|
What happened in history on this day: December 21?
On December 21 in ...
- 918 - Conrad I, Duke of Franconia/German King (911-918), dies.
- 1117 - Birth of Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury.
- 1163 - Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods.
- 1308 - Henry I the Child, first landgrave of Hessen (1256-1308), dies.
- 1375 - Giovanni Boccaccio Italian poet (Vita di Dante, Decameron), dies.
- 1429 - Jacquemart de Bléharies Tournay "heretic", burned to death.
- 1518 - Birth of Mark van Vaernewijck Flemish nobleman/politician.
- 1537 - Birth of Johan III king of Sweden (1569-92).
- 1561 - Archbishop Granvelle installed.
- 1573 - Birth of Mathurin Régnier French poet (Macette).
- 1579 - Juan de Juanes [Vicente Juan Maçip] Spanish ecclesiastical painter, dies at age 56.
- 1582 - Flanders adopts Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is January 1 1583.
- 1597 - Death of Saint Peter Canisius AKA Peter de Hondt at age 76 in Fribourg, Switzerland; Dutch Jesuit, founder of many Jesuit centers in Germany including Ingolstadt and Prague and Catholicism, advisor to the Bishop of Augsburg at the Council of Trent, leader in the "counterreformation" in Germany, author of "German Catechism".
- 1616 - Birth of Pietro Andrea Ziani composer.
- 1620 - Pilgrim exploration party from the English ship Mayflower come ashore on the east coast of North America (modern-day Provincetown, Massachusetts).
- 1628 - Birth of Samuel Friedrich Capricornus composer.
- 1650 - Johan de Witt installed as Dutch pension advisor of Dordrecht.
- 1674 - Rutger van Haersolte viceroy of Overijsselse, dies at about age 66.
- 1736 - Alessandro Galilei Italian architect (Cappella Corsini), dies at age 45.
- 1762 - James Cook marries Elizabeth Batts.
- 1784 - John Jay becomes first US Secretary of State (foreign affairs).
- 1788 - Hue Tay Son becomes emperor Quang Trung of Vietnam.
- 1804 - Birth of Benjamin Disraeli; (Tory) British Prime Minister (1868, 1874-80).
- 1812 - In Santa Barbara Channel, California, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs.
- 1818 - Birth of Lewis H Morgan; US etnologist (Systems of Consanguinity).
- 1823 - Birth of Jean Henri Fabre in France; entomologist (insects and spiders).
- 1829 - First stone arch railroad bridge in US is dedicated, in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1832 - Birth of John Henry Ketcham; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1906).
- 1840 - Birth of Mehmed N Kemal; Turkish journalist (Vatan).
- 1849 - First US skating club formed (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
- 1849 - Birth of James Lane Allen; US writer (Kentucky Cardinal).
- 1853 - Birth of Isolde Kurz; German writer/poetess (Meine Mutter).
- 1860 - Birth of Henrietta Szold; founder (Hadassah).
- 1861 - US President Abraham Lincoln signs law authorizing Navy Medal of Valor.
- 1863 - First national US bank note is issued, a $5 note, by the First National Bank of Washington, D.C.
- 1864 - USA Army General Tecumseh Sherman conquers Savannah, Georgia.
- 1866 - Cheyennes, Arapho's, Sioux, Fetterman Massacre.
- 1872 - Birth of Albert P Terhune; US novelist (Lad, a Dog).
- 1874 - Birth of Juan Bautista Sacasa; President of Nicaragua (1932-36).
- 1879 - Birth of Theodore Limperg; business economist (substitute value).
- 1886 - Birth of Hermann A J Kees; German Egyptologist (Problems of Egyptology).
- 1889 - Joseph B Lightfoot; English theologist/bishop of Durham, dies at age 61.
- 1890 - Birth of Fred M Vinson; US Supreme Court Justice (1946-53).
- 1891 - Eighteen students play first basketball game (Springfield College).
- 1891 - Birth of John W McCormack; American politician (Democrat) Speaker of the House (1962-70).
- 1892 - Birth of Rebecca West AKA Cicily I F Andrews in England; journalist/novelist/critic/feminist (Meaning of Treason).
