On this day in 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 entered into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures.
On this day in 2005, Wang Daohan, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 90.
On this day in 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 60-39 to pass President Barack Obama's keynote health care reform bill.