Today is December 1st, 2006.

It was on this date in 1990 that it was first possible to walk from England to France without getting your feet wet. Exactly sixteen years ago, workers digging from both sides finally met in the middle 120 feet below the English Channel. It would take another three and a half years for the Channel Tunnel to be finished and officially opened to the public.

Celebrities who are sharing birthdays today include: Golfer Lee Trevino, The late actor and comedian Richard Pryor, Woody Allen and Bette Midler

Did you know that today is the 42nd birthday for the Houston Astros? It was on this date in the year 1964 that the Houston Colt .45’s officially changed their name to the Houston Astros.

History has remembered Henry Ford for several things. One of them, of course was his Model T and another is his invention called the moving assembly line. And the very first one of those became operational in his factory on this date in the year 1913.

and finally...

Our story today starts in 1861 near Ontario, Canada where a young couple gave birth to their first son. They named their newborn infant boy James.

Tragically, within 9 years, both of James’ parents had died and his uncle would raise him. James would enter high school, drop out and then after 4 years he would enroll again and complete his GED. At the age of 22 he enrolled at McGill University and earned a degree in philosophy. During college, he was a very active athlete. He played football, rugby,lacrosse and gymnastics. After earning his degree, he would further his education by enrolling in classes at the Presbyterian College of Theology in Montreal.

So where would this athletic Christian man go next? Well, the Young Men’s Christian Association, of course. The YMCA. James moved to Massachusetts and enrolled in classes at the YMCA’s International Training School. And while there, he would earn yet another degree: this time in Physical Education. After graduating James stayed at the school and taught classes for a few years. But in the year 1895, he moved to Boulder, Colorado to become the PE director at the local YMCA. At night he would take classes at the University of Colorado and earn his fourth college degree: this time in Medicine.

Soon he would move on to the University of Kansas to become the director of the gymnasium, campus chaplain as well as coaching the university’s basketball team.

Over the next several years, he would publish several books and articles, work overseas for several years as the Secretary of the YMCA organization, spend time in the military, be involved in the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, he received several honorary degrees throughout his life in subjects such as teaching, PE and religion.

Needless to say, James grew to be a very successful and very well respected man. During his life he was an award winning college athlete, an ordained Presbyterian Minister, a doctor, a teacher, a coach and author, a soldier, a chaplain...a very busy man.

As impressive as his resume seems, history doesn’t remember James for any of the accomplishments you’ve just heard about, but instead history remembers James for something he did one morning barely a month after his 30th birthday. While working as a professor in Springfield, Massachusetts at the YMCA Training School he realized that there was a need for an indoor activity to keep athletes in shape and occupied during the winter months. You see, football season ends in the fall and baseball season doesn’t begin until the spring. During the cold winter months in New England, there were very few indoor activities to keep an athlete active and fit. So Dr. James Naismith took a soccer ball and two peach baskets and invented the game of basketball. And he did so on this date, December 1st in the year 1891.

And that is just one of the things that occurred on this day in history.

NOTE: Some sources say that Dr. Naismith created the game of basketball on December 1st in the year 1891 while others claim December 15 is the correct date. It's possible that either of those dates could be correct, or perhaps neither of them are.