- 1892 - Birth of Walter Hagen in Rochester, New York, USA; PGA golfer (US Open 1914, 1919).
- 1896 - Birth of Carl Romme; Dutch catholic foreman/KVP-Minister of Socialist Business.
- 1896 - Birth of Constantine Rokossovski; Russian marshal/vice-premier of Poland.
- 1898 - Birth of Eugène Dabit; French writer/painter (Hôtel du Nord).
- 1898 - Birth of Ira S Bowen; US physicist/astronomer (Mount Wilson/Palomar).
- 1898 - Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium.
- 1898 - Crete declares an autonomous government, with Prince George, second son of Greece's George I, assuming the office of high commissioner.
- 1899 - Birth of Guy Wilkerson in Texas, USA; actor (Dead or Alive, West of Texas, Shootin' Iron).
- 1900 - Birth of Oda Schaefer; German author/poet (Die Windharfe, Ladies Only).
- 1901 - Birth of Robin Irvine in London, England; actor (Easy Virtue).
- 1905 - Birth of Anthony Powell in England; novelist (Infants of the Spring).
- 1907 - Birth of Garmt Stuiveling; Dutch literary (Poet in Love).
- 1907 - Dutch government of De Master falls due to war budget.
- 1907 - Oskar Lassar, German dermatologist (public baths), dies at age 58.
- 1908 - Birth of Sylvester 'Pat' Weaver in Los Angeles, California, USA; President of NBC-TV, created Today and Tonight shows.
- 1909 - Birth of George Ball in Iowa, USA; lawyer/UnderSecretary of state.
- 1909 - Birth of Seichô Matsumoto; Dutch Japanese detective/playwright (Ten to Sen).
- 1910 - Birth of Marvin Davis in New Mexico, USA; architect, art director at 20th Century Fox, worked at Disney 1955-95, helped plan Disneyland layout, designs for many buildings, worked on films and TV shows, Emmy award 1962, planning and designing Walt Disney World, named a Disney Legend 1994.
- 1910 - Explosion in coal mine in Hulton, England; 344 mine workers die.
- 1911 - Birth of Josh Gibson; pro baseball player, "Negro Babe Ruth" (hit 800+ homeruns).
- 1912 - Sweden, Denmark, and Norway issue a declaration of agreement on principles of neutrality, pledging to notify each other of any departure from these principles.
- 1913 - Birth of Fred Joerger in Illinois, USA; designer and architect of Disneyland attractions 1953+, retires 1979, named Disney Legend in 2001.
- 1913 - The first crossword puzzle (Arthur Wynne's "word-cross"), with 32 clues, is published in the New York World newspaper.
- 1914 - First feature-length silent film comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance is released (starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand and Charles Chaplin).
- 1914 - A O Jones, cricket player (12 Tests for England 1899-1909), dies.
- 1915 - 25.83 cm (10.17 inches) of rainfall, in Glenora, Oregon (state record).
- 1917 - Birth of Alicia Alonso in Havana, Cuba; ballerina (American Ballet Theatre).
- 1917 - Birth of Andre Eglevsky; choreographer (Limelight).
- 1918 - Birth of Donald Regan; White House staffer/US Secretary of Treasury (1981-85).
- 1918 - Birth of Kurt Waldheim; Nazi/4th United Nations Secretary-General (1972-81)/Austrian President (1986-92).
- 1918 - Boston Red Sox trade Dutch Leonard, Ernie Shore and Duffy Lewis to New York Yankees for Ray Caldwell and Slim Love, Frank Gilhooey, Al Walters and $15,000.
- 1919 - Birth of Gert Fredriksson in Sweden; 1000m kayak (Olympics-gold-1948, 1952, 1956).
- 1920 - Claude Tozer, cricket player (dashing New South Wales batsman), is shot to death.
- 1921 - In Beirut, Syria, a building is hit by a falling meteorite.
- 1921 - US Supreme Court rules labor injunctions and picketing are unconstitutional.
