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What happened in history on this day: December 2?
On December 2 in ...
- 1463 - Albrecht VI archduke of Habsburg, dies.
- 1515 - Gonzalo de Córdoba Spanish general/strategist/viceroy of Naples, dies.
- 1547 - Death of Hernando Cortez at age 63 in Castilleja, Spain; conqueror of Mexico.
- 1592 - Alexander Farnese land guardian of Netherlands (1579-92), dies at age 46.
- 1620 - English language newspaper "Namloos" begins publishing in Amsterdam.
- 1678 - Birth of Nicolaas S Cruquius Dutch hydraulic engineer (drained Haarlemmermeer).
- 1682 - English Earl of Shaftesbury's flight to Amsterdam.
- 1697 - Saint Paul's Cathedral opens in London.
- 1719 - Pasquier Quesnel French theologist (La Foi), dies at age 85.
- 1723 - Philip French duke of Orléans/regent (1715-23)/Prime Minister (1723), dies.
- 1763 - Touro shul of Newport, Rhode Island dedicated (oldest existing US synagogue).
- 1777 - Birth of Henry Doeff; colonialist (wrote Dutch-Japanese dictionary).
- 1777 - British General Howe plots attack on US General George Washington's army for December 4.
- 1790 - Austrian army occupies Brussels.
- 1802 - Birth of Melancthon Smith Wade; US Brigadier-General (Union volunteers) (dies 1868).
- 1802 - English sell Suriname to Dutch.
- 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned first emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII.
- 1805 - Napoleon defeats Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz.
- 1812 - James Madison is re-elected President of US, with Elbridge Gerry as Vice-President.
- 1813 - Netherlands' Prince Willem Frederik accepts constitutional monarchy.
- 1816 - Philadelphia Savings Fund Society opens first savings bank in US to accept deposits.
- 1821 - Birth of Rufus Barringer; Brigadier-General (Confederate Army) (dies 1895).
- 1822 - In San Salvador, a congress proposes incorporation into US.
- 1823 - US President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine".
- 1825 - Birth of Pedro II van Alcantara; Emperor of Brazil (1831-89).
- 1828 - Simon Paap, Dutch 56cm tall dwarf/cabaret artist, dies at age 39.
- 1837 - Birth of Charles Garrison Harker; US Brigadier-General (Union volunteers) (dies 1864).
- 1840 - William H Harrison is elected President of US, with John Tyler as Vice-President.
- 1846 - Birth of Pierre M Waldeck-Rousseau; French Minister of Foreign affairs/premier.
- 1848 - Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicates in favor of his nephew, Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia.
- 1852 - Second French empire established; Louis Napoleon becomes emperor.
- 1859 - Birth of Georges Seurat in France; painter/pointillist (Grande Jatte).
- 1859 - John Brown, US abolitionist, hanged in Charles Town, Virginia at age 59. Brown had been found guilty of murder, treason, and inciting a slave insurrection.
- 1860 - Birth of C T Studd; cricket player (brother of G B Studd, five Tests for England).
- 1862 - Nicaragua issues its first postage stamps.
- 1863 - Thomas Crawford's statue Freedom is placed at the top of the US Capitol building.
- 1863 - Death of Jane Means Appleton Pierce, spouse of US President Franklin Pierce.
- 1864 - Archibald Gracie Junior, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 31.
- 1866 - Birth of Henry Thacker Burleigh in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA; composer (Springarn Medal).
- 1868 - First British government of Benjamin Disraeli resigns.
- 1868 - Birth of Francis Jammes; French poet/writer (Jammisme).
- 1869 - Birth of Jonas Cohn; German/English philosopher (Theory of the Dialects).
- 1875 - Birth of Frank Reicher in Munich, Germany; actor (King Kong, Son of Kong).
- 1885 - Birth of George Minot; US physician, worked on anemia (Nobel Prize 1934).
- 1885 - Birth of Níkos Kazantazakís in Greece; writer (Zorba, Last Temptation of Christ).
