Today in History: Saturday, Dec. 3

On Dec. 3, 1926, a real-life mystery began as English novelist Agatha Christie, 36, drove away from her home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, and disappeared. (Christie turned up 11 days later at a hotel in Harrogate, Yorkshire, under an assumed name, for reasons never quite explained.)

On this date:

In 1818, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state.

In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States by the Electoral College.

In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio — the first truly coeducational school of higher learning in the United States — began holding classes.

In 1925, George Gershwin’s Concerto in F had its world premiere at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with Gershwin at the piano.

In 1947, the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway.

In 1953, the musical “Kismet,” featuring the song “Stranger in Paradise,” opened on Broadway.

In 1960, the Lerner and Loewe musical “Camelot” opened on Broadway.

In 1965, The Beatles’ sixth studio album, “Rubber Soul,” was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone (it was released in the U.S. by Capitol Records three days later).

In 1967, surgeons in Cape Town, South Africa led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky, who lived 18 days with the donor heart, which came from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old bank clerk who’d died in a traffic accident. The 20th Century Limited, the famed luxury train, completed its final run from New York to Chicago.

In 1979, 11 people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, where the British rock group The Who was performing.

In 1984, thousands of people died after a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India.

In 1991, radicals in Lebanon released American hostage Alann (cq) Steen, who’d been held captive nearly five years.

Ten years ago: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (OO’-goh CHAH’-vez) won re-election, defeating Manuel Rosales. Marat Safin had 16 aces in beating Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the fifth and deciding match on, giving Russia a 3-2 decision over Argentina for its second Davis Cup crown.

Five years ago: In Atlanta, a defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations which he condemned as “false and unproven.” Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 44-10 to win the Big 12 championship. (Exultant Oklahoma State fans stormed the football field, resulting in a dozen injuries.)

One year ago: Congress approved a 5-year, $305 billion bill to address the nation’s aging and congested transportation systems (the bill was approved on a 359-65 vote in the House, and an 83-16 vote in the Senate). Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the armed services to open all military jobs to women, removing the final barriers that had kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts. Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland was found dead in his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota; he was 48.

Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Jean-Luc Godard is 86. Singer Jaye P. Morgan is 85. Actor Nicolas Coster is 83. Actress Mary Alice is 75. Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 68. Actress Heather Menzies Urich is 67. Rock singer Mickey Thomas is 67. Country musician Paul Gregg (Restless Heart) is 62. Actor Steven Culp is 61. Actress Daryl Hannah is 56. Actress Julianne Moore is 56. Olympic gold medal figure skater Katarina Witt is 51. Actor Brendan Fraser is 48. Singer Montell Jordan is 48. Actor Royale Watkins is 47. Actor Bruno Campos is 43. Actress Holly Marie Combs is 43. Actress Liza Lapira is 41. Actress Lauren Roman is 41. Pop-rock singer Daniel Bedingfield is 37. Actress Anna Chlumsky (KLUHM’-skee) is 36. Actor Brian Bonsall is 35. Actress Dascha Polanco is 34. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is 33. Americana musician Michael Calabrese (Lake Street Dive) is 32. Actress Amanda Seyfried is 31. Actor Michael Angarano is 29. Actor Jake T. Austin is 22.

Thought for Today: “What the world really needs is more love and less paper work.” — Pearl Bailey, American entertainer (1918-1990).