- 1922 - Birth of Paul Winchell in New York City, New York, USA; ventriloquist (dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff on TV in 1950s/60s), voice actor (Tigger - Winnie the Pooh films).
- 1923 - Nepal changes from British protectorate to independent nation.
- 1924 - Birth of Joe Paterno; football coach (Pennsylvania State, Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of 1986).
- 1924 - Birth of Johan W "Jo" van Marle; KNVB-chairman (1980-93).
- 1925 - Stork Hendry scores 325 for Victoria against New Zealand in cricket.
- 1926 - Birth of Pedro Gonzales-Gonzalez in Aguilares, Texas, USA; actor (Rio Bravo).
- 1927 - Jack Saunders, cricket player (79 wickets-14 Tests for Australia 1902-08), dies.
- 1928 - Birth of Ed Nelson in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; actor (Peyton Place, Along Came a Spider, The Silent Force, Capitol).
- 1928 - Harry Butt, cricket player (England wicket-keeper versus South Africa 1895-96), dies.
- 1928 - Luigi Cadorna, Italian fieldmarshal (WWI, Caporetto), dies at age 78.
- 1929 - First US group hospital insurance plan instituted, Dallas, Texas.
- 1930 - Birth of Willem R "Wim" van der Zee; Secretary of Council of Churches.
- 1931 - Birth of David Baker in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; composer (Reflections).
- 1932 - New York Giants sign former outfielder Billy Southworth as a coach.
- 1933 - Birth of Huib Eversdijk; Dutch second chamber member (CDA).
- 1933 - Birth of Jackie Hendriks; cricket player (West Indian wicket-keeper of 1960s).
- 1933 - Dried human blood serum first prepared, University of Pennsylvania.
- 1933 - Knud J V Rasmussen, Danish Pole explorer (Thule), dies at age 54.
- 1933 - Newfoundland reverts to being a crown colony.
- 1933 - US President Franklin Roosevelt issues an Executive Proclamation authorising the US Treasury to coin half of the 97.7 million ounces of silver bullion agreed to be purchased over the next four years.
- 1934 - Birth of Hanif Mohammad; cricket player (prolific Pakistani batsman 1952-69).
- 1935 - Birth of Phil Donahue in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; talk show host (Phil Donahue Show).
- 1935 - Kurt Tucholsky, German journalist/writer (Panter, Tiger and Co), dies at age 45.
- 1936 - The Junkers JU-88 bomber prototype first flies.
- 1936 - Donald Bradman's second consecutive Test Cricket duck! Australia all out 80.
- 1937 - The German General Staff's strategy plan, Plan Green, is completed, anticipating an aggressive war with Czechoslovakia.
- 1937 - RKO Radio Pictures world premieres Disney's first full-length animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood. It is the industry's first full-length animated movie. The US$1.5 million needed to complete the film nearly bankrupted the company. Two million drawings make up the 83 minute film.
- 1937 - Birth of Harald, Crown Prince, son of King Olav V, heir apparent of Norway.
- 1937 - Birth of Jane Fonda in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Barbarella, Klute, The Dollmaker, Lily: Sold Out, fitness videos).
- 1937 - Frank Kellog, US foreign minister (Nobel Prize 1929), dies at age 80.
- 1937 - O'Reilly completes 14-98 for cricket match, New South Wales versus South Australia.
- 1938 - Birth of Larry Bryggman in Concord, California, USA; actor (Dr John Dixon - As the World Turns).
- 1939 - Adolf Hitler names Adolf Eichmann leader of "Referat IV B".
- 1940 - Birth of Frank Zappa in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; rock singer and composer ("Memories of El Monte", Mothers of Invention band, 50 albums, "Jazz From Hell" album (Grammy Award 1988)).
- 1940 - Birth of Paul [Ray Hildebrand] in Texas, USA; singer ("Hey Paula").
- 1940 - Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), dies of a heart attack in Hollywood, California at age 44.
- 1941 - Chicago Bears win the NFL championship, Ray McLean makes last NFL drop kick for an extra point.
- 1941 - Siam enters into an alliance with Japan.
- 1941 - German submarine U-567 sinks.