- 1887 - French President Grévy (age 80) resigns.
- 1888 - Mehmed N Kemal Bey, Turkish writer/journalist (Vatan), dies at age 47.
- 1893 - Birth of William Gaxton in San Francisco, California, USA; actor (Destry, Convoy).
- 1894 - Birth of Warren William [Krech] in Aitkin, Minnesota, USA; actor (Caesar - Cleopatra, Morgan - Go West Young Man).
- 1897 - Birth of Rewi Alley in New Zealand; writer (Americans in China).
- 1899 - Birth of John Barbirolli; English conductor (New York Philharmonic Orchestra).
- 1899 - US and Germany agree to divide Samoa between them.
- 1901 - Birth of Staf Gustaf Frans Nees; Flemish organist/composer (Simon Peter).
- 1901 - King Camp Gillette begins selling safety razor blades.
- 1902 - Birth of Horace A Hildreth; American politician (Governor-Maine, 1945-49).
- 1903 - The Panamanian Government signs the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, giving the USA exclusive rights to a canal zone.
- 1904 - Birth of Donald Woods in Brandon, Manitoba; actor (Tammy).
- 1906 - Birth of Eric Dalton; cricket player (two centuries in 15 Tests for South Africa 1929-39).
- 1906 - Birth of Peter Carl Goldmark; developed color TV and LP records.
- 1907 - English Professional Football Player's Association forms.
- 1907 - Tommy Burns knocks out Gunner Moir in 10 rounds to retain the heavyweight boxing title.
- 1908 - Birth of Robert F Simon in Mansfield, Ohio, USA; actor (Custer, MASH, Man Who Shot Liberty Valance).
- 1908 - Birth of Rufe Davis in Oklahoma, USA; actor (Cocoanut Grove, Trail Blazers, Gangs of Sonora).
- 1908 - Pu Yi (Hsuan-T'ung) becomes China's (last) emperor at age 3.
- 1910 - Birth of Robert Paige in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; actor (Colgate Comedy Hour).
- 1914 - Austria army occupies Belgrade, Serbia.
- 1914 - Birth of Bill Erwin in Honey Grove, Texas, USA; actor (Glenn - Struck by Lightning).
- 1914 - Birth of Eddie Sauter in Brooklyn, New York, USA; musician (Sauter-Finegan Band, Saturday Night Revue).
- 1914 - Birth of Herman Walston AKA Ray Walston in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; actor (Luther Billis - South Pacific, My Favorite Martian TV show, Mr. Applegate - Damn Yankees, Judge Henry Bone - Picket Fences TV show, Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie).
- 1915 - Birth of Randolph Apperson Hearst in California, USA; newspaper publisher, chairman of the Hearst Corporation (1973-1996).
- 1916 - Birth of John Bentley in Sparkhill, Birmingham, England; actor (The Chair, Hammer the Toff).
- 1917 - Birth of Ezra Stone; US actor/producer (Henry Aldrich).
- 1917 - Han Yong-woon founds Zen awakening at Osean Monastery in Korea.
- 1918 - Birth of Milton Delugg in Los Angeles, California, USA; orchestra leader (The Tonight Show).
- 1919 - Henry Clay Frick, built largest coke and steel operation, dies at age 69.
- 1922 - 10th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Queen's University defeats Edmonton Eskimos, 13-1.
- 1922 - Birth of Leo V Gordon in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Circus Boy, Enos, Winds of War).
- 1923 - Birth of Maria M Callas in New York City, New York, USA; soprano (Carmen, Mademoiselle Award-1953).
- 1923 - Birth of Meshulam Riklis; chief executive (McCrory Corporation), Mr. Pia Zadora.
- 1924 - Birth of Alexander Haig Junior in Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, USA; (Republican) US Secretary of State (1981-82)/general.
- 1924 - Birth of Jonathan Frid; actor (Barnabas Collins - Dark Shadows).
- 1924 - British-German trade agreement signed.
- 1925 - Birth of Julie Harris in Grosse Point, Michigan, USA; actress (Bell Jar, East of Eden).
