Today is Tuesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2005. There are 11 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2005. There are 11 days left in the year. On this date in 1803, the Louisiana Purchase is completed as ownership of the territory is formally transferred from France to the United States during ceremonies in New Orleans.
In 1860, South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union. In 1864, Confederate forces evacuate Savannah, Ga., as Union Gen. William T. Sherman continues his "March to the Sea." In 1879, Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrates his incandescent light at Menlo Park, N.J. In 1945, the Office of Price Administration announces the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1, 1946. In 1963, the Berlin Wall is opened for the first time to West Berliners, who are allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays. In 1968, author John Steinbeck dies in New York at age 66. In 1976, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley dies at age 74. In 1987, more than 3,000 people are killed when the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collides with the tanker Vector off Mindoro island. In 1989, the United States launches Operation Just Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court rules that homosexual couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples.
December 20, 1980: A fire at 2521 Hudson Street in Youngstown kills Mrs. Jessie Evans, 48, and seven children -- her 16-year-old son and six children she was babysitting, ranging in age from 3 years old to 9.
Dr. Sidney Berkowitz, rabbi of Rodef Sholom Temple, presents Youngstown Catholic Bishop James W. Malone with two checks of $1,000 each from B'nai B'rith and the Zionist Organization of America. One check is toward restoration of St. Columba Cathedral, the other is to assist earthquake victims in Italy.
Three men escape with about $10,000 in food stamps in a robbery at the Youngstown Area Urban League, 1524 Hillman St.
December 20, 1965: General Fireproofing Co. plans to construct a large plant to build metal office furniture about 30 miles west of Toronto, Canada, says GF President John Saunders.
Millions of pieces of mail are being hustled through the Youngstown Post Office and its branches, but the peak is apparently past, says Postmaster Chester W. Bailey. About 75 part-time postal carriers were added to the normal force of 225.
A robber wearing a burlap face mask and a Beatle wig beats an 18-year-old clerk at an Isaly Dairy Store on Canfield Road unconscious and escapes with $1,000.
December 20, 1955: Four Air Force planes collide in two separate incidents over Florida, killing 14 airmen, including a Struthers man, 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Sewickley, 22.
The first ice skating of the season is attracting scores of youngsters and adults to the Lincoln Park lake while hundreds of others are enjoying sled-riding and skiing at Mill Creek Park. The Mill Creek lakes are not yet frozen well enough to allow skating.
The rival captains in the 1956 congressional races disagree over whether the Eisenhower administration or the Democrats will get credit for the booming economy. Rep. Richard M. Simpson, R.-Pa., chairman of the GOP Congressional Committee, predicts a Republican victory; Rep. Michael J. Kirwan, D-Youngstown, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says Democrats will get credit for legislative initiatives that contributed to prosperity.
December 20, 1930: The U.S. Senate passes a $116 million bill to aid the nation's unemployed.
Indications that the automotive industry is ready to begin ordering sheet steel for the first quarter auto-making is seen in an announcement that the Newton Steel Co. is booking its best run of orders since early spring.
Confusion reigns in toy shops and at gift counters as the season's biggest Christmas shopping crowds, including thousands of school children, descend on the city's stores.
Arthur O. Fleming, secretary of the Community Chest Corp., says the sale of $5,947 in Christmas Seals in Youngstown puts the city first among cities of its size in its support of tuberculosis relief.