Thursday, the Dow climbed 260.37 points (1.14%) to 23,138.82, the NASDAQ increased 25.14 points (0.38%) to 6,579.49, and the S&P 500 closed 21.10 points (0.86%) higher at 2,488.80. The Russell 2000 was up 2.01 points (0.15%) at 1,331.82, and the Wilshire 5000 gained 184.88 points (0.73%) to finish at 25,551.73.

ON THIS DATE: In 1832, John C. Calhoun became the first vice president of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Andrew Jackson. In 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted to the Union. In 1869, William E. Semple, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, patented an acceptable chewing gum. In 1912, the first municipally-owned street cars were used on the streets of San Francisco. In 1945, Congress officially recognized the “Pledge of Allegiance.” In 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test-tube baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

In Waterboro, Maine, a man came home one day to find an intruder watching television and wearing some of his clothes. The trespasser also helped himself to the homeowner’s food and took a shower, according to News Center Maine. The alleged burglar somehow convinced the homeowner that he had mistaken the home for his friend’s house and asked the homeowner to drive him to another home in Hollis. The homeowner agreed. When he returned, he noticed that his back door had been forced open and there were various items missing. Deputies soon learned from Maine State Police that the intruder had allegedly stolen a vehicle in Portland and then ran out of gas in Hollis. He later stole another vehicle and drove it until he crashed it in the woods. That is when the alleged burglar went to the man’s home to shower, eat and watch TV. A tip from one of the intruder’s relatives led investigators to him, and he was arrested without incident.

Also in Santa Monica, California, a man returned from Christmas shopping to find two men in filthy clothes cooking dinner. They asked if they could hang out for a while, and the homeowner played along, saying he was going to take his dog out then calling 911 while he was out. The two intruders were arrested on charges of burglary.

And, in an apparent trend during the holidays, in Uniontown, Ohio, a relative of a homeowner confronted a homeless couple that had broken into the house. Authorities say the couple had washed their clothes, took a shower and made some coffee. They also say they found jewelry, a computer and credit cards from the home in the couple’s truck.

In New York City, a man and his pregnant wife, who was in labor, were headed east on the Long Island Expressway to Bellevue Hospital when they realized time was running out. They pulled over by the Queens Midtown Tunnel and asked Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers for help. The parents had planned to name the baby Aurora, but after the baby was born in their minivan, they named her Alie because the nickname for the Long Island Expressway is L.I.E.