Good News in History, December 8

101 years ago today, a sign was erected in the California hills advertising a new housing project called “Hollywoodland.” Real estate developers Woodruff and Shoults advertised it as a “superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills.” Not only were, the lights eventually turned off because they became too expensive, but it’s now some of the most expensive real estate in general in the country. READ what happened next… (1923)nnnn

nnIn 1949, the sign drew complaints from local residents, who called it an “eyesore and detriment to the community” and advocated its demolition. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce protested against the sign’s removal and offered to repair it.nnThe sign’s unprotected wood-and-sheet-metal structure deteriorated over the years. After a severe windstorm on February 10, 1978, the first O was splintered and broken, resembling a lowercase u, and the third O had fallen down completely, leaving the now-dilapidated sign reading “HuLLYWO D.”nnIn 1978, in large part because of the public campaign to restore the landmark by hard rock legend Alice Cooper, the Chamber set out to replace the severely deteriorated sign with a more permanent structure. Nine donors gave $27,778 each to sponsor replacement letters, made of steel supported by steel columns on a concrete foundation.nn

nnThe ‘O’ was sponsored by Cooper, the first ‘L’ by the founder of Kelly Blue Book, the second ‘L’ by Gene Autry, the ‘Y’ by Hugh Hefner, and the second ‘O’ from Warner Bros. Records.nnMORE Good News on this Date:n

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• Jim Morrison, the singer and leader of The Doors, was born (1943)

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• The Cuzco Declaration was signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations (2004)

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• Kirsty Williams was elected by the Welsh Liberal Democrats and became the first female to lead a political party in Wales (2008)

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• SpaceX became the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft after the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 (2010)

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• Volunteers for Operation Gratitude, a non-profit military and veteran support organization, assembled its One Millionth Care Package, a milestone cheered by thousands of supporters assembled for the celebration (2013)

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n798 years ago today, construction of the Daitoku-ji Buddhist temple was completed in Kyoto. This collection of 23 temples, as well as being enshrined as a National Treasure of Japan, played an important role in the country’s religious and political past. It hosted a grandmaster of the Japanese tea ceremony, and is the final resting place of the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga.nn

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nnDaitoku-ji became closely linked to Sen no Rikyu, the man credited with having the largest influence in all national history on the tea ceremony. Furthermore, Daitoku-ji is home to some works by the 13th-century Chinese artist-monk Mu Qi, considered the greatest Zen painter of the Song Dynasty. His works Six Persimmons, and Monkeys and Crane can be found here.nnDaitoku-ji became particularly important in the sixteenth century, when it was predominantly supported by members of the military establishment, who sponsored the building of subsidiary temples as prayers for their ancestors or in preparation for their own demise. In 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi buried his predecessor, Oda Nobunaga, at Daitoku-ji.nnHideyoshi, a powerful warlord who ruled parts of Japan, supposedly played goh on a game board that was later used by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the most famous of all the shogun. The game board which can still be found there carries the names of both their families. (1326)nn33 years ago Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine signed an agreement that dissolved the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The Belavezha Accords not only ended the Soviet Union, but established the Commonwealth of Independent States in its place.nnThe Accords were signed by leaders of 3 of the 4 republics that had created the USSR by signing a 1922 treaty. WATCH a cheerful look back from the modern Russian news network, which is fascinating when you wonder what the broadcast looked like 30 years ago today… (1991)nn[raw][/raw]nn nn99 years ago today, Sammy Davis Jr., the popular singer, dancer, actor, and drummer was born.nnnnAn entertainer on stage since he was 3 years old, Sammy was Tony-nominated for his role in the 1964 musical Golden Boy, and joined The Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the original film Ocean’s 11—and together the blockbuster stars toured internationally.nnThe Grammy and Emmy award winner also hosted his own TV variety program, The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. His biggest hit as a vocalist, The Candy Man, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname ‘Mister Show Business’. When someone asked his golf handicap, he famously quipped, “Handicap? I’m a one-eyed Negro who’s Jewish.” SEE his incredible talent in this comedy bit with impressions of famous 60s singers… (1990)nnA heavy cigarette smoker, he died of throat cancer at age 64.nn[raw][/raw]nnCheck out his sensational tap dancing on this BBC show… THE YOUTUBE MAY LOOK BROKEN, but just click on the arrow to start the video.nn[raw][/raw]nn nnAnd, on this day in 1987, the leaders of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. signed a historic agreement to destroy thousands of shorter-range nuclear weapons. Signed in Washington, D.C. by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty eliminated all missiles of any kind, as well as their launchers, that are on land within a range of 310–3,420 miles (500–5,500 km).nn

nnBy May 1991, 2,692 missiles were eliminated, and 10 years of on-site verification inspections followed.nnToday is Rohatsu— the Buddhist holiday commemorating the day when the Buddha first experienced enlightenment (in sanskrit, known as bodhi) while sitting under a tree and meditating.nnnnThe former prince, Siddhartha Gautauma, had recently given up years of self-enforced fasting, service, and poverty and resolved to sit under a tree and simply meditate until he could finally find the root of suffering and how to liberate oneself from it. It took him more than 40 days.nnThe deep silence brought an awareness of several Noble Truths. As the morning star rose in the sky in the early morning, Siddhartha Gautama finally found the answers he sought, became enlightened, and experienced Nirvana: By behaving decently, cultivating discipline, and practicing mindfulness and meditation, an end can be put to craving, to clinging, to our aversion to what is not pleasurable, and therefore to our dissatisfaction. (300-600 BCE)nnnnAnd 74 years ago today, the film adaptation of the Broadway musical On the Town, debuted on the big screen starring Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly (who also choreographed and co-directed). The film was notable for its location shooting, as a result of Gene Kelly’s insistence that some scenes be shot in NYC locations, including the Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center.nnA story about three sailors excited to begin their 24-hour shore leave in New York City, On The Town was an immediate success and won the Oscar for Best Musical Score. Riding the subway, one of them falls in love with a fleeting stranger, so the sailors race around attempting to find her, assisted by two women whom they become romantically involved with.nnIn 2006, the film ranked No. 19 on the American Film Institute’s list of Best Musicals. WATCH ‘New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town…’ (1949)nn[raw][/raw]nnSHARE the Milestones, Memories, and Music…