What happened today in history: The trial of 14-year-old killer Jesse Pomeroy begins in 1874, smallpox is officially eradicated in 1979, and more historical events from December 9th.
1608: John Milton Is Born
English poet John Milton is born to a wealthy family in London. He is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost, the tale of the biblical story of the Fall of Man that’s widely considered one of the best works of literature in world history.
Milton also ardently defended freedom of speech and freedom of the press while condemning censorship, writing many tracts and pamphlets regarding his political, religious, and philosophical views. His works are widely taught in schools and universities around the world even some 350 years after his death.
1874: Jesse Pomeroy’s Trial Begins
Wikimedia CommonsA drawing of Jesse Pomeroy c. 1870s, around the time of his killing spree.
The trial of 14-year-old Jesse Pomeroy, the youngest person to be convicted of murder in Massachusetts history, begins in Boston. Pomeroy was found guilty of murdering 10-year-old Katie Curran and four-year-old Horace Millen, though he was also suspected of killing at least seven other people. Pomeroy was condemned to death, but this sentence was commuted to life in prison, where he remained until his death at age 72.
1952: The Great Smog Of London Comes To An End
London is finally freed from what’s since become known as the Great Smog. For four days, the city was besieged by the worst air pollution event in its history as a thick cloud of yellow-black smog filled the air. Caused by low temperatures and an anticyclone that exacerbated pollution from coal burning, the Great Smog made the air nearly opaque — “like you were blind,” one visitor remembered.
London all but shut down as walking became dangerous, driving became nearly impossible, and the smog started seeping indoors. When the weather finally changed, the Great Smog left as quickly as it came, but not before it killed as many as 12,000 people.
1965: A Charlie Brown Christmas Debuts
CBSThis iconic special has earned both an Emmy and a Peabody and has remained a fan favorite for decades.
The beloved holiday television special A Charlie Brown Christmas airs for the first time on CBS. The Peanuts comic strip had become a worldwide phenomenon after its debut in 1950, and the Coca-Cola Company decided to commission the short film to air during the Christmas season. It was produced in just six months, and though the network predicted it would be a complete failure, the special continues to air as a beloved part of the holiday season to this day.
1979: Smallpox Is Eradicated
Wikimedia CommonsA victim of Gloucester, England’s 1896 smallpox outbreak.
A global commission of scientists declares that smallpox has been completely eradicated after nearly two centuries of work to bring an end to the deadly disease. Edward Jenner introduced the first smallpox vaccine in 1796, but it wasn’t until 1967 that the World Health Organization made an effort to eliminate the disease worldwide. The eradication of the illness, which was once estimated to kill as many as 5 million people per year, is considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the history of public health.
2010: John Du Pont Dies
John du Pont, millionaire and murderer of Dave Schultz, dies. Du Pont was the heir to the du Pont organization, an American chemical company. In the 1990s, du Pont began investing in the U.S. wrestling team. In 1996, du Pont fatally shot a member of the wrestling team, a seven-time Olympic medalist named Dave Schultz in Schultz’s home. Police arrested du Pont for the murder after a days-long standoff. A court later sentenced du Pont to prison, and he died there in 2010.
