- 268 Saint Dionysius, Roman Pope (259-260), dies
- 795 Leo III is elected to serve as Pope on the day his predecessor was buried and is consecrated the following day
- 1198 French bishop Odo van Sully condemns Zottenfeest
- 1481 Battle at Westbroek: Dutch army beats Utrecht
Columbus Founds La Navidad
1492 1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)
"King Lear" First Performed
1606 First known performance of William Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" before the court of King James I at Whitehall, London
- 1659 Long Parliament reforms in Westminster
- 1705 Fateh Singh (6) and Zorawar Singh (7), sons of Guru Gobind Singh, are murdered by Wazir Khan for refusing to convert to Islam; they are now among the most hallowed martyrs in Sikhism
- 1748 France & Austria sign treaty about Southern Netherlands
- 1773 Expulsion of tea ships from Philadelphia
Battle of Trenton
1776 American Revolutionary War: George Washington leads US troops to defeat Hessians at Battle of Trenton, New Jersey
- 1793 Battle of Geisberg: French defeat Austrians.
- 1799 George Washington is eulogized by Colonel Henry Lee as "1st in war, 1st in peace & 1st in hearts of his countrymen"
- 1805 France & Austria signs Peace of Pressburg
- 1805 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts established, Philadelphia
- 1809 British invasionary troop leaves Vlissingen
- 1811 A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.
- 1813 Zamose, Modlin, Torgau surrenders to allied armies
Event of Interest
1825 Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December]
"Lucrezia Borgia"
1833 Gaetano Dinozetti's opera "Lucrezia Borgia" premieres at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy
- 1848 1st gold seekers arrive in Panama en route to San Francisco
- 1848 The Phi Delta Theta fraternity is founded at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
- 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek signed by Nisqually, Puyallup and Coast Salish peoples with Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Governor of Washington Territory, giving up 2.5 million acres to preserve fishing and gathering rights [1]
- 1854 Wood-pulp paper 1st exhibited, Buffalo
- 1860 First ever inter-club football match between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England
- 1860 Major Robert Anderson, under cover of darkness, concentrates his small force at Ft Sumter
- 1862 Largest mass execution in US history: 38 Dakota men were executed via hanging in the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War in Mankato, Minnesota [1]
- 1862 US Civil War: Battle of Dumfries begins in Virginia
- 1862 US Navy formally commissions 1st hospital ship, the USS Red Rover - a captured Confederate sidewheel barracks ship converted for the purpose - for service on the Mississippi [1] [2]
- 1865 James H Mason (Mass) patents 1st US coffee percolator
- 1870 The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed.
"Thespis"
1871 W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera "Thespis"; despite modest success they do not collaborate again for four years
"Tragic Ouverture"
1879 Johannes Brahms' "Tragic Ouverture" premieres in Vienna, Austria
- 1883 The Harbour Grace Affray between Irish Catholics and Protestant Orangemen causes five deaths in Newfoundland.
- 1890 King Mwanga of Uganda signs contract with East Africa Company
- 1892 Alberto Franchetti's opera "Cristoforo Colombo" opens at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy
- 1899 Mafeking: Bathe-Powells failed assault up fort Game Tree: 24 killed
- 1902 Most knock downs in a fight, Oscar Nelson (5) & Christy Williams (42)
Jackson vs. Burns
1908 African-American boxer Jack Johnson stops Canadian defending champion Tommy Burns in the 14th round in Sydney, Australia, to become the first black man to win world heavyweight title; Burns is favorite in 12th title defense but Johnson dominates before police stop the bout
Ambrose Bierce’s Last Communication
1913 Ambrose Bierce’s last known communication, a letter to his close friend Blanche Partington from Mexico - one of the most famous literary disappearances
- 1914 US Government protests British interference with American merchant ships at sea, on the same day Germans announce they will treat food as contraband, subject to seizure; weakens America's protest
- 1916 Joseph Joffre becomes marshal of France
- 1917 1st NHL defensemen to score a goal: Toronto Maple Leaf Harry Cameron
- 1917 US Federal government took over operation of American railroads for duration of WW I
- 1918 1st day of 1st-class cricket in Aust after WW I (Vic v NSW)
- 1918 After spending Christmas with American troops in France, Wilson goes to London for preliminary discussions about the forthcoming peace conference
Judy Garland's Debut
1924 Frances Gumm (later Judy Garland), age 2½, billed as 'Baby Frances', makes her show business debut at her father's vaudeville theater in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
- 1925 1st East-West Shrine Bowl game of college football 'all-stars' played before 25,000 fans at Ewing Park, San Francisco. Proceeds continue to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.
