It's Thursday

It's Thursday. Here's what's happening.

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Today is January 3rd, the 3rd day of 2012. There are 362 days left in the year.

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League, Union to continue negotiations Thursday.

40 players chosen for USHL/NHL Top Prospects game.

Visit the official league website, http://www.nhl.com/.

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References in Leonardo da Vinci notebooks suggested that he tested his flying machine on this date in 1496. The test didn't succeed and he didn't try to fly again for several years.

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U.S. National Junior Team Beats Canada, 5-1, Advances to Gold Medal Game in 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship McCabe and Gaudreau Score Twice UFA, Russia – The U.S. National Junior Team advanced to the gold medal game of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship by defeating Canada, 5-1, in the semifinals here tonight at Ufa Arena. Captain Jake McCabe (Eau Claire, Wis./Univ. of Wisconsin) scored two goals and added an assist, whileJohn Gaudreau (Carneys Point, N.J./Boston College) added two goals of his own. Team USA will face either Russia or Sweden on Saturday (Jan. 5). "We got the start we wanted, scoring the all-important first goal," said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "We wanted to dictate the pace of the game early and we were able to do that and then it carried into the second period. We're going to enjoy this win tonight and then start thinking about the gold medal game tomorrow." McCabe opened the scoring at 7:18 of the first period. Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich./Miami Univ.) was stopped on a good chance in the slot, but he stayed with the play and feathered a pass back into the high slot. Left alone, McCabe snapped the puck over Malcolm Subban's glove. With 3:58 to play in the opening frame, McCabe stretched the U.S. lead to 2-0. Vince Trocheck (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saginaw Spirit) and Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif./Univ. of North Dakota) exchanged passes before the puck was deflected to McCabe, who again beat Subban over the shoulder from between the circles. Three minutes into the second stanza, Gaudreau notched Team USA's third goal. Gaudreau glided through the left circle on a two-on-two rush, toe-dragged around a defeneman and scored high to the glove side. At the 12:44 mark,Jim Vesey (North Reading, Mass./Harvard Univ.) made it 4-0 for the U.S. Gaudreau streaked down the middle and passed to Vesey, who beat his defender in the right circle and scored low inside the left post. Canada then opted for a goaltending change and sent Jordan Binnington into the net. Canada cut the U.S. lead to three at 4:03 of the final frame on a shorthanded goal, but Gaudreau converted on a breakaway chance at 15:41 to seal the victory for Team USA. John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kitchener Rangers) stopped 33 shots for the U.S. in the win, while Subban turned aside 12 shots and Binnington made 25 saves for Canada. The victory gives Team USA a 4-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in the tournament heading into the gold medal game. The gold medal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) on Saturday (Jan. 5) in Ufa, Russia. NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) will be broadcasting live and NHL.com will provide a live stream. NOTES: Jake McCabe was named the Player of the Game for Team USA ... Gaudreau now has seven goals in the tournament, which ties for second-most on the U.S. single-tournament goal list. All seven goals have been in the last three games ... Ten of Team USA's 31 goals have been scored by defensemen ... For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ...Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period Team 1 2 3 Total CAN 0 0 1 1 USA 2 2 1 5 First Period – Scoring: 1, USA, McCabe (Barber, Reilly), 7:18; 2, USA, McCabe (Grimaldi, Trocheck), 16:02. Penalties: None. Second Period – Scoring: 3, USA, Gaudreau (McCabe, Gibson), 2:58; 4, USA, Vesey (Gaudreau, Miller), 12:44. Penalties: CAN, Nugent-Hopkins (slashing), 6:48; USA, Murphy (tripping), 9:46; CAN, Reinhart (high-sticking), 14:20; CAN, Camara (high-sticking), 18:54. Third Period – Scoring: 5, CAN, Rattie (Danault), 4:03 (sh); 6, USA, Gaudreau (Vesey, Miller), 15:41. Penalties: USA, Sieloff (handling the puck), 1:48; CAN, Scheifele (kneeing), 1:48; CAN, Team (too many men), 2:57; USA, Gaudreau (high-sticking), 9:54; CAN, Camara (high-sticking), 15:56; CAN, Danault (kneeing), 18:50; CAN, Reinhart (cross-checking), 20:00. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total CAN 8 10 16 34 USA 12 14 16 42 Goaltender (SV/SH) 1 2 3 Total CAN, Subban, 32:44 10/12 2/4 -- 12/16 CAN, Binnington, 27:16 -- 10/10 15/16 25/26 USA, Gibson, 60:00 8/8 10/10 15/16 33/34 Power Play: CAN, 0-2; USA, 0-6 Penalties: CAN, 8-16; USA, 3-6 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship ScheduleDec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013 • Ufa, Russia • Ufa Arena  Date Matchup Time (Local/EST)/Result Broadcast/Streaming Thurs., Dec. 20 USA vs. Sweden* W, 3-2 OT NHL Network Sat., Dec. 22 Finland vs. USA* L, 1-5 NHL Network Thurs., Dec. 27 USA vs. Germany W, 8-0 NHL Network/NHL.com Fri., Dec. 28 USA vs. Russia L, 1-2 NHL Network/NHL.com Sun., Dec. 30 USA vs. Canada L, 1-2 NHL Network/NHL.com Mon., Dec. 31 USA vs. Slovakia W, 9-3 NHL Network/NHL.com Wed., Jan. 2 Quarterfinal - Czech Republic W, 7-0 NHL Network/NHL.com Thurs., Jan. 3 Semifinal - Canada W, 5-1 NHL Network/NHL.com Sat., Jan. 5 Gold Medal Game 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com *pre-tournament game in Helsinki, Finland U.S. National Under-17 Team Upends Slovakia, 7-2, at 2013 World Under-17 Challenge  Hitchcock, Milano and Tuch Each Record Three-Point Games DRUMMONDVILLE, Quebec – Ryan Hitchcock (Manhasset, N.Y./1-2), Sonny Milano (Massapequa, Mass./2-1) andAlex Tuch (Baldwinsville, N.Y./1-2) each recorded three-point games, as the U.S. National Under-17 Team upended Slovakia, 7-2, at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge here today at Centre Marcel Dionne. With the win, Team USA clinched the first seed in Pool B as it heads toward the semifinal round. The U.S. finished group play unbeaten with a 3-1-0-0 (W-OTW-L-OTL) record. "It's extremely hard to come through these brackets with the first seed," said Danton Cole, head coach of the U.S. National Under-17 Team. "I'm proud of the guys and how we put ourselves in a good position by winning all four games." Milano opened scoring for Team USA less than one minute into the game. Dominic Turgeon (Cherry Hills, Colo.) and Chris Wilkie (Omaha, Neb.) earned assists on the play. Slovakia responded with a tally at 5:55, taking advantage of a turnover in front of the U.S. net. Jared Fiegl (Parker, Colo.) found Dylan Larkin (Waterford, Mich.) open in front of the crease for the go-ahead goal at 9:15. Skating along the boards and making a move toward the slot, Tuch clanked a shot off the crossbar and into the net at 10:35. Milano and Louis Belpedio (Skokie, Ill.) assisted on the marker. Ryan MacInnis (St. Louis, Mo.) notched the fourth Team USA goal at 17:29 with Hitchcock and Tuch earning the helpers. Slovakia tallied the lone goal of the second period at 9:45 to cut the Team USA lead in half, 4-2. Each squad put six shots on net in the frame. Hitchcock scored to make it, 5-2, at 3:34 of the final frame. MacInnis and Tuch registered assists on the goal. A blast by Ryan Collins (Bloomington, Minn.) deflected off a Slovak player and into the net at 14:02. Brandon Fortunato(North Hills, N.Y.) and Hitchcock worked the puck to Collins on the power play. Milano capped the day by deking Slovakian netminder Maximilian Pajpach and going to the backhand for the score 38 seconds later. Team USA outshot Slovakia, 22-2, in the frame and claimed victory, 7-2. Edwin Minney (Wind Gap, Pa.) turned aside 10 shots in the win for the U.S., while Pajpach made 36 saves in the loss for Slovakia. The U.S. National Under-17 Team will next compete in the semifinals versus the number two seed from Pool A tomorrow (Jan. 3), in Victoriaville, Quebec at the Colisee Desjardins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST. A complete schedule can be found below. NOTES: Ryan Hitchcock was named Team USA's Player of the Game ... For Team USA's full roster, click here ... Team USA outshot Slovakia, 43-12 ... The U.S. finished 2-for-5 on