December 5th


1848: In a message before Congress, President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California. This is the last time any statement coming out of Washington turned out to be true.


1932: German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa. But some of his sterling reputation is tarnished when he uses the visa to break into his neighbors house and take a dump.


1933: Prohibition in the United States ends; everything since then has been kind of fuzzy.