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What happened in history on this day: December 18?
On December 18 in ...
- 468 - Huna Mari bar Mar Zutra rabbi, executed in Pumpedita.
- 1118 - Alfonso van Aragón occupies Saragossa on Almoraviden.
- 1290 - Magnus I Ladulås [Barn Bolt] king of Sweden (1277-90), dies.
- 1352 - Etienne Aubert elected as Pope Innocentius VI.
- 1406 - Anton van Bourgondies becomes duke of Brabant.
- 1505 - John IX van Horne prince-bishop of Lieges, executed.
- 1562 - Birth of Philipp Dulichius composer.
- 1565 - Benedetto Varchi Italian humanist/historian (L'Ercolano), dies at age 62.
- 1569 - Birth of Jakob Hassler composer.
- 1577 - Anna, duchess of Saxon/wife of prince Willem of Orange, dies at age 32.
- 1597 - Barbara Blomberg German mistress of emperor Karel, dies at age 67.
- 1603 - Admiral Steven van der Haghens fleet departs to East-Indies.
- 1610 - Birth of Charles Du Fresne Du Cange French scholar/philologist.
- 1619 - Birth of Rupert in Prague, son of Elector Frederick V and Elizabeth; prince of Palts, admiral, general, chemist, engraver, mathematician.
- 1621 - English parliament accept unanimously, Protestation.
- 1633 - Birth of Adriaen Melar Flemish engraver, baptised.
- 1633 - Birth of Willem van de Velde the Young Dutch seascape painter, baptised.
- 1633 - Theodoor Galle Flemish engraver, buried at age 62.
- 1638 - Le Père Joseph French mystic, dies.
- 1651 - Francisco the Melo Portuguese/Spanish earl of Assumar, dies at age 54.
- 1667 - Birth of Wenzel Ludwig von Radolt composer.
- 1707 - Birth of Charles Wesley co-founder (Methodist movement).
- 1709 - Birth of Elizabeth empress of Russia (to Peter the Great and Catherine I).
- 1710 - Peter Codde apostile vicar (1688-1704), dies at age 62.
- 1719 - Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children".
- 1737 - Antonio Stradivari renowned violin-maker, dies in Cremona Italy at age 93.
- 1751 - Kilian I von Dientzenhofer builder (Nepomukkerk, Prague), dies at age 62.
- 1760 - Birth of Knud L Rahbek Danish literary (Om sku skuespillerkunsten).
- 1774 - Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia and Moravia by Empress Maria Theresa.
- 1777 - First US national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender.
- 1779 - Birth of Joseph Grimaldi in England; pantomimist ("greatest clown in history").
- 1779 - Death of Jan Punt at age 68; engraver/illustrator/actor (Gideonschool).
- 1783 - English king George III fires government of Portland.
- 1787 - New Jersey is third state to ratify US Constitution.
- 1796 - First US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor).
- 1811 - Birth of Alexander Sandor Asboth; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1868).
- 1813 - British take Fort Niagara in the War of 1812.
- 1816 - Birth of Alfred Elzey Jones; Major General (Confederate Army) (dies 1871).
- 1819 - Birth of Jakov P Polonski; Russian poet (Stichotvorenija).
- 1825 - Birth of Charles Griffin; Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1867).
- 1826 - Birth of Charles-A Chatrian [Erckmann-C]; French writer (L'ami Fritz).
- 1831 - Willem Bilderdijk, Dutch poet/literary (My Relief), dies at age 75.
- 1835 - Birth of George Dashiell Bayard; US Brigadier-General (Union volunteers) (dies 1862).
- 1837 - Birth of A Adolf Daens; Belgian priest/Dutch party founder (CVP).
- 1839 - First celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper, New York City, New York.
- 1848 - Punta Arenas, the first major settlement in the Strait of Magellan, is founded.
- 1849 - William Bond obtains first photograph of Moon through a telescope.
- 1856 - Birth of Joseph John Thomson in England; physicist, discovered electron (Nobel Prize 1906).
- 1859 - South Carolina declares itself an "independent commonwealth".