the power play, while Slovakia went 0-for-2 with the man advantage ... The 2013 World Under-17 Challenge includes two pools of five teams. Pool A consists of teams from Finland, Canada's Team Pacific, Russia, Sweden and Canada's Team West. Pool B consists of teams from Canada's Team Atlantic, Canada's Team Ontario, Canada's Team Quebec, Slovakia and the United States ... The U.S. enters the tournament having captured first place three times (2001-02, 2010) and second place in 1999, 2008, 2011, 2012 ... Follow @USAHockeyScores on Twitter for live scoring updates during the tournament. Scores will be designated with #WU17 ... For additional coverage, visit USA Hockey's National Team Development ProgramFacebook page ... The U.S. National Under-17 Team trains with The Hockey IntelliGym, a revolutionary new software program released on October 1, 2010, that trains hockey sense. To learn more, visitUSAHockeyIntelliGym.com. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period SVK 1 - 1 - 0 - 2 USA 4 - 0 - 3 - 7 First Period - Scoring: 1, USA, Milano (Turgeon, Wilkie), 0:56; 2, SVK, Holesinsky (unassisted), 5:55; 3, USA, Larkin (Fiegl), 9:15; 4, USA, Tuch (Milano, Belpedio), 10:35; 5, USA, MacInnis (Tuch, Hitchcock), 17:29, (pp). Penalties: SVK, Kundrat (hooking), 12:29. SVK, Javorek (tripping), 16:02; SVK, Kratochvila (hooking), 19:20. Second Period - Scoring: 6, SVK, Hascic (unassisted), 9:45. Penalties: USA, Milano (slashing), 0:16; USA, Milano (charging), 14:03. Third Period - Scoring: 7, USA, Hitchcock (MacInnis, Tuch), 3:34; 8, USA, Collins (Fortunato, Hitchcock), 14:04, (pp); 9, USA, Milano (unassisted), 14:40. Penalties: SVK, Maier (interference), 8:53; SVK, Kundrat (cross-checking), 13:05. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total SVK 4 6 2 12 USA 15 6 22 43 Goaltenders (SH/SV) 1 2 3 Total SVK, Pajpach, 60:00 15/11 6/6 22/19 43/36 USA, Minney, 60:00 4/3 6/5 2/2 12/10 Power Play: SVK 0-2; USA 2-5 Penalties: SVK 5-10; USA 2-4 Team USA 2013 World Under-17 Challenge ScheduleDec. 28, 2012 - Jan. 4, 2013 • Drummondville and Victoriaville, Quebec Date Opponent Location Time/Result Live Streaming Fri., Dec. 28 Canada Pacific* Centre Marcel Dionne W, 6-2 Sat., Dec 29 Canada Ontario Colisee Desjardins W, 6-5 (SO) Sun., Dec. 30 Canada Atlantic Colisee Desjardins W, 6-3 Mon., Dec. 31 Canada Quebec Colisee Desjardins W, 5-1 Weds., Jan. 2 Slovakia Centre Marcel Dionne W, 7-2 Thurs., Jan. 3 Semifinal Colisee Desjardins 7:30 p.m. FASTHockey Fri., Jan. 4 Third-Place Game Centre Marcel Dionne 3:00 p.m. FASTHockey Championship Game Colisee Desjardins 7:30 p.m. FASTHockey *Pre-tournament game U.S. Olympian Molly Engstrom Announces Retirement Wisconsin Native Earned Two Olympic Medals With Team USA COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Two-time Olympian Molly Engstrom (Siren, Wis.), officially announced her retirement from the U.S. Women’s National Team Program today. Engstrom earned a silver medal as a member of Team USA at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she was named the best defenseman in the tournament by the directorate and also gained a place on the media all-star team after a seven-point effort (3-4—7) in five games. Engstrom also helped the U.S. earn the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. "Molly earned her first opportunity to play for Team USA in 2003 as part of our U22 team and blossomed into a vital member of our team,” said Reagan Carey, director of women’s hockey for USA Hockey. “With nearly a decade of experience as a member of Team USA, and as a two-time Olympian, we recognize all of the positive contributions Molly has made to the culture and success of our Women's National Team Program." Her 112-game career included six appearances in the International Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship where she helped the United States capture four gold medals (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011) and two silver medals (2004, 2007). She earned the directorate award as the tournament’s top defenseman in 2007. Engstrom also helped the U.S claim first place in the 2008 Four Nations Cup in addition to five second-place finishes at the event (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010). Additionally, Engstrom skated in two Under-22 Series (2003, 2004) and