On this day: December 20
POSTED: 10:21 PM PST Dec 19, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Dec 19, 2012
The Louisiana Purchase is completed, South Carolina secedes from the U.S., Edison demonstrates his incandescent light, Elvis gets drafted, and the U.S. invades Panama, all on this day.
Public domain
1968: The Zodiac Killer shoots and kills teenagers Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Benicia, Calif. Although law enforcement authorities suspect the serial killer may have begun as early as 1963, Jenson and Faraday are his first confirmed victims. The serial killer, whose identity remains unknown, is responsible for killing at least five people and injuring two more, but could be responsible for up to 37 murders. Pictured is a police sketch of the Zodiac Killer.
