Today is Thursday, Dec. 22, the 356th day of 2005. There are nine days left in the year. On this

Today is Thursday, Dec. 22, the 356th day of 2005. There are nine days left in the year. On this date in 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replies "Nuts!" when the Germans demand that the Americans surrender.
In 1807, Congress passes the Embargo Act, designed to force peace between Britain and France by cutting off all trade with Europe. In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sends a message to President Lincoln: "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah." In 1894, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggers worldwide charges of anti-Semitism. (Dreyfus is eventually vindicated.) In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington for a wartime conference with President Roosevelt. In 1963, an official 30-day mourning period following the assassination of President Kennedy comes to an end. In 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots four youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. In 1989, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe's hard-line Communist rulers, is toppled from power in a popular uprising. In 1991, the body of Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage murdered by his captors, is found dumped along a highway in Lebanon.
December 22, 1980: Trumbull County commissioners reject the annexation of 305 acres of Bazetta and Howland township land to Warren. Twenty-four of 27 property owners in the parcel favored annexation.
A crowd estimated at 15,000 gathers in the bitter cold at Hopkins Airport to welcome the Cleveland Browns home after they beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-24, to cling the AFC Central championship.
A former Liberty Township woman, Dr. Lynn Cleary, an Ursuline High graduate serving her medical residency in Boston, was among six persons hospitalized for treatment after fire destroys the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., former home of the Von Trapp family of "Sound of Music" fame. Dr. Cleary was released after treatment for smoke inhalation.
December 22, 1965: The Ohio Supreme Court clears the way for Joseph Donofrio to take the Jan. 2 term seat on the municipal bench, dismissing the Mahoning County Board of Elections' appeal of an appellate court ruling.
A 21-year-old Elk St. man is indicted by the Mahoning County grand jury on four felonies in the kidnaping Oct. 29 of a Youngstown University coed.
Advertisement: Toy Riot at the Toy Wonderland: G.I. Joe action dolls, $1.88 each; Tearie Dearie doll, $2.57; Johnny Seven One-Man Army Gun, $4.88; Mag-Power Magic Doll House, over 70 pieces, including magic wand that can be used to move everything in the house, $3.33.
December 22, 1955: The Youngstown Planning Commission recommends the rezoning of 20 acres of land fronting on McCartney Road at Lamar Ave. from residential A and B to commercial A. Edward A. DeBartolo originally planned a shopping mall for the parcel, but it is now held by William Cafaro, who said the land will be converted to "mercantile use."
A new skating rink about 150 feet in diameter is opened at Boardman Park. The rink was created by scooping out earth to a depth of 4 to 14 inches and filling it with water.
Niles City Council takes a preliminary step toward providing Girard with a permanent and adequate water supply, but details of an agreement must be negotiated.
December 22, 1930: An unexpected rush brings a boom to Youngstown's Christmas trade, with banks estimating that sales in 1930 will exceed those of 1929.
The Census Bureau announces that the urban population of the United States is 68.9 million, and the rural population is 52.8 million. The 1930 urban population represents 56.2 percent of the total population of 122.7 million.
A regular quarterly dividend of $2 on the first 8 percent of preferred stock and $1.75 on the second 7 percent is declared by directors of the Ohio Leather Co. in Girard.
Mrs. D.W. Skeggs, 75, mother of Leonard T. Skeggs, general secretary of the Youngstown YMCA, dies in North Side Hospital after an illness of several weeks.