1874 – Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, who guided Great Britain and the Allies though the crisis of World War II, is born in Oxfordshire, England. He came from a prestigious family with a long history of military service.
1939 – The Soviet Red Army invades Finland with 465,000 men and 1,000 aircraft. Despite the overwhelming force, the Finns resist with guerrilla warfare, but eventually negotiate and relinquish the Karelian Isthmus to the Soviets.
1954 – An 8.5 pound sulfide meteorite crashes through the roof of a house in Sylacauga, Alabama, bounces off a radio and strikes a woman on the hip. She is not severely injured, but suffers a nasty bruise. It is the first modern instance of a meteorite striking a human.
2004 – After winning 74 straight games and more than $2.5 million-a record for U.S. game shows-Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings finally loses. Jennings’ extended winning streak turned the software engineer from Salt Lake City, Utah into a TV hero and household name.
