Today in history—December 6

1768: The first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica is published, just in time for Christmas.

1822: The creator of the U.S. pencil industry, John Eberhard Faber, is born in into a family of pencil manufacturers in Stein, Bavaria.

1865: The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery.

1877: For the first time, everyone in the nation’s capital knows what to think, as the Washington Post begins publication.

1898: Influential sociologist, lawyer, economist, and politician Gunnar Myrdal (left) is born in Sweden.

1922: The Utica (N.Y.) Gas & Electric Co. opens the first commercial electric carrier station, built for it by General Electric.

1955: Quiz show mania is at its peak as a New York psychologist wins “The $64,000 Question” by answering a query on boxing. Dr. Joyce Brothers will go on to make even more money from the media.

1957: The AFL-CIO votes to expel the Teamsters. They will be re-admitted in 1987.

1960: Cowboy singing star and successful businessman Gene Autry (Back in the Saddle Again, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) wins a franchise for a new baseball team, to be called the Los Angeles Angels.

1969: The Age of Aquarius ends abruptly in Tracy, California, when violence breaks out during a disastrous concert by the Rolling Stones at the Altamont Raceway.

1971: The Senate confirms Lewis Franklin Powell to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

1994: Life imitates art; the fake “Maltese Falcon” used in the film of the same name (left, with star Humphrey Bogart) sets the world record price for a movie prop, garnering $398,500 at auction—even more than villain Casper Gutman thought the jewel-encrusted relic was worth in the original novel.

1994: Orange County, California, files for bankruptcy. The same day, Warner Bros. announces plans for a 5th national television network.