Highlights: In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in Canterbury Cathedral by knights loyal to King Henry II. In 1851, the first Young Men’s Christian Association in the United States was founded in Boston. In 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them. In 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the so-called “Mad Monk” who’d wielded great influence with Czar Nicholas II, was killed by a group of Russian noblemen in St. Petersburg. In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as “The Second Great Fire of London.”

Ten years ago: A fire sparked by a fireworks explosion in downtown Lima, Peru, killed at least 290 people.

Five years ago: Word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of Dec. 30 in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President George W. Bush called Saddam’s execution a milestone on Iraq’s road to democracy.

One year ago: The Obama administration expelled Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States, a day after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would not allow diplomat Larry Palmer to become the U.S. ambassador to his country.

It’s Thursday, Dec. 29, the 363rd day of 2011. There are two days left in the year.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 75. Actor Jon Voight is 73. Rock musician Ray Thomas is 70. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 65. Actor Ted Danson is 64. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 52. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 52. Actor Michael Cudlitz is 47. Movie director Andy Wachowski is 44. Actress Jennifer Ehle is 42. Actor Jude Law is 39. Actor Diego Luna is 32. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 28.

— From wire reports