Today in History: December 30, Saddam Hussein executed

On Dec. 30, 2006, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi High Tribunal. Hussein was captured in 2003 by U.S. forces while hiding near his hometown of Tikrit.

Also on this date:

In 1860, 10 days after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the state militia seized the United States Army arsenal in Charleston.

In 1896, José Rizal, whose writings inspired the Philippine Revolution, was executed by Spanish army troops after being convicted of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy.

In 1903, more than 600 people died when fire broke out at the recently opened Iroquois Theater in Chicago.

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) officially came into existence.

In 2009, seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer were killed by a suicide bomber at a U.S. base in Khost (hohst), Afghanistan.

In 2015, actor and comedian Bill Cosby was charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. (Cosby’s first trial ended in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked; he was convicted on three charges at his retrial in April 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June 2021, setting Cosby free.)

In 2020, a large explosion rocked the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden soon after a plane carrying the government's newly formed Cabinet landed there. At least 25 people were killed and 110 wounded, and a later report to the U.N. Security Council attributed the blast to Houthi rebels.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax is 90. TV director James Burrows is 85. Singer-author Patti Smith is 79. Musician Jeff Lynne is 78. Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph is 69. Country singer Suzy Bogguss is 69. Actor-comedian Tracey Ullman is 66. TV commentator Sean Hannity is 64. Golfer Tiger Woods is 50. TV personality and retired pro boxer Laila Ali is 48. Singer-actor Tyrese Gibson is 47. Actor Eliza Dushku is 45. Actor Kristin Kreuk is 43. NBA star LeBron James is 41. Singer-actress Andra Day is 41. Pop-rock singer Ellie Goulding is 39.