- 1942 - Birth of Carla Thomas; US singer ("Let Me Be Good to You").
- 1942 - Leendert Round, sculptor (Giraffen, Blijdorp), dies at age 63.
- 1942 - US Supreme court declares Nevada marriage separation legal.
- 1943 - Birth of Jack Nance; actor (Rubbed Out).
- 1944 - Birth of Jared Martin in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Varian - Fantastic Voyage, Dusty - Dallas).
- 1944 - Birth of Michael Tilson Thomas in Los Angeles, California, USA; conductor (New York Philharmonic for Young People).
- 1944 - Saint Louis Cardinals' Marty Marion wins National League Most Valuable Player.
- 1945 - Birth of Doug Walters; cricket player (Aussie batting genius 1965-81 Extrovert).
- 1945 - Birth of Millie Hughes-Fulford in Wells, Texas, USA; astronaut (STS 40).
- 1945 - George S. Patton, US general (Sicily/Normandy), dies at age 50 in a military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany, from head wound in car crash 12 days earlier.
- 1946 - Birth of Carl Dean Wilson in Hawthorne, California, USA; guitarist (Carl and the Passions, The Beach Boys - Surfin U-S-A", "Surfer Girl", "I Get Around", "Good Vibrations").
- 1946 - Birth of Christopher Keene in Berkeley, California, USA; conductor (La Traviata).
- 1946 - Birth of Josh Mostel in New York, USA; actor (Windy City, Animal Behavior, Money Pit).
- 1946 - Earthquake in South Japan kills 1,086.
- 1946 - Frank Capra's movie It's a Wonderful Life premieres in theaters in the USA.
- 1948 - Birth of Barry Gordon in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA; actor (Gary - Archie Bunker's Place).
- 1948 - Birth of Carol Potter in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Beverly Hills 90210, Maggie Clinton - Today's FBI).
- 1948 - Birth of Dave Kingman; baseball player (New York Mets, New York Yankees, New York Giants).
- 1948 - Birth of Samuel L Jackson; actor (Amos and Andrew, White Sand, Pulp Fiction, Afro Samurai, The Boondocks).
- 1948 - Birth of Willem Vermeend; Dutch economist/UnderSecretary of Finance (1994-).
- 1948 - Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese general/Minister of War, hanged.
- 1948 - State of Eire (formerly Irish Free State) declares its independence.
- 1949 - Dutch first Chamber accepts sovereignty of Indonesia.
- 1952 - Birth of Dennis Boutsikaris in Newark, New Jersey, USA; actor (Batteries Not Included, Six Degrees, Law and Order, 100 Centre Street).
- 1952 - Birth of Steve Furniss; American swimmer (Olympics-bronze-1972).
- 1952 - Broadway Tunnel opens in San Francisco, California, USA.
- 1953 - Birth of Andras Schiff in Budapest, Hungary; pianist (Tchaikovsky-1974).
- 1953 - Birth of Arie Luyendyk in Netherlands; Indy-car racer (1990 Indianapolis 500).
- 1953 - Birth of Betty Wright; US gospel/singer/TV hostess (Little Miss Broadway).
- 1953 - Birth of Tina Brown; journalist (New Yorker).
- 1954 - Birth of Chris Evert Lloyd Mills in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; tennis pro 'Miss Pokerface'.
- 1955 - Birth of Jane Kaczmarek in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; actress (Lois - Malcolm in the Middle, Mary - Hometown).
- 1955 - Dorothy Bernard, actress (Margaret - Life With Father), dies at age 65.
- 1956 - Birth of Kevin Burnham in Hollis, New York, USA; 470 yachter (Olympics-8th-1992, 1996).
- 1956 - Birth of Lee Roy Parnell in Abilene, Texas, USA; country singer ("Oughta be a Law").
- 1956 - Lewis M Terman, psychologist (Genetic studies of genius), dies at age 79.
- 1957 - Birth of Joshua Mostel in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Delta House, At Ease).
- 1957 - Birth of Lisa Gerritsen in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Bess - The Mary Tyler Moore Show).