- 1861 - Birth of Edward Alexander MacDowell in New York City, New York, USA; composer (Indian Suite, Cairo).
- 1862 - Johnson Kelly Duncan, USA architect, CSA Brigadier-General, dies at age 35.
- 1863 - Birth of Franz Ferdinand; archduke of Austria (Sarajevo/WWI).
- 1865 - First US cattle importation law passes.
- 1865 - The 13th Amendment of the US Constitution is ratified, ending slavery.
- 1869 - Canada's Hamilton Foot Ball Club plays its first game.
- 1870 - Birth of Andres Randolf in Denmark; actor (The Kiss).
- 1870 - Birth of D T Suzuki in Kanazawa, Japan; Zen Buddhist scholar.
- 1870 - Birth of Saki (Hector Hugo Munro) in Burma; author (Reginald, When William Came).
- 1877 - Birth of Max Pallenberg in Austria; actor (Brave Suender)/husband of Fritzi Massary.
- 1878 - Birth of Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili AKA Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin in Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire; General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee (1922-1953), Premier of the Soviet Union (1941-1953), Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943-1945) (dies 1953).
- 1878 - French SS Byzantin sinks after collision in Dardanelles, 210 killed.
- 1879 - Birth of Paul Klee in Switzerland; abstract painter (Twittering Machine).
- 1879 - The Tay Bridge in Scotland blows over in a great storm, taking evening mail train to Dundee and 76 passengers and crew.
- 1886 - Birth of Ty Cobb in Colorado, USA; batted .367, stole 892 bases (Detroit Tigers).
- 1888 - Birth of Gladys Cooper in Lewisham, England; actress (My Fair Lady).
- 1888 - Birth of Robert Moses; power broker (built Long Island and New York City parks and roads).
- 1890 - Birth of Edwin Howard Armstrong in New York City, New York, USA; radio pioneer inventor (FM).
- 1892 - The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg holds the first performance of Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker.
- 1892 - Richard Owen, English zoologist (Dinosaurus), dies at age 88.
- 1897 - Carlo A Alfieri, Italian Member of Parliament, dies at age 70.
- 1898 - Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first recognized land speed record going 39.245 mph (63.159 km/h).
- 1899 - Fieldmarshal Lord Roberts appointed British supreme commander in South Africa.
- 1904 - Birth of George Stevens; US director (Alice Adams, Penny Serenade).
- 1906 - Birth of Kam Tong; actor (Across the Pacific, Flower Drum Song).
- 1907 - Birth of Christopher Fry in Bristol, England; playwright (Ring Around the Moon).
- 1908 - Birth of Celia Johnson in England; actress (Happy Breed, Brief Encounter).
- 1909 - Birth of Mona Barrie [Smith] in London, England; actress (Dawn on the Great Divide).
- 1910 - Birth of Abe Burrows in Brooklyn, New York, USA; Broadway composer (Guys and Dolls, 1951 Tony Award).
- 1910 - Birth of Eric Tindall; cricket player (All Black Representative who kept wicket in five Tests).
- 1911 - Birth of Jules Dassin in Middletown, Connecticut, USA; director (Circle of Two, Never on Sunday).
- 1912 - The Piltdown Man is found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit.
- 1913 - Birth of Alfred Bester; US science fiction author (Deceivers, Starlight).
- 1913 - Birth of Lynn Bari in Roanoke, Virginia, USA; actress (Connie - Detective Wife, Earthbound).
- 1913 - Birth of Willy Brandt [Herbert Frahm]; German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel Prize 1971).
- 1915 - Birth of Dario Mangiarotti in Italy; fencing, gold, two silver (Olympics-1948, 1952).
- 1915 - Èdouard Vaillant, French socialist politician/communard, dies at age 75.
- 1916 - Birth of Betty Grable in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actress (Gay Divorcee).
- 1917 - Birth of Ossie Davis in Cogdell, Georgia, USA; actor/playwright (Hot Stuff, Man Called Adam).
- 1917 - Soviet regiment (Stalin/Lenin) declares Finland independent.