was a member of the 2009-10 U.S. Women’s National Team during the Qwest Tour and the 2005-06 U.S Women’s National Team for the Hilton Family Skate to 2006 Tour. “Molly's contributions to USA Hockey and each of the teams she has been a member of, while wearing the USA jersey, have been vast,” said Katey Stone, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team. “She has represented the United States with distinction. “We all will miss her dedication to the program and her unrelenting love for her teammates.” All total, Engstrom scored nine goals and contributed 44 assists while in a U.S. uniform. "I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be an Olympian and live out my dream,” said Engstrom.  “I am so grateful for my teammates and friends and the incredible mentors throughout my life who shaped me as a hockey player and a person. I could not have done any of it without them and the support of my family.” Engstrom played four years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin (2001-05), where she was an All-American her senior season. She was also a two-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Year (2004, 2005).  Upon concluding her college career in 2005, she embarked on a professional career in which she helped her team capture championships in both the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (with the Brampton Canadette-Thunder in 2008) and the Western Women’s Hockey League (with the Minnesota Whitecaps in 2009). Engstrom is the daughter of Rick and Judy Engstrom. U.S. National Junior Team Bests Czech Republic, 7-0, in Quarterfinals of 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship Gaudreau Nets Hat Trick; Jones and Trouba Tally Four Assists Apiece UFA, Russia – John Gaudreau (Carneys Point, N.J./Boston College) scored three goals and the U.S. had five power-play goals as the U.S. National Junior Team defeated the Czech Republic, 7-0, here tonight at Ufa Arena in a quarterfinal game of the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. The win advances Team USA into the semifinal round, where it will face Canada tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 3). "Today we played outstanding from the goalie out to our defensemen and forwards," said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "I think we're coming into our own as a team. It's always good to get the first goal, and then in the second period our power play was clicking and we pulled away. We're looking forward to tomorrow's semifinal game against Canada." Gaudreau notched Team USA's first goal of the game on a five-on-three power play at 11:46 of the opening period.Seth Jones (Plano, Texas/Portland Winterhawks) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./Univ. of Michigan), who each posted four assists, played catch at the point before Trouba sent the puck on goal. The shot was deflected to the right of the net for Gaudreau to slam past Patrik Bartosak. Just 28 seconds into the second stanza, Gaudreau scored a near duplicate of his first goal of the game. On the power play, a shot from Jake McCabe (Eau Claire, Wis./Univ. of Wisconsin) hit J.T. Miller (East Palestine, Ohio/Connecticut Whale) and went directly to Gaudreau for the tap-in tally. Ryan Hartman (West Dundee, Ill./Plymouth Whalers) put the U.S. up by three 40 seconds later, resulting in a goalie change for the Czech Republic. Riley Barber (Livonia, Mich./Miami Univ.) boosted the U.S. lead to 5-0 with goals at 8:44 and 12:13. First, Barber andAlex Galchenyuk (Milwaukee, Wis./Sarnia Sting) played give-and-go along the right side with Barber scoring from the edge of the crease. Next, Barber scored on a breakaway that was started by Jones in the U.S. end. With 13 seconds remaining in the second period, Gaudreau completed his hat trick, again on the power play, to give the U.S. a 6-0 lead. Miller and Jones assisted on the play. Four minutes into the final stanza, the U.S. made it 7-0 on its fifth-power play goal of the game. Set up in front of the goalie, Miller leaped in the air to avoid a Trouba blast and deflected the puck past the goaltender. John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kitchener Rangers) stopped 31 shots for the U.S. in the shutout, while Bartosek turned aside 10-of-13 shots and Matej Machovsky had a 23-save showing in