- 1925 NY Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates set an NHL record by recording a combined 141 shots on goal in Americans' 3-1 win; Roy Worters makes incredible 70 saves for Pittsburgh and Jake Forbes has 67 for NY
- 1925 The Communist Party of India is founded
Weissmuller Retires
1928 Johnny Weissmuller announces his retirement from amateur swimming
- 1928 World record 10th wicket stand 307 (Kippax / Hooker) NSW v Vic
- 1933 FM radio patent granted to American engineer Edwin Howard Armstrong
- 1933 US forswears armed intervention in Western Hemisphere
- 1934 Yomiuri Giants, Japan's 1st professional baseball team forms
- 1936 Israel's Philarmonic Orchestra forms
- 1938 Tom Goddard takes a cricket hat-trick for England v South Africa
- 1939 Earthquake in East Anatolia Turkey
- 1939 Mine strikes in Borinage Brussels
"The Philadelphia Story"
1940 "The Philadelphia Story" film directed by George Cukor, based on the Broadway play of the same name, starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, is released (Academy Awards Best Actor 1941)
- 1940 JA Fields/J Chodorov's "My Sister Eileen," premieres in NYC
Churchill Addresses US Congress
1941 Winston Churchill becomes first British Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, warning that Axis would "stop at nothing"
- 1943 British sink German battle cruiser Scharnhorst
Battle of Bastogne
1944 Battle of Bastogne: US General George S. Patton's 3rd Army repulses German forces
- 1944 Budapest surrounded by the Soviet army
"The Glass Menagerie"
1944 Tennessee Williams' 1st successful play "The Glass Menagerie" premieres in Chicago
- 1945 CFP franc and CFA franc created
- 1946 Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas opens (start of an era)
- 1947 British transfer Heard & McDonald Islands (Indian Ocean) to Australia
- 1947 Heavy snow blankets Northeast, buries NYC under 25.8" of snow in 16 hrs That same day, LA set a record high of 84°F
- 1948 Hungarian cardinal József Mindszenty arrested
"The African Queen"
1951 "The African Queen", directed by John Huston and based on the 1935 novel of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, is released in LA, California (Academy Awards Best Actor 1952)
"Wild Strawberries"
1957 Swedish film "Wild Strawberries" is released, written and directed by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, considered one of his best
Katerina Ismailova
1962 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Katerina Ismailova" premieres at the Stanislavski-Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre, in Moscow, USSR
- 1963 The Beatles release "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" in the US
- 1963 US furnishes cereal to USSR
- 1964 AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 20-7; defending champions can't overcome 1st quarter injury to star RB Keith Lincoln
- 1964 Beatles single "I Feel Fine" goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks
- 1964 Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley claim last victim
"Funny Girl"
1965 "Funny Girl" based on the life of Fanny Brice, with Barbra Streisand closes on Broadway
- 1965 AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium San Diego: Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 23-0; repeat previous year's win over SD
McCartney on Pirate Radio
1965 Paul McCartney is interviewed on pirate radio station Radio Caroline
"Purple Haze"
1966 Jimi Hendrix writes the song "Purple Haze" backstage at the Upper Cut Club, London
- 1966 Maulana Karenga establishes Kwanzaa (1st fruits of harvest) holiday
- 1967 Ballon d'Or: Ferencváros forward Flórián Albert wins award for best European football player ahead of Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton and Celtic winger Jimmy Johnstone
- 1967 BBC broadcasts The Beatles psychedelic travelogue "Magical Mystery Tour"
- 1967 Dave Brubeck Quartet formally disbands
- 1968 Arab terrorists in Athens fire on El Al plane, kills 1
- 1968 Bruin Ted Green sets NHL penalty record of 3 minors, 2 majors & 2 game misconducts in a game against NY Rangers in NY's Madison Square Garden
- 1968 Jay Allens "Forty Carats" premieres in NYC
- 1968 Led Zeppelin's US concert debut in Denver, Colorado, as opening act for Vanilla Fudge
Ali vs. Blin
1971 Muhammad Ali finishes off German Jürgen Blin with a thundering right cross for a 7th-round knockout in a non-title heavyweight boxing contest in Zurich, Switzerland
Franz Beckenbauer Gets Award
1972 Ballon d'Or: Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer wins award for best European football player ahead of tied fellow German duo of Gerd Müller and Günter Netzer
- 1973 2 Skylab 3 astronauts walk in space for a record 7 hours
"The Exorcist"
1973 Horror film "The Exorcist" based on book and screenplay by William Peter Blatty, starring Linda Blair, rated X, premieres - 1st horror film to be nominated for Best Picture
George Harrison Teases Hit
1975 George Harrison teases his hit "My Sweet Lord" before breaking into "The Pirate Song" on Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television Christmas Special (UK)
Gandhi Released From Jail
1978 India's former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi is released from jail
- 1979 Soviet Special forces take over presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- 1980 Aeroflot puts the Ilyushin Il-86 into service.
