Today in History: December 30, Saddam Hussein executed

Today is Monday, Dec. 30, the 365th day of 2024. There is one day left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 30, 2006, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi High Tribunal.

Also on this date:

In 1860, 10 days after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the state militia seized the United States Army arsenal in Charleston.

In 1896, José Rizal, whose writings inspired the Philippine Revolution, was executed by Spanish army troops after being convicted of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy.

In 1903, more than 600 people died when fire broke out at the recently opened Iroquois Theater in Chicago.

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially came into existence.

In 2009, seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer were killed by a suicide bomber at a U.S. base in Khost (hohst), Afghanistan.

In 2015, Bill Cosby was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. (Cosby’s first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked; he was convicted on three charges at his retrial in April 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June 2021, setting Cosby free.)

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax is 89. TV director James Burrows is 84. Football Hall of Famer Mel Renfro is 83. Singer-author Patti Smith is 78. Musician Jeff Lynne is 77. TV personality Meredith Vieira is 71. Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph is 68. Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 68. Actor-comedian Tracey Ullman is 65. TV commentator Sean Hannity is 63. Golfer Tiger Woods is 49. TV personality-boxer Laila Ali is 47. Singer-actor Tyrese Gibson is 46. Actor Eliza Dushku...