December 4th


1783: At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, US General George Washington formally bids his officers farewell... then he tragically loses all their email addresses.


1943: President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment. This marks the last time a government program that had lost all usefulness was actually shut down.


1991: Pan Am goes bankrupt and ceases operations. It's been 20 years and still no one has the heart to tell all the Pan Am passengers stuck at JFK gate 33.