December 4th

The sunday Observer, sister to the daily Guardian in the United Kingdom, was first published on this date in 1791. It is the world's oldest newspaper.

The Los Angeles Times, America's second largest metropolitan daily newspaper, was first published on this date in 1881 under the banner of The Los Angeles Daily Times.

On this date in 1952, the first Burger King opened in Miami, Florida.

On this date in 1971, someone wielding a flare gun at a Frank Zappa concert at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland set the place on fire... the incident would be noted in the Deep Purple song, "Smoke on the Water." Oddly enough, Frank passed away exactly 22 years later, to the day.

Marisa Tomei, Jeff Bridges, Dennis Wilson, Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon, Charles Keating, Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and Jesse Burkett were all born on this date.

And last year on this date, Worcester apparently ran out of sand...