- 1927 - Ford sells first Model A cars, in the USA, for US$385.
- 1928 - Saint Louis Cardinals first baseman Jim Bottomley is voted National League Most Valuable Player.
- 1929 - First skull of Peking man found, 50km out of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien.
- 1929 - Birth of Harvey Phillips in Aurora, Missouri, USA; tubist (New York City Ballet Orchestra).
- 1929 - Birth of Jaap Boersma; Dutch Minister for Social Affairs (ARP).
- 1929 - Birth of Lowell North in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA; yachtsman (Olympics-gold-1968).
- 1931 - Birth of Edwin Meese III; American Attorney General (1985-88).
- 1932 - Adventures of Charlie Chan first heard on NBC-Blue radio network.
- 1933 - First transatlantic telephone wedding (Bertil Clason-Sigrid Carlson).
- 1935 - Albert Kessel is first to die in California gas chamber.
- 1937 - Birth of Brian Lumley in England; author (Compleat Crow, Psychomech, Beneath the Moors).
- 1938 - Birth of Michael Levin in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; actor (Ryan's Hope).
- 1939 - British Imperial Airways and British Airways merge to form BOAC.
- 1939 - New York's La Guardia Airport begins operations as an airliner from Chicago lands, one minute after midnight.
- 1940 - Birth of Gerry Cheevers; NHL goalie (Boston Bruins, longest undefeated streak-32 games).
- 1940 - Birth of Willie Brown; NFL defensive back (Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders).
- 1941 - Birth of Paul C W Chu in China; physicist, superconductivity researcher.
- 1941 - Birth of Tom McGuiness; rocker (McGuiness-Flint).
- 1941 - Largest roller-skating rink (outside of New York City) opens in Peekskill, New York.
- 1941 - US Naval Intelligence ceases bugging Japanese consul.
- 1941 - New York Giants name Mel Ott as player-manager, replacing Bill Terry.
- 1941 - Japanese Yamamoto sends his fleet to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- 1942 - Scientists at the University of Chicago in the US induce a nuclear chain reaction, proving an atomic bomb to be possible.
- 1942 - Birth of Bob E Smith in Sacramento, California, USA; PGA golfer (1993 Yanase Cup).
- 1942 - Birth of Ted Bluechel in San Pedro, California, USA; rock vocalist/drummer (The Association).
- 1943 - First RSHA transport out of Vienna reaches Birkenau camp.
- 1943 - (0730 hours) Several German JU-88 bombers attack the Italian seaport of Bari. After 20 minutes, four ships have been damaged. One, a gasoline ship, explodes. Then an ammunition ship explodes. Sixteen cargo ships sink, with 1000 men killed. One ship containing 100 tons of mustard gas in 100-pound bombs sinks. 559 men suffer greatly from the gas poisoning, with a further 69 dying within two weeks.
- 1944 - 10th Heisman Trophy Award: Les(lie) Horvath, Ohio State (quarterback).
- 1944 - Birth of Cathy Lee Crosby in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Coach, That's Incredible).
- 1944 - Filippo T Marinetti, Italian writer (father of futurism), dies at age 67.
- 1944 - Charles de Gaulle meets with Josef Stalin in Moscow, over nine days. A military alliance is signed, against Germany now, and after the war.
- 1944 - German troops seize Betuwse dikes.
- 1944 - JW Ummels, Dutch resistance fighter (House of Saxon-Nazi), dies.
- 1944 - US 95th Infantry division occupies bridge at Saar.
- 1945 - Birth of Alan "Froggy" Thomson; cricket player (Australian quickie 1970-71).
- 1946 - Birth of Gianni Versace; fashion designer (Versace).
- 1947 - 13th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame (quarterback).
- 1947 - Birth of Dhiraj Parsana; cricket pace bowler (India versus West Indies 1978-79).
- 1948 - Stan Musial is picked National League Most Valuable Player.
- 1950 - Birth of Merrill Ashley in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; ballerina (New York City Ballet).
- 1950 - Vic Toweel knocks down Danny O'Sullivan 14 times in a title fight.
- 1951 - CBS premieres the See It Now 30-minute documentary TV show.
- 1951 - Philadelphia Eagles set NFL record of 25 first-downs rushing.
- 1952 - 18th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Vessels, Oklahoma (Half Back).
- 1952 - First human birth televised to public (KOA-TV Denver, Colorado, USA).
- 1952 - Birth of Keith Szarabajka in Oak Park, Illinois, USA; actor (Nightlife).
- 1952 - Birth of Michael McDonald in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; rock keyboardist/vocals (Doobie Brothers).
- 1953 - Birth of Jay Dean Haas in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; PGA golfer (1978 Andy Williams-San Diego).
- 1953 - Birth of Meg Griffin; DJ (WNEW-FM, WPLJ-FM, WKRK-FM)/VJ (V-1).
- 1953 - Birth of Myung-Whan Chung in Seoul, Korea; pianist (Chung Sisters).
- 1953 - Ernest Hayes, cricket player (Surrey bat played five Tests for England), dies.
- 1954 - Birth of Dan Butler; actor (Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe - Frasier).
- 1954 - Birth of Huub Stapel; Dutch actor (Amsterdamned, Attic: Hiding of Anne Frank).
- 1954 - Birth of Stone Phillips; news host (NBC Dateline).
- 1954 - Frank Selvy of Milwaukee sets then NBA record of 24 of 26 free throws.
- 1954 - US Senate censures Joe McCarthy (Senator-Republican-Wisconsin) for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
- 1955 - Birth of Dennis Christopher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Breaking Away, California Dreaming).
- 1956 - Birth of Steven Bauer in Havana, Cuba; actor (Scarface, Thief of Hearts).
- 1956 - Fidel Castro lands with "Granma" on coast of Cuba.
- 1957 - First US full-scale atomic electric power plant-power generated, Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
- 1957 - Harrison Ford, silent screen actor (Rubber Tires), dies at age 73.
- 1957 - Sam Cooke's song "You Send Me" reaches #1.
- 1958 - 24th Heisman Trophy Award: Pete Dawkins, Army (Half Back).
- 1958 - Benelux treaty signed by Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
- 1958 - Birth of Vladimir Parfenovich in USSR; 500 metre kayak (Olympics-gold-1980).
- 1959 - Birth of Greg Barton; kayak (Olympics-2 gold-1988).
- 1959 - Birth of Patty Jordan in Buffalo, New York, USA; LPGA golfer (1988 Mitsubishi Motors Ocean).
- 1959 - Malpasset dam collapses destroying French Riviera town of Frejus.
- 1960 - Birth of Rick Savage; bass player (Def Leppard - "Hysteria", "Rock of Ages").
- 1961 - First overtime Grey Cup game (Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21, Hamilton Tiger Cats 14).
- 1961 - Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist, and will lead Cuba to Communism.
- 1962 - 50th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat Hamilton Tiger Cats, 28-27 in Toronto, Ontario [overtime].
- 1962 - Birth of Tracy Austin; tennis pro (US Open 1979, 1981).
- 1963 - First Dutch rocket launched/reaches height of 10 km.
- 1963 - Major League Rules Committee bans oversized catcher's mitts, effective in 1965.
- 1963 - Sabu Sabu, actor (Jungle Book, Drums), dies of heart attack at age 39.
- 1964 - Birth of Brian Habib; NFL guard (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32).
- 1964 - Birth of Chip Hale in Santa Clara, California, USA; infielder (Minnesota Twins).
- 1964 - Birth of Yolanda Henry in Houston, Texas, USA; high jumper.
- 1964 - Roger Bissière, French painter, dies at age 76.
- 1965 - Birth of Karrie Mitchell in Arvada, Colorado, USA; Miss Colorado-America (1991-top 10).
- 1965 - The Rajkumar of Vizianagram, cricket player (Indian Test captain 1936), dies.
- 1966 - Birth of Anita Jokiel in Poland; gymnast (Olympics-1980).
- 1966 - Birth of Clive Eksteen; cricket player (South African slow left-armer 1993).
- 1966 - Birth of Kelly Buchberger in Langenburg, Saskatchewan, Canada; NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers).
- 1966 - Birth of Rob Sullivan in Chicago, Illinois, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1991 Tri-City Pro-Am).
- 1966 - Birth of Zeke Jones in Yipsilanti, Michigan, USA; 114.5 pounds freestyle wrestler (Olympics-1996).
- 1966 - Luitzen [Bertus] Brouwers, Dutch mathematician, dies at age 85.
- 1967 - 55th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat Saskatchewan Roughriders, 24-1.
- 1967 - Birth of Naeem Akhtar Rawalpindi; cricket medium-pacer (10-28 versus Peshawar 1995).
- 1967 - Cardinal Francis Spellman, archbishop of New York, dies at age 78.
- 1967 - First human heart transplant performed by Dr Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa. Louis Waskansky receives the heart of Denise Darvali in an operation taking six hours.
- 1968 - Birth of Darryl Kile in Garden Grove, California, USA; pitcher (Houston Astros).
- 1968 - Birth of Jiri Dopita in Sumperk, Czechoslovakia; hockey forward (Team Czechoslovakia Olympics-gold-1998).
- 1968 - Birth of Rena Sofer; actress (Eve - Melrose Place, Rocky - Loving, Lois Cerullo - General Hospital).
- 1968 - US President Richard Nixon names Henry Kissinger security advisor.
- 1969 - Birth of Lewis Bush; NFL outside linebacker (San Diego Chargers).
- 1969 - Birth of O J McDuffie; NFL wide receiver (Miami Dolphins).
- 1969 - Birth of Paul Francis Stankowski in Oxnard, California, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Las Vegas-5th).
- 1969 - Boeing 747 jumbo jet first public preview (Seattle, Washington to New York City, New York).
- 1969 - Kliment J Voroshilov, President of USSR (1953-60), dies.
- 1970 - Birth of Rene Pucher in Presov, Czechoslovakia; hockey forward (Team Slovakia).
- 1970 - Dora Paulen, German/Dutch cabaretière, dies at about age 72.
- 1970 - American Environmental Protection Agency begins (Director: William Ruckelshaus).
- 1971 - Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujeira, Sharjah, and Umm al Qiwain form the United Arab Emirates.
- 1971 - Birth of Jessie Hicks; WNBA forward/center (Utah Starzz).
- 1971 - Birth of Rachel McQuillan Merewether in New South Wales, Australia; tennis star (1989 Futures ITA).
- 1971 - Birth of Roy van de Hill; soccer player (Roda JC).
- 1971 - Soviet Mars 3 is first to soft land on Mars.
- 1971 - Zayid bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan of Abu Dhabi becomes President of United Arab Emirates.
- 1972 - "December Giant" largest sinkhole in US collapses (Alabama).
- 1972 - 60th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat Saskatchewan Roughriders, 13-10.
- 1972 - Birth of Alan Henderson; NBA forward (Atlanta Hawks).
- 1972 - Birth of Chris Burns; Canadian Football League tackle (Calgary Stampeders).
- 1972 - Birth of James Willis; linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles).
- 1972 - Birth of Sunjith Somasunder; cricket player (Karnataka and India ODI opening bat 1996).
- 1972 - Birth of Zack Crockett; NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts).
- 1972 - Friedrich Christian Christiansen, German Luftwaffe general, dies.
- 1972 - In one of their worst trades New York Yankees get Rich McKinney for Stan Bahnsen.
- 1972 - José Limón, Mexican/US dancer (moor's pavane), dies at age 64.
- 1973 - 62nd Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Cleveland (5-0).
- 1973 - Birth of Kevin Feighery; NFL/WLAF punter (New York Giants, Florida Panthers, Frankfurt Galaxy).
- 1973 - Birth of Monica Seles in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia; tennis star (US Open-1992, French Open-1990).
- 1973 - US Air Arena opens in Landover, Maryland, Baltimore Bullets beat Seattle Supersonics, 98-96.
- 1974 - Giant Baba beats Jack Brisco in Kagoshimi, to become NWA champion.
- 1974 - Soyuz 16 launched into Earth orbit for six days.
- 1975 - Seven South Moluccans hijack train at Wijster Drente, three killed.
- 1975 - Birth of Brett Lindros in London, England; NHL right wing (New York Islanders).
- 1975 - Birth of Mark Kotsay in Whittier, California; baseball outfielder (Olympics-bronze-1996).
- 1975 - G S Chappell gets ton in each inning of first Test Cricket as captain versus West Indies.
- 1975 - Laos falls to communist forces; King Sisavang Vatthana resigns, Lao People's Democratic Republic proclaimed.
- 1976 - Danny Murtaugh, baseball manager (Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at age 59.
- 1976 - Death of William Tannen at age 65; actor (The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Daniel Boone, Rawhide, Bat Masterson, Annie Oakley, Lone Ranger, The Roy Rogers Show).
- 1978 - Chanting "Allah is great", anti-Shah protesters pour through Tehran, Iran.
- 1978 - Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" hits #1.
- 1979 - Crowds attack US embassy at Tripoli, Libya.
- 1979 - Foots Walker becomes the first Cleveland Cavaliers' player to score a triple-double.
- 1979 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1979 - Death of H.A. Seaby in London, England; founded B.A. Seaby Ltd coin dealership in 1926, author of The Milled Silver Coinage of England, Catalog of the Coins of Great Britain and Ireland, Roman Silver Coins.
- 1980 - Four American Maryknoll nuns killed by death squads in El Salvador.
- 1981 - Birth of Britney Jean Spears in Kentwood, Louisiana; singer ("Baby One More Time", "You Drive Me Crazy", "Oops I Did It Again").
- 1981 - Fernando Valenzuela (Los Angeles Dodgers) wins National League Rookie of the Year.
- 1981 - Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco opens at 11:30 AM.
- 1981 - Nicolaas "Cola" Debrot, Governor of Dutch Antilles (1962-70), dies at age 79.
- 1981 - Spanish government requests membership in NATO.
- 1981 - Wallace K[irkman] Harrison, US architect (United Nations), dies at age 86.
- 1982 - Death of Marty Feldman at age 49 after a massive heart attack in Mexico; actor/comedian (Dean Martin Goldiggers' Show, Marty Feldman Comedy Machine).
- 1982 - At the University of Utah, 61-year-old retired dentist Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart (he will live for 112 days with the device). Doctor William DeVries performs the implant of a Jarvik-7 artificial heart.
- 1983 - Michael Jackson's music video for "Thriller" is broadcast for the first time.
- 1983 - Atholl Mckinnon, cricket player (South African lefty spinner in 8 Tests), dies.
- 1983 - Fifi D'Orsay "French Bombshell", Canadian actress (Dixie Jamboree), dies cancer at age 79 (born 1904).
- 1984 - Bob Hawke's government is re-elected in Australia with a reduced majority.
- 1984 - Fourth meeting of San Francisco Giants-New York Jets, Giants even series at two with 20-10 win.
- 1984 - Bob Holland takes 9-83 for New South Wales against South Australia, Sydney Cricket Ground.
- 1984 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1985 - Alex Courtney, actor (Sword of Justice), dies.
- 1985 - Philip Larkin [hermit of Hull] English poet, dies at age 63.
- 1985 - Philippine Chief of Staff General Fabian speaks of B Aquino's murder.
- 1986 - Death of Desi Arnaz of lung cancer at age 69; American actor (Ricky Ricardo - I Love Lucy).
- 1987 - "334" club forms as 334 brave New Jersey Devils' fans journey through 20 inches of snow to attend New Jersey Devils 7-5 victory over Calgary Flames at Meadowlands colliseum.
- 1987 - Jennifer Steele, age 17, of Colorado becomes Miss Teen America.
- 1987 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1987 - Death of Luis Federico Leloir, French-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906).
- 1988 - Five gunmen who hijacked Soviet Aeroflot jet surrender in Israel.
- 1988 - Birth of Edward EMG baron Downpatrick, grandson of English prince Edward.
- 1988 - United Nations votes 151-2 (Israel and US against, Britain abstains) to move Palestinian Liberation Organization debate to Geneva.
- 1988 - A cyclone in Bangladesh leaves 5 million homeless and thousands dead.
- 1988 - Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
- 1988 - Death of Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (Quartetto Cetra) (born 1922).
- 1989 - 55th Heisman Trophy Award: Andre Ware, Houston Oilers (quarterback).
- 1989 - Vishwanath Pratap Singh sworn in as President of India.
- 1990 - First parliamentary election in newly reunified Germany: a coalition led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
- 1990 - 79th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Saint Petersburg (3-2).
- 1990 - Aaron Copland, American composer (Fanfare for the Common Man), dies at age 90 (born 1900).
- 1990 - Beth Daniel/Davis Love win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic.
- 1990 - Death of Robert Cummings at age 82 of kidney failure; actor (Twelve Angry Men (1954, Emmy award), The Bob Cummings Show, My Hero, My Living Doll, Love That Bob).
- 1990 - US 69th manned space mission STS 35 (Columbia 11) launches into orbit.
- 1991 - Bobby Bonilla signs record $29 million-5 year pact with the New York Mets.
- 1991 - Muslim Shiites release American held hostage in Lebanon (Joseph Cicippio).
- 1991 - Canada recognizes Ukrainian independence, the first western country to do so.
- 1991 - In Romania, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurs. Some people injured, about 4,500 people homeless and more than 5,000 buildings damaged.
- 1992 - Gary Mascaro, choreographer, dies at age 43.
- 1992 - Loek Elfferich, Dutch journalist/historian (Treason in Rotterdam), dies.
- 1993 - Dow Jones Industrial Average hits record 3702.11.
- 1993 - Houston Rockets tie NBA record of 15-0 start.
- 1993 - Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellín Cartel, is gunned down in Medellín when police try to arrest him.
- 1993 - NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission (STS-61) to repair an optical flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope.
- 1994 - Passenger liner Achille Lauro (former Willem Ruys) sinks off the coast of Somalia.
- 1994 - Donald John Urquhart, librarian, dies at age 85.
- 1994 - James Norman Dalrymple Anderson, lawyer, dies at age 86.
- 1994 - The Australian government agrees to pay reparations to indigenous Australians who were displaced during the nuclear tests at Maralinga in the 1950s and 1960s.
- 1995 - Francis Joseph Quinn, academic, dies at age 90.
- 1995 - Roxie Roker, actress (Helen Willis - The Jeffersons) / mother of Lenny Kravitz, dies of breast cancer at age 66.
- 1995 - Death of Robertson Davies AKA Samuel Marchbanks at age 82 of a stroke in hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; novelist (The Cunning Man (1995), Fifth Business (1970)), playwright (Eros at Breakfast (1949), At My Heart's Core (1950)), critic, journalist, professor (University of Toronto).
- 1996 - Penelope Jessel, politcal activist, dies at age 76.
- 1996 - In Kyushu, Japan, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs.
- 1997 - MCI Center opens in Washington DC, as Washington Wizards play the Seattle SuperSonics.
- 1997 - Pope John Paul II creates the archbishopric of Vaduz in Liechtenstein. The first archbishop is Wolfgang Haas.
- 1999 - AlliedSignal Incorporated changes its company name to Honeywell International.
- 1999 - The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.
- 2001 - Enron Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court, five days after Dynegy cancels a US$8.4 billion buyout bid. At the time this is the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history.
- 2004 - David Bieber, a 38-year-old former American marine, is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Leeds policeman and the attempted murder of two others following an incident on December 26, 2003. The trial judge recommends that he should never be released from prison.