- 1918 - Czechoslovakia issues its first postage stamps, depicting Hradcany Castle.
- 1919 - Birth of Anita O'Day in Chicago, Illinois, USA; big band jazz singer (Gene Krupa, Stan Kanton).
- 1919 - Sir John Alcock, British pilot (first non-stop over Atlantic), dies in crash in northern France at age 27.
- 1920 - First US postage stamps printed without the words United States or US.
- 1922 - Birth of Larry D Mann in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actor (Marty - Accidental Family).
- 1922 - (10:20 AM) Federal Reserve pickup truck takes delivery of $200,000 in $5 Federal Reserve Notes from storage at the US Mint at Denver, Colorado. Four armed robbers steal the money, with one robber and one guard killed in shoot-out.
- 1923 - International zone of Tangier set up in Morocco.
- 1926 - Birth of Peggy Cummins in North Wales; actress (Curse of the Demon).
- 1927 - Birth of Ramsey Clark; US Attorney General (1967-69).
- 1927 - Birth of Sterling Lanier; American writer (Hiero's Journey).
- 1930 - Donald Bradman scores 258 New South Wales versus South Australia, 289 minutes, 37 fours.
- 1931 - Birth of Gunnel Lindblom in Goteborg, Sweden; actor (Hunger, Virgin Spring).
- 1931 - Birth of Noel McGregor; cricket player (batted in 25 Tests for New Zealand 1955-65).
- 1931 - John T "Legs" Diamond, American gangster, is murdered at age 35.
- 1932 - Birth of Roger Smith in South Gate, California, USA; actor (77 Sunset Strip).
- 1932 - The Chicago Bears defeat the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in the first ever NFL Championship Game.
- 1932 - Eduard "Ede" Bernstein; German marxist/revisionist, dies at age 82.
- 1934 - Birth of Boris Valentinovich Volynov in USSR; cosmonaut (Soyuz 5, 21).
- 1935 - Donald Bradman scores 117 in his first Shield cricket match for South Australia.
- 1935 - Eduard Benes becomes President of Czechoslovakia.
- 1935 - Juan V Gómez, general/dictator of Venezuela (1908-35), dies.
- 1936 - Queensland cricket all out for 49 versus Victoria, Leslie Fleetwood-Smith 7-17.
- 1936 - Su-Lin, first giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco.
- 1937 - S S Schultz, cricket player (one Test England versus Australia 1879), dies.
- 1938 - Birth of [Bryan] Chas Chandler; rocker (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun").
- 1939 - Birth of Christoffel "Stoffel" van de Merwe; South Africa Minister of Education.
- 1939 - Birth of Henrica M L "Wiesje" Backer; Dutch dancer/actress/playwright.
- 1939 - Birth of Michael J Moorcock in England; sci-fi author (Alien Heat, Bull and Spear).
- 1939 - Birth of Sandro Lopopolia in Italy; lightweight boxer (Olympics-silver-1960).
- 1939 - Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi.
- 1940 - Birth of Arnold Long; cricket player (prolific wicketkeeper for Surrey and Sussex).
- 1941 - Birth of Sam Andrew; rocker (Big Brother and the Holding Company - "Cheap Thrills").
- 1941 - German submarine U-434 sinks.
- 1941 - Japanese forces begin the invasion of Hong Kong Island, crossing the strait of Lye Mun Passage.
- 1941 - In the Alexandria harbor, torpedoes explode under British battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, planted by Italian navy divers.
- 1942 - Birth of William HAF, English prince/grandson of George V.
- 1942 - Charlie Walker, cricket player (Australian tourist to England 1930, 1938), dies.
- 1943 - Birth of Alan Rudolph; actor (Endangers Species, Love at Large, Made in Heaven).
- 1943 - Birth of Keith Richards in England; rock guitarist (Rolling Stones - "Brown Sugar").
- 1944 - US Destroyers Hull, Spence, and Monaghan sink in typhoon off Philippines, 790 killed.
- 1944 - German occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants.
- 1945 - Birth of Birenda Bir Bikram; King of Nepal (1972-).
