12/17/1990: The locally shot made-for-TV film, A Mom for Christmas, premieres. Olivia Newton-John starred as a mannequin who comes to life and fulfills the wish of a motherless girl. It featured downtown Cincinnati and the former Shillito’s (at the time Lazarus) department store.

12/18/1946: Steven Spielberg is born in Cincinnati. He was named after his paternal grandfather who had store on Third Street in Downtown Cincinnati. Before moving away at only 3 years old, his family lived in an apartment on South Avondale’s Lexington Avenue. #cincinnatihistory

12/20/1939: Will Radcliff, the inventor of the Slush Puppie, is born. His sister and mother helped him come up with the name based on hush puppy. He also was interested in land conservation, donating 3,105 acres of his Florida property for a water and wildlife sanctuary. #otd

12/23/2022: French-American chef and restauranteur Jean-Robert de Cavel dies. In 1993 he became head chef for the Maisonette, Cincinnati's only restaurant with a Mobil five-star rating. He is credited with shaping the city's dining renaissance. #cincinnatihistory

Christmas Past: From The Cincinnati Post a hundred years ago.

12/26/2003: Social reformer and civil rights activist, Virginia Coffey, dies at 99. She was executive director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and helped to desegregate much of the city. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1993. #cincinnatihistory

12/30/1921: Precision Equipment Co becomes Ohio's 1st licensed radio station with the random call letters WMH. In 1923, WLW station owner, Powell Crosley, Jr., bought WMH for access to a patent and closed it. #cincinnatihistory

12/31/1921: Cincinnati mayor, union president, state representative, and Navy vet, Jim Luken, is born. He was president of the Milk and Ice Cream Drivers and Dairy Workers Local 98 from the age of 26 until his death. He successfully fought against Jimmy Hoffa. #cincinnatihistory

1/2/1790: General Arthur St. Clair establishes Hamilton County as the second county of the new Northwest Territory, of which he was governor. Judge John Cleves Symmes named the County in honor of his friend, then-current Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. #OTD

1/3/1919: Famed portrait painter and teacher Frank Duveneck dies. He is often called Cincinnati's most influential artist. His work can be seen at many museums such as MOMA, the National Gallery of Art, the Taft Museum, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. #cincinnatihistory

1/6/1866: Caro Blymyer Dawes, philanthropist and wife of Vice President Charles Dawes, is born. She devoted much of her life to helping orphaned children, co-founding the Cradle to facilitate adoptions and working with the Illinois Children’s Home and Aid Society. #OTD

1/9/1916: Chemist and professor George Rieveschl is born. He created the first commercial antihistamine, Benadryl. He and his wife donated millions to local universities and the arts. UC's Rieveschl Hall is named in his honor. #cincinnatihistory

1/10/1947: The first commercial flight, American Airlines DC-3 from Cleveland, lands at CVG. Minutes later, the first Delta Airlines and TWA flights landed. At the time, CVG averaged only 24 flights daily. #cincinnatihistory

1/13/1932: Mountaineer, photographer, and scientist, Barry Bishop is born. He was a member of the first American team to summit Mount Everest in 1963. He worked for the National Geographic Society in various posts from photographer to Chairman of its Exploration committee. #OTD

1/15/1996: After a two-hour chase by the FBI, Richard Lee Guthrie Jr., co-founder of the Aryan Republican Army, is arrested in Cincinnati. His gang was dubbed "The Midwest Bank Bandits," as they had robbed 22 banks in the region, and may have been involved in the OKC bombing.

1/18/1824: The Congregation Bene Israel is formally organized. Now known as Rockdale Temple, it is one of the oldest synagogues in the US and the oldest Ashkenazi congregation in Ohio. Today it is located in Amberley Village. #cincinnatihistory

1/20/1952: Bootlegger, lawyer, and murderer George Remus dies. His final 20 years in Covington, KY were quiet, in marked contrast to the scandals and infamy of his past. He married his third wife--his secretary at the time of his murder trial--and ran a small contracting firm.

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