The Edge

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 6, the 340th day of 2017. There are 25 days left in the year.

Today in history

On Dec. 6, 1917, about 2,000 people were killed when an explosives-laden French cargo ship, the Mont Blanc, collided with the Norwegian vessel Imo at the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting off a blast that devastated the Canadian city. ... Finland declared its independence from Russia.

Also on this date:

In 1889, Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, died in New Orleans.

In 1907, the worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, W. Va.

In 1922, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Free State, came into force one year to the day after it was signed in London.

In 1947, Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

In 1957, America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit failed as Vanguard TV3 rose about 4 feet off a Cape Canaveral launch pad before crashing down and exploding.

In 1989, 14 women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.

Fun fact

Kids who think they'll get smarter if they work hard are more likely to recover from mistakes than those who think their IQ test is set in stone.

That's punny

Ray's friends claim he's a baseball nut. He says they're way off base.

Daily inspiration

"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country."

- Anais Nin

Today's birthdays

Comedy performer David Ossman is 81. Actor Patrick Bauchau is 79. Country singer Helen Cornelius is 76. Actor James Naughton is 72. Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is 72. Former Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., is 69. Actress JoBeth Williams is 69. Actor Tom Hulce is 64. Actor Wil Shriner is 64. Actor Kin Shriner is 64. Actor Miles Chapin is 63. Rock musician Rick Buckler (The Jam) is 62. Comedian Steven Wright is 62. Country singer Bill Lloyd is 62. Singer Tish Hinojosa is 62. Rock musician David Lovering (Pixies) is 56. Actress Janine Turner is 55. Rock musician Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) is 55. Writer-director Judd Apatow is 50. Writer-director Craig Brewer is 46. Actress Colleen Haskell is 41. Actress Lindsay Price is 41. Actress Ashley Madekwe is 36. Actress Nora Kirkpatrick is 33. Tennis player CoCo Vandeweghe is 26. NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel is 25.

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The Edge is compiled by Dallas Callahan. She can be contacted at dcallahan@lmtribune.com.