Funny how a single date can feel like a loose thread you tug on, and suddenly a whole patchwork of human history bunches up around it. December 3 has that quality—quiet on some calendars, surprisingly loud on others—so pulling a few strands together gives a sense of how much happened on days that barely get a mention unless you go looking. For instance, 1967 always jumps out first: that was the morning in Cape Town when Dr.