relief for the Czech Republic. Team USA will face Canada on Thursday (Jan. 3) at 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET) in Ufa, Russia. NHL Network (DirectTV 215, Dish 403) will broadcast the game live, while NHL.com will provide a live stream. NOTES: John Gaudreau was named the Player of the Game for Team USA. Gaudreau leads the U.S. with five goals, all of which have come in the last two games ... The U.S. has nine power-play goals in the last two games, scoring five times today and four times vs. Slovakia on Dec. 31 ... Team USA has notched a five-goal period in back-to-back games, achieving the feat in the first period vs. Slovakia (Dec. 31) and the second period today ... A U.S. player has notched a hat trick in each of the last three IIHF World Junior Championship tournaments ... For the most thorough coverage of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, click here ... NHL Network is broadcasting all Team USA games live and re-airing them in prime time each night. NHL.com is also streaming all games live ...Phil Housley (South St. Paul, Minn.), head boy's ice hockey coach at Stillwater (Minn.) High School, is the head coach of the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team. He is assisted by Mark Osiecki (Columbus, Ohio), head men's ice hockey coach at Ohio State University, Grant Potulny (Minneapolis, Minn.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Minnesota and David Lassonde (Denver, Colo.), assistant men's ice hockey coach at the University of Denver ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year. Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) is the director of player personnel ... Use the hashtag #USAWJC to join the conversation on Twitter. GAME SUMMARY Scoring By Period Team 1 2 3 Total USA 1 5 1 7 CZE 0 0 0 0 First Period – Scoring: 1, USA, Gaudreau (Trouba, Jones), 11:45 (5x3 pp). Penalties: USA, Hartman (roughing), 3:50; CZE, Sidlik (slashing), 4:07; USA, Biggs (boarding), 6:46; CZE, Musil (slashing), 6:46; USA, Bardreau (goaltender interference), 7:11; CZE, Jenik (hooking), 9:49; CZE, Jaskin (hooking), 11:23; USA, Trouba (holding), 18:00; CZE, Musil (slashing), 19:13. Second Period – Scoring: 2, USA, Gaudreau (Miller, McCabe), 0:28 (pp); 3, USA, Hartman (Bardreau, Trouba), 1:08; 4, USA, Barber (Galchenyuk, Trouba), 8:44 (pp); 5, USA, Barber (Jones), 12:13; 6, USA, Gaudreau (Miller, Jones), 19:47 (pp). Penalties: USA, Hartman (roughing), 5:02; USA, Reilly (roughing), 5:02; CZE, Hrbas (roughing), 5:02; CZE, Frk (roughing), 5:02; CZE, Sedlak (boarding), 8:22; USA, Trocheck (hooking), 10:12; CZE, Musil (delaying the game), 19:10. Third Period – Scoring: 7, USA, Miller (Jones, Trouba), 4:08 (5x3 pp). Penalties: CZE, Hertl (tripping), 3:33; CZE, Jenik (delaying the game), 3:39; CZE, Faska (cross-checking), 5:24; USA, Vesey (roughing), 12:06; USA, Galchenyuk (interference), 12:06; CZE, Musil (roughing), 12:06; CZE, Frk (slashing), 13:36; CZE, Frk (misconduct), 13:36; USA, Hartman (interference), 15:06; CZE, Beran (high-sticking), 16:27; CZE, Nemec (high-sticking), 17:25; CZE, Hrbas (cross-checking), 18:48. Shots by Period 1 2 3 Total USA 9 15 13 37 CZE 8 15 8 31 Goaltender (SV/SH) 1 2 3 Total USA, Gibson, 60:00 8/8 15/15 8/8 31/31 CZE, Bartosak, 21:08 8/9 2/4 -- 10/13 CZE, Machosvsky, 38:52 -- 8/11 12/13 20/24 Power Play: USA, 5-13; CZE, 0-6 Penalties: USA, 10-20; CZE, 17-44 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship ScheduleDec. 26, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013 • Ufa, Russia • Ufa Arena  Date Matchup Time (Local/EST)/Result Broadcast/Streaming Thurs., Dec. 20 USA vs. Sweden* W, 3-2 OT NHL Network Sat., Dec. 22 Finland vs. USA* L, 1-5 NHL Network Thurs., Dec. 27 USA vs. Germany W, 8-0 NHL Network/NHL.com Fri., Dec. 28 USA vs. Russia L, 1-2 NHL Network/NHL.com Sun., Dec. 30 USA vs. Canada L, 1-2 NHL Network/NHL.com Mon., Dec. 31 USA vs. Slovakia W, 9-3 NHL Network/NHL.com Wed., Jan. 2 Quarterfinal - Czech Republic W, 7-0 NHL Network/NHL.com Thurs., Jan. 3 Semifinal - Canada 3:00 p.m./4:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com Sat., Jan. 5 Bronze Medal Game Gold Medal Game 3:00 p.m./4:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m./8:00 a.m. NHL Network/NHL.com NHL Network/NHL.com *pre-tournament game in Helsinki, Finland