- 1957 - Birth of Ray Romano in Queens, New York, USA; actor (Ray Barone - Everybody Loves Raymond).
- 1957 - Indonesia proclaims end to state of war.
- 1958 - Charles De Gaulle wins seven-year term as first President of 5th Republic of France.
- 1958 - H[arry] B[yron] Warner, actor (Ten Commandments, New Moon), dies at age 83.
- 1959 - Birth of Florence Griffith Joyner in Los Angeles, California, USA; runner (3 Olympics-gold-1988).
- 1959 - Citizens of Deerfield, Illinois, block building of interracial housing.
- 1959 - Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988).
- 1960 - Birth of Michael Swain in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA; judoka (Olympics-bronze-1988).
- 1960 - Birth of Roger McDowell in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; pitcher (New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles).
- 1961 - Birth of Trevor Bayliss; cricket player (New South Wales batsman).
- 1962 - Birth of Christy Forester in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, USA; country singer (Forester Sister - "Men").
- 1962 - US and Cuba accord, for release of Bay of Pigs captives.
- 1963 - Jack Hobbs, cricket player (61 Tests for England), dies.
- 1964 - Birth of Ed Jongsma; Dutch pop bassist (Sleeze Beez - "Look Like Hell").
- 1964 - Birth of Joey Kocur in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks).
- 1964 - Birth of Keith Taylor; NFL safety (Washington Redskins).
- 1964 - Birth of Murph; rock musician (Dinosaur Jr.).
- 1965 - Birth of Andy Dick in Charleston, South Carolina, USA; actor-comedian (Matthew - Newsradio, Less Than Perfect).
- 1965 - Birth of Gabrielle Glaser; musician (Luscious Jackson).
- 1965 - Birth of Rodney Thomas; WLAF cornerback (Barcelona Dragons).
- 1965 - Birth of Sue Thomas in Texarkana, Texas, USA; LPGA golfer (1991 Orix Hawaiian Ladies-14th).
- 1966 - USSR launches Luna 13; later soft-lands in Oceanus Procellarum.
- 1966 - Birth of Kiefer Sutherland; actor (24, Young Guns, Stand by Me, Lost Boys).
- 1967 - Birth of Ervin Johnson; NBA center (Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks).
- 1967 - Birth of Kristi Cooke in Marion, Ohio, USA; Miss Ohio-America (1991).
- 1967 - Birth of Terry Mills; NBA forward (Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons).
- 1967 - Near the coast of northern Chile, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. Few deaths and injuries, but severe property damage at Quillagua and Tocopilla.
- 1967 - The first man to undergo a heart transplant (Louis Washkansky, age 55) dies in Cape Town, South Africa, after living for 18 days.
- 1967 - Stuart Erwin, actor (Trouble With Father), dies of heart attack at age 64.
- 1968 - Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders) is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the first manned Moon voyage.
- 1968 - Birth of Anthony Lynn; NFL running back (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32).
- 1968 - Birth of Khrystyne Haje in Santa Clara, California, USA; actress (Simone - Head of the Class).
- 1968 - David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash premiere together in California.
- 1969 - Birth of Chuck Smith; NFL defensive end (Atlanta Falcons).
- 1969 - Birth of Julie Delpy; actress (Before Sunrise).
- 1969 - Birth of Leon Searcy; NFL offensive tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars).
- 1969 - Vince Lombardi (Washington Redskins) coaches his last football game, losing.
- 1970 - Birth of Irving Spikes; NFL running back (Miami Dolphins).
- 1970 - Birth of Monique Ambers; WNBA forward (Phoenix Mercury).
- 1970 - Birth of Ronnie Woolfork; WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy).
- 1970 - The American F-14 Tomcat military jet first flies.
- 1971 - Birth of Ernest Hunter; NFL running back (Cleveland Browns).
- 1971 - Birth of Irena Slavutskay in Israel; athlete (Olympics-1996).
- 1971 - Birth of Jey Phillips; WLAF defensive back (Amsterdam Admirals).
- 1971 - Birth of Tommie Boyd; NFL/WLAF receiver (Detroit Lions, Rhein Fire).
