 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of a motorized, heavier-than-air vehicle piloted by Orville in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. During the next two years, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. WATCH film footage from that day…

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