- 1945 - Birth of Carolyn Wood; American 4 X 100 metre freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1960).
- 1945 - Uruguay joins the United Nations.
- 1946 - Birth of Hubie Green in Birmingham, Alabama, USA; PGA golfer (US Open 1977).
- 1946 - Birth of Stephen (Steve) Biko; South African anti-apartheid activist.
- 1946 - TV's first network dramatic serial Faraway Hill ends two-month run.
- 1947 - Birth of Eddie Antar; founder/CEO (Crazy Eddie Electronics Store).
- 1947 - Birth of Steven Spielberg in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; director (ET, Close Encounters, Jaws).
- 1947 - Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Optissima Pax.
- 1948 - Birth of Bryan "Chas" Changler in Newcastle, England; rock bassist (Animals).
- 1948 - Indonesia begins its second political election.
- 1948 - Janet Fay hammered to death by the Honeymoon Killers.
- 1949 - Birth of Joni Flynn in Assam, India; actress (Octopussy).
- 1949 - Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams 14-0 in NFL championship game.
- 1950 - Birth of Gillian Armstrong in Melbourne, Australia; director (High Tide, Mrs Soffel).
- 1950 - Birth of Leonard Maltin in New York City, New York, USA; movie critic (Entertainment Tonight).
- 1950 - Birth of Martha Johnson in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; rocker (M+M).
- 1951 - Birth of Andrew S W Thomas in Adelaide, Australia; PhD/astronaut (STS 77, STS 89/91).
- 1951 - Birth of Candice Rialson in Santa Monica, California, USA; actress (Chatterbox).
- 1952 - Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president.
- 1953 - Birth of Elliot Easton [Elliot Shapiro] in Brooklyn, New York, USA; rock guitarist (The Cars).
- 1955 - Birth of Ray Liotta in Newark, New Jersey, USA; actor (Henry Hill - Goodfellas, Sacha - Casablanca).
- 1956 - CBS-TV debuts panel show To Tell the Turth, hosted by Bud Collyer.
- 1956 - Birth of Reinhold Ewald in Germany; cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-25).
- 1956 - Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai.
- 1956 - Japan admitted to the United Nations.
- 1956 - Phil Rizzuto signs as New York Yankees radio-TV announcer.
- 1957 - Birth of John Webster; rocker (Red Ryder - "Light in the Tunnel").
- 1958 - First test project of Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment.
- 1958 - Niger gains autonomy within French Community.
- 1959 - Birth of Barrie Chase; actress (Mardi Gras, Cape Fear).
- 1959 - Sammy Baugh named first coach of New York Titans (AFL).
- 1960 - General Meeting of United Nations condemns apartheid.
- 1961 - Birth of Brian Orser in Canada; figure skater (Olympics-silver-1988).
- 1961 - Birth of Ken Foreman; rocker (Thrashing Doves - "Reprobate's Hymn").
- 1961 - Birth of Lalchand Rajput; cricket player (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86).
- 1961 - Birth of Thomas Strittmatter; writer.
- 1961 - For second consecutive year, Associated Press names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year.
- 1961 - India annexes former Portuguese India.
- 1961 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 78 points versus Los Angeles Lakers.
- 1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
- 1963 - Birth of Brad Pitt in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA; actor (Fight Club, Meet Joe Black, Legends of the Fall).
- 1963 - Birth of Charles Oakley; NBA forward (New York Knicks).
- 1963 - Birth of Lori McNeil in San Diego, California, USA; tennis star (1995 Oakland doubles).
- 1963 - Clarke runs world record 10km (28:15.6).
- 1963 - Winifried P I Zillig, German composer/conductor (Opfer), dies at age 58.
- 1964 - The Pink Panther cartoon TV series premieres (Pink Phink).
- 1964 - Birth of Don Beebe; NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31).
- 1964 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1965 - Birth of Brian Walton in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; points race cyclist (Olympics-silver-1996).
- 1965 - Birth of Willie Blair in Paintsville, Kentucky, USA; pitcher (San Diego Padres).
- 1965 - Borman and Lovell splash down in Atlantic; ends two-week Gemini VII mission.
