Today in History: December 22, four shot by New York subway vigilante

On Dec. 22, 1984, New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot and wounded four young Black men on a Manhattan subway, alleging they were about to rob him. (Goetz, a white man in what became known as the “Subway Vigilante” case, was later acquitted of attempted murder and assault charges but convicted on a weapons possession charge and served eight months of a one-year sentence.)

Also on this date:

In 1894, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial that triggered worldwide charges of antisemitism. (Dreyfus was eventually vindicated.)

In 1944, during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing “Nuts!” as his official one-word reply. Allied forces, at a heavy cost, would decisively turn back the Germans' last major offensive on the western front in Europe.

In 1990, Lech Walesa (lek vah-WEN’-sah) took the oath of office as Poland’s first popularly elected president.

In 2001, Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers. (Reid is serving a life sentence in federal prison.)

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans to serve openly in the military for the first time, repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allowed gay and lesbian service members to serve as long as their sexual orientation was not public.

In 2018, a 34-day federal government shutdown began in Donald Trump's first presidency, following a stalemate between Congress and the White House on appropriations matters including funding for Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Hector Elizondo is 89. Baseball Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is 81. Broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer is 80. Golf Hall of Famer Jan Stephenson is 74. Rapper Luther “Luke” Campbell is 65. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 63. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is 55. Actor and singer Vanessa Paradis is 53. Actor Brooke Nevin is 43. Singer-actor Jordin Sparks is 36. Racing driver Josef Newgarden is 35. Rapper DaBaby is 34. Pop singer Meghan Trainor is 32.