- 1971 - United Nations Security Council chooses Kurt Waldheim as fourth Secretary General.
- 1972 - Horace Mann Bond, president of Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), dies at age 70.
- 1972 - Soviet Union signs a separate peace with German Democratic Republic.
- 1973 - Birth of Mike Alstott; fullback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
- 1973 - Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, US and USSR meet in Geneva, Switzerland.
- 1974 - Birth of Karrie Webb Ayr in Queensland, Australia; LPGA golfer (1994 Australian Strokeplay).
- 1974 - Birth of Raymond Austin; cornerback/safety (New York Jets).
- 1974 - The 100th episode of US TV show All In The Family airs.
- 1974 - Death of Richard Long at age 47 after multiple heart attacks; actor (The Big Valley TV show, Professor - Nanny and the Professor TV show, 77 Sunset Strip TV show, Pantomime Quiz TV show, Bourbon Street Beat TV show).
- 1975 - First New York Jets' player to gain 1,000 yards rushing (John Riggins).
- 1975 - 64th Davis Cup: Sweden beats Czechoslovakia in Stockholm (3-2).
- 1975 - Buffalo Sabres set NHL record of 40 points beating Washington Capitals 14-2 scoring five goals versus Capitals in 4:57.
- 1975 - Madagascar adopts constitution.
- 1975 - Death of William Lundigan at age 61 from lung and heart congestion; actor, announcer and host (CBS Mystery Theater, Climax, Shower of Stars).
- 1976 - 20th New York Islanders' shut-out opponent-Billy Smith 3-0 versus Boston Bruins.
- 1976 - Edward Bartlett, cricket player (West Indies Test batsman in five Tests 1928-31), dies.
- 1976 - United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution declaring 1979 the Year of Child.
- 1976 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1978 - Birth of Shaun Morgan, lead singer of South African band Seether.
- 1978 - Birth of Amber Corwin in Harbor City, California; figure skater (1997 Nationals - 5th).
- 1978 - Birth of Michael Vitar in Los Angeles, California; actor (D2, D3, Sunset Grill, Sandlot Kids).
- 1978 - Sports cartoonist Willard Mullin, creator of the lovable character known as the 'Brooklyn Bum', dies in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA at the age of 76.
- 1979 - Bill Anderson, cricket player (Test for New Zealand 1946, scored five and one), dies.
- 1979 - Gary Unger plays in record 914th consecutive NHL game.
- 1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1979 - A ceasefire for Rhodesia is signed at London, England.
- 1979 - Zimbabwe adopts constitution.
- 1980 - Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions.
- 1980 - Marc Connelly, playwright (One Minute Please), dies at age 90.
- 1981 - Cincinnati beats Bradley 75-73 in 7 overtimes (NCAA record).
- 1983 - NBA Indiana Pacers end a 28-game road losing streak.
- 1983 - NCAA rules rescind last two-minute men's basketball free throw rule.
- 1983 - Death of Rod Cameron at age 73; actor (over 75 films, Santa Fe Passage, Stampede, City Detective TV show, Coronado 9, Trooper Rod Blake - State Trooper).
- 1984 - New York Islanders' Kelly Hrudy's first shut-out win, over Hartford Whalers 1-0.
- 1984 - USSR launches Vega 2 for fly-by of Halley's Comet.
- 1985 - ARCO Anchorage runs aground near Port Angeles, Washington.
- 1985 - Alice Miller/Don January win LPGA Mazda Golf Championship.
- 1986 - 75th Davis Cup: Australia beats Sweden in Melbourne (3-2).
- 1986 - Amy Alcott/Bob Charles win LPGA Mazda Golf Championship.
- 1987 - Robert Paige, actor (Son of Dracula, Pardon My Sarong), dies.
- 1987 - Soyuz TM-4 carries three cosmonauts (Musa Manarov, Anatoly Levchenko, and Vladimir Titov) to space station Mir.
- 1988 - Drexel agrees guilt to security felonies, pays a US$650 million fine.
- 1988 - Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated in the cargo area when the plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet.
- 1988 - Death of Nikolaas Tinbergen at age 81, Dutch/British ornithologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1907).