- 1965 - Kenneth LeBel jumps 17 barrels on ice skates.
- 1966 - Birth of Aaron Jones; NFL defensive end (New England Patriots).
- 1966 - Birth of Gianluca Pagliuca; Italian actress (Ugly Dirty and Bad).
- 1966 - Birth of Patricia Neder in Wauykesha, Wisconsin, USA; team handball right wing (Olympics-1992, 1996).
- 1966 - Birth of Steve Dullaghan; rocker (Primitives - "Lovely, Lump of Coal").
- 1966 - Birth of Tracy Byrd; country singer ("Keeper of the Stars").
- 1966 - Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs for first time on CBS.
- 1966 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1966 - Richard L. Walker discovers Saturn's moon Epimetheus.
- 1967 - Birth of Bob Corkum in Salisbury, Massachusetts, USA; NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers).
- 1967 - Birth of Charles Christopher Rymer in Cleveland, Tennessee, USA; PGA golfer (1995 Shell-3rd).
- 1967 - Birth of Dan McGwire; NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins).
- 1967 - Birth of Tracy Hayworth; NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons).
- 1968 - Birth of Aaron Craver; NFL running back (Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers).
- 1968 - Birth of Casper Van Dien; actor (Starship Troopers).
- 1968 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1969 - Birth of Andrew Murphy; Australian long jumper/triple jumper (Olympics-1996).
- 1969 - Birth of Chris Dausin; WLAF corner/guard (Scottish Claymores).
- 1969 - Birth of Joanne Mills in Sydney, Australia; golfer (T25 Holden 1994 Women's Australian Open).
- 1969 - Birth of Joe Randa in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; infielder (Kansas City Royals).
- 1969 - Birth of Keith Piper; cricket player (Warwickshire and England A wicketkeeper).
- 1969 - Birth of Marco Coleman; NFL defensive end (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers).
- 1969 - Birth of T C Wright; WLAF running back (Amsterdam Admirals).
- 1969 - Britain abolishes death penalty.
- 1969 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1970 - Birth of Lucious Harris; NBA guard (New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks).
- 1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1971 - Aleksandr T Tvardovski, Russian editor in chief (Novyj Mir), dies at age 61.
- 1971 - Birth of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in Barcelona, Spain; tennis star (Olympics-silver/bronze-1992).
- 1971 - Birth of Frank Pimiskern; Canadian Football League safety (British Columbia Lions).
- 1971 - Birth of Joe Dziedzic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; NHL left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins).
- 1971 - Birth of Markus Finke; WLAF running back (Rhein Fire).
- 1971 - Birth of Neil Little in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; NHL goalie (Philadelphia Flyers).
- 1971 - Bobby Jones Junior, PGA golfer (Grand Slam 1930), dies at age 69.
- 1971 - Diana Lynn, actress (Annapolis Story, Easy Come Easy Go), dies at age 45.
- 1972 - Birth of Eric Unverzagt; NFL/WLAF linebacker (Seattle Seahawks, Scotland Claymores).
- 1972 - Birth of Jeff Nelson in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada; NHL center (Washington Capitals).
- 1972 - US begins its heaviest bombing of North Vietnam.
- 1973 - Birth of Jason Williams in Gonzales, Louisiana, USA; baseball infielder (Olympics-bronze-1996).
- 1973 - Birth of Keith Washington; NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens).
- 1973 - Soyuz 13 launched into Earth orbit for 8 days.
- 1973 - New York Yankees sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by American League president.
- 1974 - Birth of Peter Boulware; linebacker (Baltimore Ravens).
- 1975 - Birth of Michael Barry in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; cyclist (Olympics-1996).
- 1976 - Film A Star is Born, with Barbra Streisand, premieres in theaters in the USA.
- 1976 - ABC TV debuts series Wonder Woman.
- 1976 - George Emmett, cricket player (England opener versus Australia Old Trafford 1948), dies.
- 1976 - Soviet dissident Viktor Bukovski exchanged for Chile CP-leader Corvalan.