- 2004 - Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS handheld video game system in Japan. 500,000 units are sold in the first four days.
- 2005 - In Wentworth, North Carolina, Kenneth Boyd becomes the 1,000th person to be executed in the United States since the re-introduction of capital punishment in 1976.
- 2005 - The £140 million (US$240 million) extension of the Docklands Light Railway in London opens, linking Canning Town to North Woolwich and London City Airport.
- 2005 - Death of Nguyen Tuong Van, executed in Singapore for drug trafficking.
- 2006 - In Rome, about two million people, led by opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, demonstrate against Romano Prodi's government.
- 2006 - Stephane Dion is elected the new Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, on the fourth ballot.
- 2007 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's proposed changes to the Venezuelan constitution are narrowly defeated in a nationwide referendum. The proposal would make changes to 69 of 350 articles of 1999 constitution to concentrate almost all power in the executive, and instituting socialism.
- 2007 - United Russia party of Vladimir Putin wins parliamentary elections in Russia, increasing their majority with 64 percent of the votes.
- 2007 - Activision and Vivendi Games announce a merger, to be called Activision Blizzard. The US$18.9 billion deal is the biggest ever in the videogame industry.
- 2007 - Death of Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic and novelist (born 1916).
- 2007 - Death of Les Shannon, English football player and manager (born 1926).
- 2007 - Death of Thomas Torrance, Scottish Protestant theologian (born 1913).
- 2008 - After weeks of opposition-led protests, the Constitutional Court of Thailand dissolves the governing People's Power Party and two coalition member parties, and bans leaders of the parties, including Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, from politics for five years. As such, Wongsawat promptly resigns and is replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul as caretaker Prime Minister.
- 2008 - US President-elect Barack Obama names New York Senator Hillary Clinton as his nominee for secretary of state, and asks U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain in office.
- 2008 - (to December 3) In Geneva, Switzerland, the Numismatica Genevensis auction of coins is held. Some highlights:
- Roman circa 135 C.E. Hadrian bronze sestertius, one of five known: 2.3 million Swiss francs (US$1.9 million), a record for an ancient Roman coin;
- Roman gold stater of Titus Quinctius Flamininus, circa 196 B.C.E.: 575,000 Swiss francs (US$475,000);
- silver tetradrachm of Amphipolis, circa 168-149 B.C.E., one of eight known: 230,000 Swiss francs (about US$190,000);
- Italy 1864 gold 50-lira coin: 430,000 Swiss francs (US$355,000);
- Russia 1876 gold 25-ruble Proof coin: 402,500 Swiss francs (US$333,000);
- Greek 407/6 B.C.E. Athens gold stater, one of four known: 1,092,500 Swiss francs (US$902,766), a record price for any Greek coin.
- 2008 - Canadian media magnate Ted Rogers, founder and CEO of Rogers Communications, dies at age 75 in Toronto, Ontario.
- 2008 - Australia's central bank cuts the interest rate from 5.25 percent to 4.25.
- 2008 - The Bank of Japan announces it will accept, until April, corporate debt as collateral from commercial banks for new loans, up to 3 trillion yen (US$32 billion) total.
- 2008 - A sestertius coin of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 C.E.) sells for a record 2.3 million Swiss francs (US$1.9 million) at auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
- 2009 - Death of Maggie Jones at age 75 in England; actress (Coronation Street TV show).
- 2019 - Typhoon Kammuri hits the Philippines, causing the evacuation of 200,000 people.
- 2019 - (to December 13) The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference takes place in Madrid, Spain.
- 2020 - The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs votes to remove cannabis from a list of dangerous drugs in recognition of its medical value, although some controls will remain.
- 2020 - The United Kingdom approves Pfizer-BioNTech's BNT162b2 vaccine, being the first country in the world to do so.
- 2020 - Death of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 20th President of France (born 1926).
- 2020 - Death of Zafarullah Khan Jamali, 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan (born 1944).
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