- Dec 1 Tel Aviv named the world's most expensive city for the first time ahead of Singapore and Paris, with Damascus the cheapest [1]
- Dec 1 Turner Art Prize awarded to activist group Array Collective for installation including mock Irish pub - first Northern Irish artists to win [1]
- Dec 4 Mt Semeru erupts on Java island, Indonesia, killing at least 14 and injuring 56
- Dec 4 New Zealand cricket spin bowler Ajaz Patel (10-119) joins Jim Laker and Anil Kumble as the only three men to take all ten wickets in a Test innings, on Day 2 of the 2nd Test against India in Mumbai
- Dec 5 First known Hippos tests positive for COVID-19 at Antwerp Zoo in Belgium, with staff putting Imani (14) and Hermien (41) into isolation [1]
Kennedy Center Honors
Dec 5 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony held for singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, singer-actress Bette Midler, record mogul Berry Gordy, producer Lorne Michaels and opera singer Justino Diaz, with President Biden attending,in Washington D.C.
Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced
Dec 6 Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to four years (later reduced to two) for inciting public unrest and breaching Covid-19 protocols [1]
- Dec 6 New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announces a COVID-19 mandate for all private employers effective December 27, to combat Omicron, 1st in the country
- Dec 7 3,500 year-old Gilgamesh Dream Tablet goes on display in Iraq for the first time in 30 years after looted during Gulf War. Part of the Epic Gilgamesh, one of oldest known pieces of literature. [1]
- Dec 7 Chile becomes the 31st nation to legalize same-sex marriage [1]
- Dec 7 Mockumentary comedy "Abbott Elementary" premieres in the US, created and starring Quinta Brunson
Biden Warns Putin over Ukraine
Dec 7 US President Joe Biden warns Russian President Vladimir Putin of economic consequences if Russia continues a military build-up in Ukraine, during a virtual meeting
- Dec 8 Olaf Scholz is sworn as the new Chancellor of Germany, replacing Angela Merkel after 16 years
- Dec 9 Actor Jussie Smollett found guilty of falsely reporting a hate crime in 2019, in a Chicago court
- Dec 9 Chicago Black Hawks Marc-Andre Fleury becomes 3rd NHL goaltender to reach 500 career wins in 2-0 shut-out over the Canadiens at Montreal
- Dec 9 More than 40 camels disqualified from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival beauty contest after Botox injections and other cosmetic enhancements were discovered [1]
- Dec 9 Truck with a trailer carrying 150 migrants crashes in Chiapas, Mexico, killing 54 [1]
- Dec 10 Mosconi Cup nine-ball pool, London, England: Europe retains trophy with an 11-6 win over US; MVP: Jayson Shaw (Scotland)
- Dec 10 Rare December tornadoes strike four American states, with a 'Quad-State Tornado' across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, completely destroying some towns and leaving at least 70 dead
- Dec 11 87th Heisman Trophy Award: Bryce Young, Alabama (QB)
UK “Tidal Wave of Omicron”
Dec 12 British PM Boris Johnson announces a emergency COVID-19 booster program to protect the NHS and stem a possible incoming “tidal wave of Omicron” [1]
Max Verstappen Wins
Dec 12 Dutchman Max Verstappen wins Formula 1 Drivers' C'ship for Red Bull with a controversial last lap win over Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP
- Dec 13 First COVID-19 Omicron death in the UK reported by PM Boris Johnson
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Dec 13 Marvel superhero film "Spider-Man: No Way Home" starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Jon Watts, premieres in Los Angeles
- Dec 14 American Covid-19 death toll passes 800,000, with more deaths recorded in 2021 than 2020
- Dec 14 Fuel tanker explosion after an accident leaves at least 90 dead in city of Cap-Haitien, Haiti [1]
- Dec 14 Steph Curry makes his 2,974th three-point shot to pass Ray Allen as the NBA's greatest career 3-point shooter during Golden State Warriors' 105-96 win over NY Knicks at Madison Square Garden
Springsteen Sells Back Catalogue
Dec 15 Bruce Springsteen sells his music back catalogue to Sony Music Entertainment for an estimated $500 million, in possibly the biggest deal ever for a single artist [1]
- Dec 15 COVID-19 Omicron variant called "probably the most significant threat" of the pandemic by head of UK Health Security Agency, warning of "staggering" growth in next few days [1]
Harry Reid Airport
Dec 15 Las Vegas' McCarran Airport officially changes name to Harry Reid International Airport
- Dec 16 Six children die in a bouncy castle accident at a school in Devonport, Tasmasia, Australia
- Dec 16 Super Typhoon Rai strikes the Philippines' south-eastern islands with winds of 195km/h (120mph), killing at least 375
- Dec 17 Discovery of the first true millipede (Eumillipes persephone) with 1,000 legs found down a drill hole in Western Australia published in "Scientific Reports" [1]
- Dec 19 Former student activist Gabriel Boric wins Chile's Presidential election, to become the country's youngest president at 35
- Dec 20 First Hong Kong legislative elections with only 'patriot' candidates allowed to stand has low turnout of 30%
- Dec 21 Major breakthrough in development of nuclear fission energy when experiment produces 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds at JET Laboratory, UK (reported Feb 2022) [1]
- Dec 25 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched in joint effort with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America [1]
- Dec 28 Test cricket debutant Scott Boland takes 6 for 7 as Australia retain the Ashes (3-0) with an innings & 14 run win against England in the 3rd Test in Melbourne
- Dec 30 Rare winter wildfire destroys nearly 1000 homes at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, in suburban neighborhoods between Boulder and Denver [1]
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