- 1977 - Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey number 42 (Nate Thumond).
- 1977 - Cyril Ritchard, actor (Peter Pan), dies at age 80.
- 1977 - Dutch Antilles premier Boy Rozendal points independence off.
- 1977 - Louis Untermeyer, poet/critic/TV panelist (What's My Line?), dies at age 92.
- 1978 - France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island.
- 1978 - USSR performs underground nuclear test.
- 1979 - The Vatican's Congregation for the Faith removes the authority of University of Tubingen theologian Hans Kung to teach theology as a Catholic theologian.
- 1980 - Alexei N Kosygin, Soviet Prime Minister (1964-80), suffers a fatal heart attack at age 76.
- 1980 - Birth of Christina Aguilera on Staten Island, New York; singer ("Genie in a Bottle", "What A Girl Wants").
- 1980 - Dutch second Chamber accepts minister Van Agt's abortion laws.
- 1980 - Irish Republican Army's Sean McKenna becomes critically ill, ends hunger strike.
- 1980 - Vietnam adopts constitution.
- 1981 - Mehmet Shehu, Prime Minister Albania (1954-81)/"US-Russian spy", commits suicide.
- 1982 - Raymond Emery, cricket player (two Tests New Zealand versus West Indies 1952, 46 runs, two wickets), dies.
- 1983 - NBA San Diego Clippers end 29-game road losing streak.
- 1984 - 73rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats USA in Gothenburg (4-1).
- 1985 - United Nations Security Council unanimously condemns "acts of hostage-taking".
- 1986 - Mamo Clark, actor (One Million BC, Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island), dies.
- 1987 - Birth of Fernando Jara; Panamanian-born American jockey.
- 1987 - Larry Wall releases the first version of the Perl programming language.
- 1987 - Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif Ali Zardari.
- 1987 - Ivan F Boesky sentenced to three years for insider trading.
- 1987 - Square Co., Ltd. releases the Final Fantasy video game in Japan for the Famicom video game system.
- 1987 - Warne Marsh, jazz saxophonist, dies of a heart attack after collapsing onstage while giving a perfomance at Donte's in North Hollywood, California.
- 1988 - 5th meeting of San Francisco Giants-New York Jets, Jets win and eliminate Giants from playoffs.
- 1988 - Seattle Seahawks win their first ever division title with 9-7 record.
- 1989 - The I Love Lucy Christmas TV episode is shown for first time in over 30 years.
- 1990 - Anne Revere, actress (National Velvet), dies of pneumonia at age 87.
- 1990 - National League announces Buffalo, Denver, Miami, Orlando, Tampa-St Petersburg, and Washington DC as six finalist for 1993 expansion (Miami and Denver win).
- 1990 - Death of Connie Russell at age 66 of heart problems; singer (Garroway at Large TV show (1949), variety TV shows of Morey Amsterdam, Ed Sullivan, Steve Allen, Milton Berle, Eddie Cantor).
- 1991 - DeForest Kelly, (Dr McCoy on Star Trek) gets a star in Hollywood.
- 1991 - General Motors announces the closing of 21 plants.
- 1991 - June Storey, actress (South of the Border), dies of cancer at age 73.
- 1991 - Death of George Abecassis, English race car driver (born 1913).
- 1992 - Death of Mark Goodson at age 77 of pancreatic cancer; American TV game show tycoon (Goodson-Todman productions, Beat the Clock, Family Feud, Match Game, Password, The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth, I've Got A Secret, What's My Line?).
- 1992 - Mother Clare Hale, cared for New York City AIDS babies (Hale House), dies at age 87.
- 1992 - Richard H Ichord, US leader of House Un-American Activities Committee, dies.
- 1993 - Kevin Scott skates world record 1000 metre (1:12.54).
- 1993 - Sam Wanamaker, actor (Private Benjamin), dies of prostate cancer at age 74.
- 1993 - Omar Bongo is re-elected as President of Gabon in the country's first ever multiparty elections.
- 1994 - Lilia Skala, Austrian/US actress (Ship of Fools, Caprice), dies at age 98.
- 1994 - Norman, Couples and Azinger win LPGA Wendy's 3-Tour Golf Challenge.
- 1994 - Peter Hebblethwaite, English editor-in-chief (The Month), dies at age 64.
- 1994 - Socialist Party (ex-communist) wins Bulgaria parliamentary election.
- 1996 - Arthur Jacobs, musicologist, dies at age 74.
- 1996 - Start of first Test Cricket match between Zimbabwe and England.
- 1996 - American TV industry executives agree to adopt a ratings system.
- 1997 - Death of Chris Farley, American actor and comedian (Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy), at age 33 (born 1964).
- 1997 - HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
- 1998 - Death of Lev Demin, cosmonaut (born 1926).
- 1999 - NASA launches into orbit the Terra platform carrying five Earth Observation instruments: ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS and MOPITT.
- 2002 - Jeff Kent signs an $18.2 million, two-year contract with the Houston Astros.
- 2002 - New Line releases the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to theaters.
- 2002 - Death of Ray Hnatyshyn, Governor General of Canada (born 1934).
- 2005 - The bat Pete Rose used to hit his 159th career home run in 1985 is acquired by GoldenPalace.com for $103,631.91 during Lelands Winter 2005 Auction. The on-line casino plans to saw the bat in half to determine if the bat is corked as is widely believed.
- 2005 - Death of Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (born 1922).
- 2005 - Evo Morales wins the Bolivian Presidential Elections.
- 2005 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is hospitalized after suffering a minor stroke.
- 2005 - The World Trade Organization's 6th ministerial conference concludes in Hong Kong with a limited trade deal being ratified.
- 2006 - Death of Joseph Barbera, American animator (born 1911).
- 2007 - Jacob Zuma is elected president of the African National Congress political party in South Africa during the party's national conference.
- 2007 - The European Central Bank lends 350 billion euros to banks.
- 2007 - The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) approves Yulia Tymoshenko to become Prime Minister of Ukraine by a one-vote margin.
- 2007 - The Public Library of Science publishes the first full genetic sequence of a grape variety: pinot noir.
- 2007 - Death of Bill Strauss, American satirist, author and historian (born 1947).
- 2008 - A United Nations court sentences former army colonel Theoneste Bagosora to life in prison. Bagosora was accused of masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994.
- 2008 - Mark Felt, the mysterious "Deep Throat" source who helped reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein crack the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, dies at age 95 in Santa Rosa, California.
- 2008 - The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicts Théoneste Bagosora and two other senior Rwandan army officers of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentences them to life imprisonment.
- 2008 - Death of Porsche publicist Bob Carlson in Atlanta, Georgia, USA of gallbladder cancer, at age 60.
- 2009 - The UN climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, ends with a only compromise climate deal, and a vow to work out the details later. Leaders of the following countries sign on to the deal: Canada, USA, China, India, Brazil and South Africa. The agreement offers money to developing nations to help them fight global warming. The agreement is not binding and does not set new greenhouse-gas reduction targets.
- 2009 - Fox releases the film Avatar to theaters.
- 2011 - Death of Václav Havel, Czech playwright, 10th President of Czechoslovakia and 1st President of the Czech Republic (born 1936).
- 2015 - Buena Vista releases the film Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens to theaters.
- 2018 - Death of Tulsi Giri, 23rd Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1926).
- 2019 - The U.S. House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Trump, making him the third president to be impeached in the nation's history.
- 2019 - The CHEOPS space telescope, whose mission is to study the formation of extrasolar planets and determine their precise radius, likely density and internal structure, is launched.
- 2020 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 75 million worldwide.
- 2020 - The United States approves Moderna's vaccine for emergency use, the second brand available there.
- 2020 - Death of Michael Jeffery, 24th Governor-General of Australia (born 1937).
- 2020 - Death of Òscar Ribas Reig, 1st Prime Minister of Andorra (born 1936) .
- 2022 - Death of Terry Hall at age 63; British singer (Specials, 2 Tone).
- 2022 - Death of Miroslaw Hermaszewski at age 81; Polish cosmonaut (Soyuz 30).
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