December 14th is the 348th day of the year. There are 17 days remaining until the end of the year

Today is the start of Chanukah, Roast Chestnuts Day and National Biscuits & Gravy Day

In 1774, warned by Paul Revere of a British plan to station troops at Portsmouth, N.H., a group of Massachusetts militiamen successfully attacked the arsenal of Fort William and Mary.
In 1793, the first state road was authorized, from Frankfurt, Ky., to Cincinnati.
In 1798, David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented a nut & bolt machine.
In 1799, the first president of the U.S., George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon home at age 67.
In 1819, Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state.
In 1901, the first table tennis tournament was held at the London Royal Aquarium.
In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, beating out an expedition led by Robert F. Scott.
In 1929, the first miniature golf course opened.
In 1944, Congress established the rank of General of the Army (five-star general).
In 1947, NASCAR was founded.
In 1959, the Motown record label was founded in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1967, DNA was created in a test tube.
In 1977, "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta, premiered in New York City.

Actors:

Tammy Blanchard is 49 (“Guiding Light,” “Rent”)
Cynthia Gibb is 62 (“Fame,” “Gypsy”)
Miranda Hart is 53 (“Miranda,” “Call the Midwife”)
Vanessa Hudgens is 37 (“High School Musical” franchise, “Thirteen”)
Archie Kao is 56 (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Hills Have Eyes II”)
Jackson Rathbone is 41 (“The Twilight” franchise,” “The O.C”)
Joshua Rush is 24 (“Parental Guidance,” “Escape from Planet Earth”)
Kadee Strickland is 50 (“The Sixth Sense,” “The Grudge”)
Hal Williams is 87 (“227,” “Sanford and Son”)
The late Morey Amsterdam (1908-1996) (“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Morey Amsterdam Show”) (FAST FACT: He was a cellist and worked at Al Capone’s speakeasy)
The late Patty Duke (1946 – 2016)…she would have been 79 (“Valley of the Dolls,” “The Patty Duke Show”)
The late Lee Remick (1935-1991)… she would have been 90 (“Anatomy of a Murder,” “The Omen”)
The late Thuy Trang (1973-2001)… she would have been 52 (“Power Rangers’” Yellow Ranger)