12 December Topics
On This Day events for the month of December (second listing is published at Examiner.com)
December 1: Not a Hot Line – In 1878, a telephone was first installed in the White House.
Beauty, Wit, Charm – In 1919, Lady Astor became the first woman in the British House of Commons.
No President Elect - In 1824, there was no clear candidate for President elected.
Underground - In 1913, the Buenos Aires Metro opened.
December 2: Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness – In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency opens for business.
Colombian Coke – In 1993, Pablo Escobar was killed in a shootout.
Power Run – In 1956, Fiedel Castro and Che Guevara arrived in Cuba.
Prayer - In 1763, the Touro Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the US, was dedicated.
December 3: Bhopal – In 1984, the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India emits a huge cloud of noxious gases.
No More Beach Parties – In 1982, Times Beach, Missouri was found to be toxic.
Have a Heart - In 1967, the first heart transplant was performed.
Neon - In 1910, the Paris Motor Show Opened with some new sign display.
December 4: The Boss – In 1875, Boss Tweed escaped from prison.
Watch This – In 1791, the first Sunday newspaper was published.
Surf’s Up – In 1969, Greg Noll rode a big wave.
Home on the Grange – In 1867, the Grange was formed.
December 5: Off Into the Wild Blue Yonder – In 1945, five US Air Force planes are lost and a rescue plane also goes missing.
Twenty-One – In 1933, Prohibition was repealed.
Going, Going, Gone - In 1766, Christie’s Auction House was formed.
Yelling “Fire” in a Crowded Theater – In 1876, a fire at the Brooklyn Theater killed over 300.
December 6: Encyclopædia Britannica – In 1768, the first edition of the encyclopedia is released.
Under My Thumb – In 1969, a rock concert ends in murder.
Blood in the Water – In 1956, the Melbourne Olympics became violent.
Boom - In 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour.
December 7: The Blue Marble – In 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 took a world-famous picture of the world.
Can I See That Again? – In 1963, Instant Replay was first used during an Army Navy football game.
Fireproof - In 1946, the Winecoff Hotel burned.
Cicero - In 43 BC, the Roman statesman was assassinated.
December 8: John is Dead – In 1980, John Lennon was murdered.
Library – In 1609, the first continental European public library opened.
Da Bears – In 1940, the Bears and Redskins played football.
Women’s Work – In 1660, Othello opened with a woman playing the part of Desdemona, the first time that happened.
December 9: NYC’s First Daily – In 1793, Noah Webster began to publish NYC’s first daily newspaper.
Muckraker – In 1935, Walter Liggett was murdered for his belief in a free press.
Doctor? - In 1946, the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials began.
Coal Power – In 1911, the Cross Mountain Mine disaster occurred.
December 10: Stop! Go! – In 1868, the first traffic signal is used for the railroads.
Giving All – In 1907, a riot broke out in Trafalgar Square against the use of vivisection.
Nobel Prizes - In 1901, the first Nobel Prizes were awarded.
Two Marks – In 1884, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published.
December 11: What Would You Do for Love? – In 1936, King Edward VIII of England abdicates to be free to marry Wallis Simpson.
Rewriting History – In 2006, Holocaust revisionists met in Tehran, Iran.
UNICEF – In 1946, UNICEF was established.
Indiana - In 1816, Indiana was admitted to the Union.
December 12: Katzenjammer Kids – In 1897, the Katzenjammer Kids first saw print.
Dragon Master – In 1408, the Order of the Dragon was established.
Boom! – In 1862, the USS Cairo sunk.
Ice, Ice, Baby – In 1985, Arrow Air flight 1285 crashed shortly after takeoff.
December 13: Maximum Insecurity – In 2000, seven violent offenders escape from the John Connally Unit, a maximum security prison in Texas.
Cheaters – In 2007, the Mitchell Report was released.
Get Rael – In 1973, the Elohim reveal themselves to a human.
Tasman - In 1642, New Zealand was discovered by Europeans.
December 14: Queen of Gems – In 1656, the first fake pearl was made.
Strong Men; Great Leaders – In 1751, the first military academy was begun in Austria.
Bushidō - In 1702, the 47 Ronin avenge their daimyo.
Up, Up and Away – In 1782, the Montgolfier brothers took to the air in their flying balloon.
December 15: James Naismith – In 1891, the game of basketball was invented.
Back Up Is Essential – In 1836, the US Patent Office’s records were lost in a fire.
JFK Assassination – In 1960, an attempt was made on President-elect Kennedy’s life.
Push Comes to Shove – In 1905, the Pushkin House was established to hold Alexander Pushkin’s works.
December 16: Mississippi River Flowed North – In 1811, after a series of earthquakes, the Mississippi river flowed in the opposite direction for a time.
Mr. Music – In 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born.
Tea for Two – In 1773, the Boston Tea Party too place.
Protector - In 1653, Oliver Cromwell became the first Lord Protector of the Commonwealth.
December 17: Wilbur and Orville – In 1903, the brothers take the Wright Flyer up to the skies.
D’oh – In 1989, The Simpsons premiered.
Decree - In 1807, Napoleon I issued the Milan Decree.
Hot Time in the Old Town – In 1837, the Tsar’s home in St. Petersburg, the Winter Palace, caught fire.
December 18: The Grinch – The Dr. Seuss tales came to television for the first time.
Ancient Pueblo Housing – In 1888, Cliff Palace was discovered.
Nuke Power – In 1957, the first nuclear power plant in the US began producing power.
NFL Playoff - In 1932, the Chicago Bears beat the Portsmouth Spartans.
December 19: Monumental – In 1960, the San Jacinto Monument was declared a National History Landmark.
Believe – In 1918, Ripley began his carton series.
Tiny Tim - In 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol.
What’s Up, Doc? – In 1956, Dr. John Bodkin Adams was arrested.
December 20: Secret Police – In 1917, Lenin forms the first of a series of secret police, used to terrorize the citizens of Mother Russia.
Cardiff, Wales – In 1955, Cardiff became the capital of Wales.
Petrol on Fire – In 1984, the Summit Tunnel fire began.
Just Wonderful – In 1946, It’s a Wonderful Life was released in New York City.
December 21: Can You Use Ink? – In 1913, Arthur Wynn invented the crossword puzzle.
Norway – In 1962, Norway established its first national park.
Four in One Year – In 69 AD, Vespasian became Emperor of Rome.
Honor - In 1861, the Medal of Honor was instituted.
December 22: March to the Sea – In 1864, General Sherman finished his march into Savannah, Georgia.
First PM – In 1885, Ito Hirobumi became the first Prime Minister of Japan.
Fly Ash – In 2008, the TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant’s dike collapsed.
Under Water – In 1937, The Lincoln Tunnel in NYC was opened.
December 23: Jolly Old Elf – In 1823, Twas the Night Before Christmas was first published.
Survivor, The Real Story – In 1972, the Andes flight disaster finally comes to an end.
Tokyo Tower - In 1958, Tokyo Tower was dedicated.
Around the World in Nine Days – In 1986, the Voyager landed at Edwards Air Force Base completing a non-stop trip around the world.
December 24: The South Shall Rise Again – In 1865 six men began the KKK, then a simple social club.
Christmas – In 1777, James Cook discovered an uninhabited island in the Pacific.
Shhhhhh! – In 1818, Silent Night was written.
December 25: Mastodons – In 1801 the first complete mastodon skeleton was discovered.
Scone Stone – In 1950, the Stone of Scone was stolen.
It Is Finished - In 1991, the dissolution of the USSR was completed.
December 26: Kwanzaa – in 1966 the first Kwanzaa was celebrated.
Searching – In 1986, Search for Tomorrow went off the air after more than 35 years.
Zounds! Sounds! – In 1933, a patent was granted for FM radio.
December 27: Hagia Sophia – In 537, the Hagia Sophia was officially dedicated.
Coming into Port – In 1703, the Methuen Treaty was signed by Portugal and England.
Play Nice – In 1512, the Laws of Burgos were issued.
December 28: Child’s Play – In 1973, Akron, Ohio stops their association with Box Car Derby after cheating becomes rampant.
Neptune – In 1612, Galileo observed the planet Neptune.
Poor Ben – In 1732, an ad for Poor Richard’s Almanack was run in Ben Franklin’s newspaper.
December 29: The Awakened One – In 1993, the Tian Tan Buddha was consecrated.
Worst in America – In 1876, the Ashtabula Bridge collapsed.
Ooh-La-La - In 1721, Lady Pompadour was born.
December 30: Once in a Blue Moon – In 1982, the only total eclipse of a blue moon in the entire century took place.
Countess Bathory – In 1610, the Blood Countess was stopped.
Ted on the Loose – In 1977, Ted Bundy once again escaped from prison.
December 31: Dupont Plaza Hotel – In 1986, three unhappy employees set the hotel on fire.
Quarters – In 1960, the farthing was finished.
Longacre Square - In 1904, New Year’s Eve was celebrated in NYC.