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Stephen F. Austin received a grant from the Mexican government on this date in 1823 and began colonization in the region of the Brazos River in Texas.

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Bombers ink pair of Canadians to new deals.

2013 Free Agent Tracker.

Visit the leagues' official website, http://www.cfl.ca/.

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The first engineering college in the U.S., Rensselaer School, opened in Troy, NY on this date in 1825. It is now known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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Tampa, FL. —Listen to the Mark Dominik Show on Total Access - 12/31/2012.

Read the rest here.

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Henry W. Bradley patented oleomargarine on this date in 1871.

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Look Daddy. I got a Chica Plush!

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You're reading the Johnny Blog. Almost as much fun as watching the Orange Bowl, isn't it?

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Today in Elvis History

1953 - Vernon and Gladys Presley paid $50 for a 1942 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe as a present for their son Elvis' eighteenth birthday. 

2000 - The "American Originals Part IV" exhibition at the National Archives Rotunda closed to the public. One of the letters featured was from Elvis Presley to U.S. President Nixon. It read, "Dear Mr. President, First I would like to introduce myself. I am Elvis Presley and admire you and have great respect for your office. I talked to Vice President Agnew in Palm Springs 3 weeks ago and expressed my concern for our country. . . Sir I can and will be of any service that I can to help the country out. . . .I can and will do more good if I were made a Federal agent at large. . . Respectfully Elvis Presley P.S. I believe that you Sir were one of the top ten outstanding men of America."

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The drinking straw was patented by Marvin C. Stone on this date in 1888.

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Today in Beatles History:

1926 - George Martin was born in London. He signed the Beatles to a provisional contract with EMI on June 4, 1962.

1964 - The Beatles made their first appearance on U.S. television in a film clip shown on the "Jack Paar Show." It was a performance of the song "She Loves You."

1966 - The Beatles appeared on "Hullabaloo."

1969 - About 30,000 copies of the John Lennon-Yoko Ono album "Two Virgins" were confiscated by police at Newark Airport in New Jersey. The cover of the album featured a nude picture of Lennon and Ono.

1970 - "I Me Mine" was recoreded by the Beatles. It was the last song that the band would record together. 

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The first broadcast of "Woman in White" was presented on the NBC Red network on this date in 1938. The program remained on radio for 10 years.

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Today in Sports History:

1941 - The National Collegiate Football Rules Committee announced a new rule that permitted free substitution of football players.

1943 - For the first time in NHL history a goal with three points all came from the same family. Reg Bentley scored with assists from his brothers Max and Doug.

1962 - Work began on the Houston Astrodome.

1977 - The Kansas City Royals releases pitcher Lindy McDaniel, ending his twenty-one year career.

1983 - Tony Dorsett (Dallas Cowboys) made the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. Dorsett ran 99 yards in a game against the Minnesota Vikings.

1991 - Wayne Gretzky scored his 700th goal.

1997 - Rod Brind'Amour (Philadelphia Flyers) scored his 200th career goal.

2005 - Former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor.

2010 - Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) set the NFL single-season record for yards from scrimmage. He finished the season with 2,509 yards.

2010 - Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) set a team record when he took every snap for the entire regular season.

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On this date in 1951, NBC-TV debuted "Dragnet."

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Coming Up:

Tonight --

Nothin' Doin'

Friday --

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

Saturday --

Junior Hockey -- USA vs Sweden or Russia in World Junior Championship Gold Medal game 8:00am EST

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

Sunday --

Junior Hockey -- Tampa Bay Juniors at Boston Showcase

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That's all for today. Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow!