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What happened in history on this day: December 14?
On December 14 in ...
- 644 - Osman ibn Affan, appointed third kalief of islam.
- 867 - Adrian II begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 872 - Adrian II, Italian Pope (867-72)/last married pope, dies at about age 80.
- 872 - John VIII begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 1077 - Agnes of Poitou German empress/wife of emperor Henry III, dies.
- 1124 - Theobald Buccapecus elected Pope Coelestinus II (he refuses).
- 1136 - Harald IV "Gylle Krist", king of Norway, murdered.
- 1287 - Zuider Zee seawall collapses with loss of 50,000 lives.
- 1363 - Birth of John Van [Jean C] Gerson French theologist.
- 1417 - John Oldcastle Lord Cobham, English nobleman, hanged and burned.
- 1490 - Anna van Bretagne marries a proxy Maximilian of Austria.
- 1503 - Birth of Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam]; French astrologist/prophet.
- 1542 - James king of Scotland (1513-42), dies at age 30.
- 1546 - Birth of Tycho Brahe in Knudstrup, Denmark; astronomer (Golden nose).
- 1575 - Polish Parliament selects István Báthory as king of Poland.
- 1582 - Zealand/Brabant Netherlands adopt Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is December 25.
- 1591 - Juan de la Cruz [de Yepes] Spanish Carmelet/poet/saint, dies.
- 1600 - Olivier van Noort sinks Sp galleon San Diego at Bay of Manila, 350 die.
- 1656 - Artificial pearls first manufactured by M Jacquin in Paris made of gypsum pellets covered with fish scales.
- 1708 - Prosper Jolyot's "Electre" premieres in Paris.
- 1754 - Mahmud I sultan of Turkey, dies at age 58.
- 1760 - Kacic Miosic Croatian poet (Razgovar Ugodni Naroda Slovinskoga), dies.
- 1774 - Massachusetts militiamen successfully attacked arsenal of Fort William and Mary.
- 1777 - Birth of Juan N Gallego; Spanish poet/interpreter (El dos the mayo).
- 1780 - Birth of Karl Robert von Nesselrode; German/Russian minister of Foreign Affairs.
- 1782 - Charleston, South Carolina, evacuated by British.
- 1782 - The Montgolfier brothers' first balloon lifts on its very first test flight.
- 1788 - Death of King Carlos III of Naples/Spain (1759-88) at age 72.
- 1793 - First state road in US authorized, Frankfort, Kentucky to Cincinnati, Ohio.
- 1799 - George Washington, first President of the USA (1789-97), dies at Mount Vernon, Virginia, at age 67.
- 1812 - Birth of Charles J Canning; English earl/first viceroy of British-Indies.
- 1819 - Alabama admitted to the United States as the 22nd state.
- 1823 - Vincenzo Cuoco, Italian historian (Naple revolution 1799), dies at age 53.
- 1824 - Birth of Pierre C Puvis de Chavannes; French painter (Panthéon).
- 1825 - Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins.
- 1830 - Birth of Allen Thomas; Brigadier-General (Confederate Army) (dies 1907).
- 1832 - Birth of Daniel Harris Reynolds; Brigadier-General (Confederate Army) (dies 1902).
- 1837 - Birth of William Wells; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1892).
- 1853 - Birth of Salvador Diaz Miron; Mexican poet (Los Cien Mejores Poemas).
- 1861 - Albert, prince consort of England and husband of Queen Victoria, dies at age 42.
- 1861 - George HG, earl of Aberdeen, English Minister of Foreign affairs, dies at age 76.
- 1862 - Birth of John M Acket; Dutch literary (Grammatic Conceptions).
- 1862 - George Dashiell Bayard, USA Brigadier-General, dies at age 27.
- 1863 - Battle of Bean's Station - Confederacy repulses USA in Tennessee.
- 1870 - Birth of Dirk J de Geer; Dutch premier (1926-29, 1939-40).
- 1870 - Birth of Karl Renner; Austrian Chancellor/President (1918-20, 1945-50).
- 1873 - J Louis R Agassiz, Swiss geologist/paleo-biologist, dies.
- 1877 - Birth of Lieven Duvosel; Flemish music writer/composer (Leiecyclys).
- 1877 - German inventor Ernst Siemens patents the first loudspeaker.
- 1883 - Birth of Morihei Ueshiba; founder (Aikido).
- 1889 - American Academy of Political and Social Science is organized, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1895 - Birth of George VI, King of England (1936-52).
- 1895 - Birth of Paul Eluard; French communist/poet/resistance fighter (Le Phénix).
- 1896 - Birth of James H Doolittle; US Army General (Raid on Tokyo 1942).
- 1897 - Birth of Margaret Chase Smith; American politician (Representative/Senator-Republican-Maine).
- 1900 - Jean B A Kessler, director of oil on Dutch Indies, dies at age 46.
- 1901 - First table tennis tournament is held at the London Royal Aquarium.
- 1901 - Birth of Henri Cochet; tennis champion (US Open-1928).
- 1901 - Birth of Paul I; King of Greece (1947-64).
- 1902 - Birth of Frances Bavier in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Aunt Bee - Andy Griffith Show).
- 1902 - The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii.
- 1902 - Death of Julia Boggs Dent Grant in Washington, D.C., USA; spouse of US President Hiram Ulysses Grant.
- 1903 - William Ennis is first US policeman to die in the electric chair.
- 1907 - Birth of Guy Middleton in Hove, England; actor (Gentlemen Marry Brunettes).
- 1908 - Birth of Laurence Naismith in Surrey, England; actor (Judge Fulton - Persuaders, Profiles in Courage, The Defenders).
- 1908 - Birth of Morey Amsterdam in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor/comedian (Buddy Sorrell - The Dick Van Dyke Show).
- 1909 - Birth of Edward L Tatum; US molecular geneticist (Nobel Prize 1958).
- 1909 - Birth of Phia [Sophia R] Berghout; harpist/founder Eduard of Beinumstichting.
- 1911 - Birth of Ota Adler; Czechoslovakian/British fur trader/founder (Federal Trust).
- 1911 - Birth of Spike (Lindley Armstrong) Jones in Long Beach, California, USA; band leader and drummer ("Cocktails for Two", "Der Fuhrer's Face", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth", The Spike Jones Show TV Show).
- 1911 - Norwegian Roald Amundsen's team, including Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, become the first to reach the South Pole.
- 1913 - Birth of Dan Dailey in New York City, New York, USA; actor/singer/dancer (Faraday and Company TV show, The Governor and JJ).
- 1913 - Greece formally takes possession of Crete.
- 1914 - Birth of Dan Dailey in New York City, New York, USA; dancer/actor (Governor Drinkwater - Governor and JJ).
- 1914 - Birth of Karl Carstens; German (CDU)/President - Germany (1979-84).
- 1914 - Birth of Rosalyn Tureck in Chicago, Illinois, USA; pianist ("Bach and Rock").
- 1915 - Birth of Clay Warnick in Tacoma, Washington, USA; choral director (The Jimmie Rodgers Show).
- 1915 - Jack Johnson becomes world heavyweight boxing champion.
- 1917 - Birth of Elyse Knox in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; actress (Hit the Ice, Black Gold).
- 1917 - Birth of Wilf Ferguson; cricket leg-spinner (West Indian of post-WWII years).
- 1918 - Birth of James T. Aubrey Junior in Illinois, USA; movie/TV executive (president of CBS, president of MGM).
- 1918 - Sidonio Pais, prince of Portugal, is murdered.
- 1919 - Birth of Shirley Jackson; American writer (Road Through the Wall).
- 1920 - Heavyweight Jack Dempsey knocks out Bill Brennan in 12 for heavyweight boxing title in New York City, New York.
- 1922 - Birth of Charley Trippi; NFL halfback (Chicago Cardinals).
- 1922 - Birth of Don Hewitt in New York City, New York, USA; CBS news executive producer (60 Minutes).
- 1923 - Birth of Gerard K "Simon" van het Reve; Dutch writer (Evenings, Dear Guys).
- 1923 - Birth of Sully Boyar in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Car Wash).
- 1924 - Birth of Marion Morgan; singer ("Stop the Music").
- 1924 - Birth of Siiri Rantanen in Finland; cross country skier (Olympics-gold-1956).
- 1924 - Chiang Kai-shek occupies Hankou, China.
- 1926 - Birth of Frank King; cricket player (West Indies fast bowler in 14 Tests in 1950s, 29 wickets).
- 1926 - Danish Madsen government forms.
- 1926 - Theo van Rysselberghe, Belgian painter (pointillism), dies at age 64.
- 1927 - Birth of Jacobus G Rietkerk; Dutch internal minister (VVD) (1982-86).
- 1927 - Iraq gains independence from Britain, but British troops remain.
- 1928 - Second Test Cricket Australia versus England starts with Donald Bradman 12th man.
- 1928 - Theodore Roberts, actor (Roaring Road, Ten Commandments), dies at age 77.
- 1929 - Alexander Zaimis elected President of Greece.
- 1930 - New York Giants defeat Notre Dame 22-0 in a charity game.
- 1931 - First assembly of Anton Musserts NSB in Utrecht.
- 1932 - Birth of Abbe Lane AKA Mrs Xavier Cugat in Brooklyn, New York, USA; singer (Xavier Cugat Show).
- 1932 - Birth of Charlie Rich in Colt, Arkansas, USA; country singer ("Behind Closed Doors" (1973, Grammy award), "Lonely Weekends", "The Most Beautiful Girl").
- 1932 - Birth of George Furth in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor/director (Tammy, Good Guys, Dumplings).
- 1932 - French government of Edouard Herriot falls.
- 1933 - Birth of Leo N Wright; American saxophonist ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco").
- 1934 - First streamlined steam locomotive introduced (Albany, New York).
- 1935 - Birth of Barbara Leigh-Hunt in Bath, England; actress (Search for the Nile).
- 1935 - Birth of David White; cricket player (England opening attack Brown and White versus Pakistan 1961).
- 1935 - Birth of Lee Remick in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA; actress (Ike, Wheels, Mistral's Daughter, QB VII, Around the World in 80 Days, Days of Wine and Rose, Long Hot Summer).
- 1935 - Birth of Lewis Arquette in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Horror Show, Book of Love).
- 1935 - Stanley G Weinbaum, American sci-fi writer (Martian Odyssey), dies.
- 1935 - Test Cricket debut of Leslie "Chuck" Fleetwood-Smith versus South Africa, Durban.
- 1936 - Birth of Robert Allan Ridley Parker in New York City, New York, USA; PhD/astronaut (STS-9, STS-35).
- 1937 - Japanese troops conquer/plunder Nanjing.
- 1938 - American League permits Cleveland and Philadelphia to play night baseball games.
- 1938 - Birth of Charlie Griffith; cricket player (West Indies fast bowler (or did he chuck?)).
- 1938 - Birth of Hal Williams in Columbus, Ohio, USA; actor (Private Benjamin, 227, Sanford and Son, Sinbad Show).
- 1938 - Birth of Janette Scott; actress (Day of the Triffids).
- 1938 - Birth of Leonardo Boff in Italy; Brazilian Catholic theologian.
- 1938 - Major leagues agree on standard ball.
- 1938 - Baseball major leagues disagree on increasing rosters from 23 to 25.
- 1938 - Marie Emmanuel, French composer/musicologist (Salamine), dies at age 76.
- 1938 - Will Harridge is elected to a 10-year-term as American League (baseball) president.
- 1939 - Birth of Marilyn Cooper in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Broadway Bound, Survivors).
- 1939 - Helene Kröller-Müller, Dutch museum founder, dies at age 70.
- 1939 - The League of Nations expels the Soviet Union for aggression.
- 1939 - (1700 hours) Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling meets with Adolf Hitler in Germany. He suggests Germany launch a pre-emptive strike on Norway. Quisling says he would take control of the Norwegian government through a coup.
- 1939 - (by 1800 hours) Adolf Hitler issues an order that Denmark and Norway be seized and occupied during the upcoming attack on the West, to gain control of Norwegian territorial waters.
- 1941 - First NFL division playoff, Chicago Bears beat Green Bay Packers 33-14.
- 1941 - Birth of Barry Hadlee; cricket player (brother of Dayle and Richard, New Zealand World Cup 1975).
- 1941 - UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill travels to US on board HMS Duke of York.
- 1941 - German submarine U-557 torpedoes British cruiser Galatea.
- 1942 - Birth of Rex Thompson in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Young Bess, King and I, Her 12 Men).
- 1942 - Eduard C "Edo" Fimmen, Dutch trade union leader, dies at age 61.
- 1943 - Birth of Frank Allen; rock vocalist (Searchers - "Needles and Pins").
- 1944 - US Congress establishes rank of General of the Army (five-star General).
- 1944 - German occupiers forbid use of electricity in parts of Holland.
- 1944 - A US government report "Reports on the Atom-splitting Bomb" includes a decoded message intercept from Japanese embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, to headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, noting that the "atom-splitting bomb" was first used by the German Army in 1943 against the 19th Infantry Regiment of Russians, 150km southeast of Kursk, a few 5kg bombs wiped them out, and were also previously used versus Russians in the Crimea.
- 1945 - Forrester Harvey, actor (Tarzan and Mate, Chump at Oxford), dies at age 61.
- 1945 - Josef Kramer known as the "Beast of Belsen", and ten others hanged for crimes committed at the Belsen and Oswiecim German concentration camps.
- 1946 - Birth of Anthonius A M "Ton" Kors; Dutch writer (Hannie Schaft).
- 1946 - Birth of Elaine Princi; actress (As the World Turns, Dorian - One Life to Live, Another World).
- 1946 - Birth of Jackie McCauley in North Ireland; rock pianist (Them Coleraine).
- 1946 - Birth of Jane Birkin in London, England; actress (Mrs Don Juan, Dark Places, Dust).
- 1946 - Birth of Joyce Vincent-Wilson in Detroit, Michigan, USA; singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn).
- 1946 - Birth of Michael Ovitz; entertainment executive, president of the Walt Disney Company (1995-96).
- 1946 - Birth of Patty Duke [Anna Marie] in Elmhurst, New York, USA; actress (Miracle Worker, Patty Duke Show, Karen's Song, Hail to the Chief).
- 1946 - Birth of Ruth Fuchs; German Democratic Republic javelin thrower (Olympics-2 gold-1972, 1976).
- 1946 - Birth of Stanley R Smith; tennis champion (Wimbledon 1972, US Open-1971).
- 1946 - Togo is made a trusteeship territory of the United Nations.
- 1946 - United Nations General Assembly votes to establish United Nations headquarters in New York City, New York.
- 1947 - Birth of Christopher Parkening in Los Angeles, California, USA; guitarist (transcribed sacred music).
- 1947 - Cleveland Browns beat New York Yankees 14-3 in AAFC championship game.
- 1947 - Franz Zorell, German Roman Catholic lexicographer, dies at age 84.
- 1947 - Stanley Baldwin, English premier (1923, 1924-29, 1935-37), dies at age 80.
- 1948 - Birth of Dee Wallace; actress (Sons and Daughters, High Sierra Search and Rescue).
- 1949 - Birth of Ronnie McNeir; rhythm-and-blues singer (The Four Tops).
- 1949 - Birth of Bill Buckner in California; first baseman whose error cost Boston Red Sox 1986 World Series.
- 1949 - Birth of Cliff Williams in Sydney, Australia; rock bassist (AC/DC - "Highway to Hell").
- 1949 - Birth of Dee Wallace Stone [Deanna Bowers] in Kansas City, Missouri, USA; actress (Critters, Secret Admirer, 10).
- 1950 - Albrecht Schaeffer, German writer (Heroische Fahrt), dies at age 65.
- 1950 - Baseball owners choose Lou Perini (Boston Braves), Phil Wrigley (Chicago Cubs), Del Webb (New York Yankees), and Ellis Ryan (Cleveland Indians) to select new commissioner.
- 1950 - Birth of Vicki Michelle in Essex, England; actress (Virgin Witch, Allo Allo).
- 1950 - United Nations General Assembly establishes High Commissioner for Refugees (Nobel Prize 1954).
- 1952 - R H Shodhan scores 110 on Test Cricket debut versus Pakistan, Calcutta.
- 1952 - Uprising of captives in Pongam, South Korea; 82 die.
- 1953 - Birth of Joe Toplyn in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; comedic writer (Late Night with David Letterman).
- 1953 - Birth of Vijay Amritraj in India; tennis player/actor (Octopussy).
- 1953 - Brooklyn Dodgers signs pitcher Sandy Koufax.
- 1954 - Birth of Alan Kulwicki in Greenfield, Wisconsin, USA; NASCAR racer (Winston Cup).
- 1954 - Birth of Eva Mattes in Tegernsee, Germany; actress (Celeste, Man Like Eva).
- 1954 - Birth of Hans William Schlegel in Oberlingen, Germany; astronaut (STS 55).
- 1954 - Birth of James Horean; actor (Loving).
- 1954 - Birth of Steven Glenwood MacLean in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; astronaut (STS 52).
- 1955 - Birth of Jane Crafter in Perth, Australia; golfer (1987 JC Penney Mixed Teams).
- 1955 - Dutch Reformed Church condemns woman/wife as vicar.
- 1956 - Birth of Hanni Wenzel in Liechtenstein; slalom (Olympics-2 gold-1980).
- 1956 - Birth of T K Carter in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Mike - Punky Brewster, Just our Luck).
- 1956 - Paul-Henri Spaak is appointed Secretary-General of NATO.
- 1957 - Most Happy Fella closes at Imperial Theater in New York City after 678 performances.
- 1958 - Birth of Jan Dijksma; Dutch bassist (Weekend at Waikiki).
- 1958 - Birth of Mike Scott; Scottish rock singer-musician (Blues Inc, The Waterboys - "Rainbow Warrior").
- 1958 - Birth of Peter "Spider" Tracy; English rock vocalist (The Pogues).
- 1958 - The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first to reach The Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Antarctic.
- 1959 - Archbishop Makarios proclaimed President of Cyprus.
- 1959 - J B Jordan in F-104C sets world altitude record, 31,513 metres.
- 1959 - Maria EG "Lizzy" Ansingh; Dutch painter (Cast Off), dies at age 84.
- 1960 - Australia versus West Indies first Test Cricket at the Gabba ends in a tie.
- 1960 - Birth of Catherine G Coleman in Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Phd/Captain US Air Force/astronaut (STS 73).
- 1960 - Gregory Ratoff, actor (Skyscraper Souls), dies of leukemia at age 63.
- 1960 - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forms.
- 1960 - Washington Senators baseball team joins American League.
- 1961 - Birth of Jeff Robinson; baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles).
- 1961 - Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" is first country song to get a gold record.
- 1962 - Birth of Bharat Arun; cricket player (Indian pace bowler late-1980s).
- 1962 - Birth of Chris Dahlquist Fridley; NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators).
- 1962 - Mariner 2 launched; makes first US visit to another planet (Venus).
- 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1963 - Birth of Cindy Gibb in Bennington, Vermont, USA; actress (Search for Tomorrow, Youngblood, Fame).
- 1963 - Death of Dinah Washington at age 39 of a sleeping pill overdose; rhythm and blues singer ("What a Diff'rence a Day Makes", "Unforgettable", "Baby [You've Got What it Takes]", "A Rockin' Good Way [To Mess Around and Fall in Love]").
- 1963 - Erich Ollenhauer, German politician (SPD), dies at age 62.
- 1963 - Verne Gagne beats The Crusher in Minneapolis, to become NWA champion.
- 1964 - Birth of C[arl] J[eff] Snare in Washington DC; vocalist (Firehouse - "Love of a Lifetime").
- 1964 - Birth of Chelsea Noble; actress (Kate - Growing Pains).
- 1964 - Death of William Bendix at age 58 of lobar pneumonia in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Chester A. Riley - Life of Riley radio and TV shows).
- 1965 - Birth of Christine Burton in Adelaide, Australia; golfer (1990 T25 Victorian Open).
- 1965 - Birth of Craig Biggio in Smithtown, New York, USA; infielder (Houston Astros).
- 1965 - Birth of Ken Hill in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA; pitcher (Texas Rangers).
- 1965 - Birth of Lawrence Clay-Bey in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; super heavyweight boxer (Olympics-1996).
- 1966 - Birth of Anthony Mason; NBA forward (New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets).
- 1966 - Birth of Bill Ranford in Brandon Manitoba, Canada; NHL goalie (Team Canada, Boston).
- 1966 - Birth of Carl Herrera; NBA forward (San Antonio Spurs).
- 1966 - Emma Dunn, actress (You Can't Fool Your Wife), dies at age 91.
- 1966 - Richard Whorf, actor (Chain Lightning), dies of heart attack at age 60.
- 1966 - Death of Verna Felton at age 76 following a stroke; actress (Red Skelton Show radio show, Hilda - December Bride).
- 1967 - Birth of Ali Wood in Long Beach, California, USA; WPVA volleyball player (US Open-13th-1995).
- 1967 - Birth of Eldridge Recasner; NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets).
- 1967 - Birth of Noelle Beck in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; actress (Trisha - Loving, Fletch Lives).
- 1967 - DNA created in a test tube.
- 1968 - Birth of Cees Marbus; soccer player (Go Ahead Eagles).
- 1968 - Birth of Jamie Crysdale; Canadian Football League corner (Calgary Stampeders).
- 1969 - Birth of Arthur Numan; soccer player (PSV).
- 1969 - Birth of Craig Jones in Nambour, Australia; Canadian Tour golfer (New Zealand Open-1994).
- 1969 - Birth of Dave Nilsson in Brisbane, Australia; catcher (Milwaukee Brewers).
- 1969 - Birth of Rogerick Green; NFL cornerback (Jacksonville Jaguars).
- 1969 - Bishen Bedi takes 7-98 (career-best) versus Australia at Calcutta.
- 1970 - Birth of Bradford Banta; NFL tight end (Indianapolis Colts).
- 1971 - Birth of Chris Therien in Ottawa, Canada; NHL defenseman (Philadelphia Flyers).
- 1971 - Birth of Lisa-Marie Vizaniari; Australian discus/shot putter (Olympics-1996).
- 1971 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1972 - Birth of Johnny Mcwilliams; tight end (Arizona Cardinals).
- 1972 - Apollo 17 mission leaves the Moon, with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
- 1972 - Willy Brandt re-elected West German chancellor.
- 1973 - Birth of Eelco Wassenaar in Netherlands; US field hockey midfielder (Olympics-1996).
- 1974 - Birth of Billy Koch in Garden City, New York, USA; baseball pitcher (Olympics-bronze-1996).
- 1974 - New York Islanders' Glenn Resch's first shut-out opponent-Los Angeles Kings 3-0.
- 1974 - Viv Richards scores first Test Cricket ton 192 versus India 20 fours 6 sixes.
- 1974 - Walter Lippmann, US journalist (One of Dynasty), dies at age 85.
- 1975 - Birth of Brian Dalyrimple; rhythm-and-blues singer (Soul For Real).
- 1975 - Six South Moluccan terrorists surrender, after holding 23 hostages for twelve days.
- 1975 - Death of Arthur Treacher at age 81 of a heart ailment; actor (announcer and sidekick on Merv Griffin Show TV show, The Smiths of Hollywood radio show), fast food restaurant (Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips).
- 1975 - Birth of James Cotton; NBA guard (Seattle Supersonics).
- 1975 - Birth of Tamecka Dixon; WNBA guard (Los Angeles Sparks).
- 1976 - Birth of Tammy Blanchard; actress (Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows).
- 1976 - Dutch first chamber condemns Dutch Liberal/social-democratic abortion laws.
- 1977 - Film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, premieres in New York City, New York.
- 1977 - Birth of Tisha Dabber in Shelbyville, Indiana; actress (New Mickey Mouse Club).
- 1977 - Egypt and Israel representatives gather in Cairo for first formal peace conference.
- 1977 - Boston Red Sox trade Fergie Jenkins to Texas Rangers for John Poloni and cash.
- 1977 - Test Cricket debut of Abdul Qadir, versus England at Lahore.
- 1977 - War criminal Pieter Menten sentenced in Amsterdam to 15 years.
- 1978 - People's Republic of China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor.
- 1978 - Near Izeh in Iran, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. Seventy-six people killed, considerable damage in the areas of Izeh and Masjed-e-Soleyman.
- 1978 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1979 - Birth of Sophie Monk; actress (Popstars: Australia, Pool Guys, The Mystery of Natalie Wood).
- 1979 - Nirode Ranjan Chowdhury, cricket player (two Tests for India, average 205), dies.
- 1979 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1980 - Anders Kailur scores on 6th New York Islanders' penalty shot.
- 1980 - At 2 PM EST there is ten minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon in the USA.
- 1980 - Elston Howard, Most Valuable Player catcher (New York Yankees), dies at age 59.
- 1980 - Minnesota Vikings pass for 456 yards against Cleveland Browns, winning 28-24.
- 1980 - Nancy Lopez/Curtis Strange win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic.
- 1980 - New Orleans Saints end 14-game losing streak, beat New York Jets 21-20.
- 1980 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1981 - Israel annexes Golan Heights (seized from Syria in war of 1967).
- 1982 - Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles, California, becomes 9th NHL player to score 500 goals.
- 1984 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet (Historia del corazón), Nobel Prize winner, dies at age 86 (born 1898).
- 1984 - Sports announcer Howard Cosell retires from Monday Night Football.
- 1985 - Death of Roger Eugene Maras AKA Roger Maris of cancer at age 51 in Houston, Texas, USA; major league baseball (Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, Saint Louis Cardinals), hit record 61 home runs in 1961.
- 1985 - Stanley G[rauman] Weinbaum, American science-fiction author (Red Peri), dies at age 85.
- 1986 - Voyager experimental aircraft, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California on first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world.
- 1987 - Allan Border scores 205 versus New Zealand to become Australia's top rungetter.
- 1987 - Chrysler pleads no contest to selling driven vehicles as new.
- 1987 - Paul Clinton Sundberg, actor (Belle of New York, Easter Parade), dies.
- 1988 - Birth of Vanessa Hudgens; actress and singer (High School Musical).
- 1988 - CBS' US$1.1 billion bid wins exclusive 1990-94 Major League Baseball rights.
- 1988 - NBA's Miami Heat wins first game ever, 89-88 (Los Angeles Clippers), after 17 losses.
- 1988 - Spanish general strike to protest austerity measures.
- 1988 - US agrees to talk to Palestine Liberation Organization (first time in 13 years).
- 1989 - Andrei D Sakharov, Soviet physicist/dissident/1975 Nobel peace prize winner, dies in Moscow at age 68 (born 1921).
- 1989 - Death of Jock Mahoney at age 70 of a stroke in Bremerton, Washington, USA; stunt man/actor (Tarzan, Dallas, Cow Town, The Range Rider, Yancy Derringer).
- 1989 - Chile holds its first free election in 16 years.
- 1990 - Hope Sansberry, actress (Rats are Coming), dies at age 94.
- 1990 - Johannes von Thurn und Taxis, prince in Germany, dies at age 64.
- 1990 - Death of Friedrich Durrenmatt in Neuchatel, Switzerland; dramatist (born 1921).
- 1991 - 57th Heisman Trophy Award: Desmond Howard, Michigan (world record).
- 1991 - Ferry boat Salem Express sinks in Red Sea, 476 killed.
- 1991 - John Arlott, cricket player (the greatest of cricket commentators), dies.
- 1991 - Robert Eddison, British actor (Uncle Silas), dies at age 83.
- 1992 - Lennox Lewis given WBC title, when Riddick Bowe refuses to fight him.
- 1993 - Muslim fundamentalists murder 12 Kroates/Bosnians in Algeria.
- 1993 - Death of Myrna Loy at age 88 from complications during surgery; actress (Thin Man, Vanity Fair, Ironside, Columbo, The Virginian, Family Affair, Love Sidney).
- 1994 - Petrus van Doorne, bus manufacturer/owner (BOVA), dies at age 58.
- 1994 - A Learjet piloted by Richard Anderson and Brad Sexton misses an elementary school and crashes into an apartment complex in Fresno, California, killing both pilots and injuring several apartment residents.
- 1995 - During the filming of a Mountain Dew commercial, sky surfer Rob Harris' parachute fails to open and he plunges to his death.
- 1995 - The Dayton Peace Agreement is signed in Paris, France.
- 1996 - 62nd Heisman Trophy Award: Danny Wuerffel, Florida (quarterback).
- 1997 - Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper win LPGA Diners Club Matches.
- 1997 - Phoenix Coyotes player Mike Gartner is 5th NHL player to score 700 goals.
- 1997 - Death of Stubby Kaye at age 79 from lung cancer; actor (Guys and Dolls, Sweet Charity, Pantomime Quiz, Love and Marriage, My Sister Eileen).
- 1998 - Norman Fell, actor (Mr. Roper - Three's Company) dies.
- 1998 - Death of Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and mayor of Dallas, Texas (born 1924).
- 1999 - Algerian Ahmed Ressam is arrested while crossing the United States-Canada border at Port Angeles, Washington, when United States Customs finds explosives in the trunk of his automobile. The arrest causes fears of a terrorist attack in the United States, and is a major factor in the cancellation of a public New Year's celebration in Seattle, Washington. Ressam is later convicted in a plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve.
- 2001 - Death of John Guedel at age 88; radio and TV producer (Ozzie and Harriet radio show, You Bet Your Life, People Are Funny).
- 2002 - Maiden voyage of Royal Caribbean International's Navigator of the Seas cruise ship from Miami, Florida for a Caribbean tour.
- 2002 - Holland America Line's Zuiderdam makes its maiden voyage, a 7-day Caribbean cruise.
- 2004 - The world's tallest bridge, the Millau bridge over the River Tarn in the Massif Central mountains, France, is opened by President Jacques Chirac.
- 2004 - A Kuwaiti tanker collides with a dredger in the Suez Canal, dumping about 8.3 million litres of crude oil.
- 2005 - Shakidor Dam fails in Pakistan due to heavy rain.
- 2005 - Universal releases the film King Kong to theaters.
- 2006 - Death of Ahmet Ertegün at age 83, following a head injury suffered in a fall; Atlantic Records founder, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
- 2007 - (to December 24) FAI World Grand Prix Gliding Championship at Omarama, New Zealand.
- 2007 - The World Bank convinces 45 countries to give it US$25 billion to hand out to the world's poorest states over the next three years.
- 2007 - European Union leaders attend a formal summit in Brussels, Belgium.
- 2007 - Warner Bros. releases the film I Am Legend to theaters.
- 2008 - A bus plunges into an irrigation canal along a narrow road in southern Egypt, killing 57 people.
- 2009 - Exxon Mobil announces it will acquire natural gas supplier XTO Energy Inc in an all-stock transaction valued at about US$30 billion.
- 2009 - NASA launches the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite on a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite is designed to uncover hidden cosmic objects.
- 2012 - Warner Bros. releases the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to theaters.
- 2013 - Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 3, carrying the Yutu rover, becomes the first spacecraft to "soft"-land on the Moon since 1976 and the third ever robotic rover to do so.
- 2017 - The Walt Disney Company announces that it will acquire most of 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox film studio, for $66 billion.
- 2020 - The United States removes Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
- 2020 - The United States places sanctions on Turkey in retaliation for their purchase of a S-400 missile system from Russia, making the first time they have sanctioned a NATO ally.
- 2020 - A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.
- 2020 - The United States and Canada begin mass vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
- 2020 - Singapore approves the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with other companies to provide vaccines progressively.
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