- 1981 One of the great day's Test Cricket at the MCG Australia v West Indies
- 1982 TIME's Man of the Year is a computer
- 1982 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- 1983 Test Cricket debut of Gregory Richard John Matthews, v Pakistan at the MCG
- 1983 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- 1985 Test Cricket debut of Steve Waugh, v India at the MCG
- 1986 Captured Iraqi Airways Boeing-737 in Saudi Arabia, about 60 killed
- 1986 Hartford center Doug Jarvis sets NHL record of 916 consecutive games as the Whalers tie 1-1 after OT against his old club Montreal Canadiens
Messier Suspended
1986 Mark Messier is suspended for 10 games for instigating a fight with Jamie Macoun and breaking his cheekbone
- 1986 TV soap "Search for Tomorrow" ends 35 year run
- 1988 Anti African student rebellion in Nanjing, China
Ballon d'Or
1989 Ballon d'Or: Milan's second straight 1-2-3; Dutch striker Marco van Basten wins his 2nd best football player in Europe title ahead of Franco Baresi and Frank Rijkaard
Taylor and Jayasuriya Debut
1989 ODI cricket debut for Australia's Mark Taylor and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya at the MCG
Kasparov Defeats Karpov
1990 Garry Kasparov defeats fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov to retain the world chess championship
- 1990 Reggie Williams becomes 1st GM of WLAF's NY-NJ Knights
- 1990 Senior Professional Baseball Association folds
Pittsburgh Routs Toronto
1991 Future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Joe Mullen scores 4 goals for the second straight NHL game as the Pittsburgh Penguins rout Toronto, 12-1; Mario Lemieux adds 2 goals & 5 assists and Kevin Stevens has 2 goals & 4 assists
Chuck Noll Retires
1991 Future Pro Football HOF coach Chuck Noll retires as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (1969–1991)
Jack Ruby's Gun
1991 Gun of Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, sells for $220,000 at auction
- 1991 Militant Sikhs kill 55 and wounds 70 in India
- 1991 NY Islander Derek King ties NJ Devils 5-5 with ½ second left
- 1992 New York Jets announcer Marty Glickman retires at 75
- 1992 The NHL's San Jose Sharks end a 13-game losing streak with a 7-2 win over the LA Kings, albeit allowing 59 shots, the most in team history; Jeff Hacket makes 57 saves
- 1993 Antonov-26 crashes at Gyumri, Armenia, 36 killed
- 1994 French commandos terminate Air France hijacking in Marseille
- 1995 Muttiah Muralitharan no-balled for throwing (SL v Aust, MCG)
- 1995 Paul Adams becomes South Africa's youngest Test Cricket player at 18 yrs 340 days
- 1996 Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado
- 1996 Start of the largest strike in South Korean history.
- 1996 The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification goes into force
- 1997 The Soufriere Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
- 1998 Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones
- 1998 Severe gales over Ireland, northern England, and southern Scotland cause widespread disruption and widespread power outages in Northern Ireland and southern Scotland
- 1999 Severe weather in France kills over 100 people and causes extensive damage to property, trees and the French national power grid (see Lothar).
- 2001 Crude oil prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) record one of their largest 1-day jumps of the year as traders become convinced that OPEC will follow through on production cuts
- 2003 A magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, killing tens of thousands and destroying the citadel of Arg-é Bam.
Boxing Day Tsunami
2004 9.3 magnitude earthquake creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and edges of the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people
Warne 1st to 700 Test Wickets
2006 Spin bowling great Shane Warne becomes first bowler in Test cricket history to take 700 wickets; bowls England opener Andrew Strauss for 50 during Australia's 4th Test win in Melbourne
- 2006 The 2006 Hengchun earthquake with 7.1 magnitude hits Taiwan
- 2012 China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou
- 2015 Floods in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay displace 150,000, blamed on El Nino
- 2018 American Colin O'Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted after 54 days at the Ross Ice Shelf
- 2019 Annular solar eclipse visible from South and South East Asia
- 2023 The Detroit Pistons suffer a 118-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at home to set an NBA single-season record with their 27th straight defeat