- 1988 - Vladimir Titov, Anatoly Levchenko, and Musa Manarov return to Earth (after a year) with Chretien.
- 1989 - Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceausescu makes his final speech (he is executed four days later).
- 1989 - US Vice-President Dan Quayle sends out 30,000 Christmas cards with word "beacon" spelled "beakon".
- 1990 - Steve and Mark Waugh complete 464 partnership for New South Wales versus Western Australia.
- 1991 - 95 people share in Madrid, Spain $1.3 billion lottery (number47996).
- 1991 - Soviet Union formally dissolves; 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming Commonwealth of Independent States.
- 1992 - Albert King, American blues singer/guitarist (Crosscut Saw), dies at age 71 (born 1923).
- 1992 - A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport in Portugal, killing 56 people.
- 1992 - Nathan Milstein, Ukrainian/US violist (Beethoven, Bach), dies at age 87 (born 1903).
- 1992 - Death of Stella Adler at age 91; actress (Love on Toast), acting teacher (Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Martin Sheen, Roy Scheider).
- 1993 - Philip Christison, British general (Rangoon), dies at age 100.
- 1994 - A homemade bomb goes off on the #4 train on Fulton Street in New York City.
- 1995 - Martina Ertl of Germany wins her third giant slalom world cup.
- 1995 - David Cone re-signs with the New York Yankees in three-year deal worth US$18 million.
- 1995 - The Baltimore Orioles sign second baseman Roberto Alomar to a three-year US$18 million contract.
- 1995 - San Francisco Giants announce plans to build a new stadium to open in 2000.
- 1996 - Pakistan all out 67 to lose to Tasmania by an inning.
- 1996 - Death of Barry Gray AKA Bernard Yaroslaw at age 80; New York radio personality, father of the "Call-In" radio format.
- 1997 - Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders is third to run for 2,000 yards in a season.
- 1997 - Death of Johnny Coles at age 71 from cancer; jazz trumpeter (Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock).
- 1997 - Detroit Lions linebacker Reggie Brown knocked unconscious in game.
- 1997 - Juzo Itami, film director/actor (Lord Jim, Yuuguremade), dies at age 64.
- 1998 - United Nations Security Council members France, Germany and Russia call for sanctions to end against Iraq. The three Security Council members also call for UNSCOM to either be disbanded or for its role to be recast. The U.S. says it will veto any such proposal.
- 1999 - The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts near Calatayud (Zaragoza) a Madrid-bound van driven by ETA and loaded with 950kg of explosives.
- 2002 - A German Sikorsky CD-53 helicopter crashes at Kabul airport, Afghanistan, killing seven German soldiers.
- 2004 - Iraqi insurgents attack a U.S. military base in the city of Mosul, killing 22 people.
- 2006 - Death of Saparmurat Niyazov of heart failure in Turkmenistan; first secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party (1985-1991), first president of Turkmenistan (1991-2006).
- 2006 - Australian cricket player Shane Warne announces his retirement from the sport.
- 2007 - The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the Schengen border-free zone.
- 2007 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest-ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.
- 2008 - Gwadar port, Pakistan becomes fully operational.
- 2009 - Martin Brodeur, goalie for the NHL's New Jersey Devils breaks the record for shutouts with his 104th win, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- 2010 - The first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern winter solstice and Southern summer solstice since 1638 takes place.
- 2012 - Death of Pierre Bequet at age 80; French postage stamp designer, over 700 stamps for 36 countries over 40 years, winner of Prix de Rome award in 1960.
- 2018 - Warner Bros. releases the film Aquaman to theaters.
- 2018 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 22,445 after its worst week since 2008.
- 2020 - A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.
- 2020 - 36 cases of Covid-19 are reported on Antarctic, the last continent to report infections.
- 2020 - US Congress basses US$900 billion pandemic relief bill, including US$600 one-time payment to each citizen.
- 2021 - Death of Sir Carlyle Glean, 5th Governor-General of Grenada (born 1932).
|
|
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/ and revisit each day.
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events)
Or, visit my Timelines of History page.
|