This Day in History
December 4

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: December 4?

On December 4 in ...

  • 771 - Karloman II, French king of Burgundy, dies at about age 20.
  • 771 - Karel, the Great, becomes king of all France.
  • 811 - Charles, eldest son of emperor Charles the Great, dies at about age 39.
  • 1110 - Syria harbor city Saida (Sidon) surrenders to Crusaders.
  • 1137 - Lotharius III of Supplinburg emperor (1125, 33-37), dies at age 67.
  • 1182 - Henry Earl of Gelre/Zutphen (1141/79-82), dies.
  • 1197 - Crusaders wound Rabbi Elezar ben Judah.
  • 1259 - Treaty of Paris between English king Henry III and French king Louis IX.
  • 1334 - John XXII [Jacques Duèze] Pope (316-34), dies.
  • 1371 - Reinald III the Fat Duke, Duke of Gelre (1343-61), dies at age 38.
  • 1371 - Stefanus X Uros V King of Serbia (1355-71), dies.
  • 1443 - Birth of Pope Julius II (1503-13), patron of Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael.
  • 1489 - Battle of Baza-Spanish army captures Baza from the Moors.
  • 1514 - Richard Hunne English "heretic", commits suicide(?).
  • 1534 - Turkish sultan Suleiman occupies Baghdad.
  • 1563 - Council of Trent holds last session, after 18 years.
  • 1584 - Birth of John Cotton Puritan clergyman in Massachusetts Bay colony.
  • 1619 - America's first Thanksgiving Day (Virginia).
  • 1639 - Jeremiah Horrocks makes the first observation of a transit of Venus.
  • 1642 - Armand-Jean Duplessis Richelieu bishop of Luçon, dies at about age 57.
  • 1644 - First European peace congress opens in Münster.
  • 1649 - Outgert Arisz Akersloot Dutch silversmith, dies at about age 73.
  • 1655 - Middelburg Netherlands forbids building of synagogue.
  • 1665 - Jean Racine's "Alexandre le Grand" premieres in Paris.
  • 1667 - Birth of Michel Pignolet de Monteclair composer.
  • 1674 - Father Marquette builds first dwelling in what is now Chicago.
  • 1676 - Johann Georg Ebeling composer, dies at age 39.
  • 1676 - The Battle of Lund is fought. Swedish forces defeat the Danes, driving them out. 5000 Danes and 3000 Swedes are killed.
  • 1680 - Hen in Rome lays an egg imprinted with comet not seen until December 16th.
  • 1682 - First General Assembly in Pennsylvania (Chester).
  • 1688 - General strategist John Churchill joins with Willem III.
  • 1691 - Emperor Leopold I takes control of Transsylvania.
  • 1691 - Spanish king Carlos II names Maximilian II viceroy of South Netherlands.
  • 1732 - John Gay English poet (Beggar's Opera), dies at age 47.
  • 1745 - Bonnie Prince Charles reaches Derby.
  • 1783 - General Washington bids officers farewell at Fraunce's Tavern, New York City, New York.
  • 1786 - Birth of John LA Luyten; Catholic Member of Dutch second parliament.
  • 1791 - Britain's Observer, oldest Sunday newspaper in world, is first published.
  • 1795 - Birth of Thomas Carlyle in Scotland; essayist/historian (French Revolution).
  • 1798 - Rebellious Flemish farmers occupy Hasselt.
  • 1800 - Birth of Emil Aarestrup; Danish physician/poet (Ritornellen).
  • 1803 - Birth of Augustus Zerega diZerega in Martinique; ship owner (Red Z Lane).
  • 1807 - Death of Prince Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; activist/Masonic leader.
  • 1808 - Birth of Ernest Panckoucke; French publisher (Horatius).
  • 1812 - Birth of Elias Smith Dennis; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1894).
  • 1812 - Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA patents a horse-drawn lawn mower.
  • 1816 - James Monroe (Virginia), elected 5th US President, defeating Federalist Rufus King.
  • 1818 - Birth of William Wing "Old Blizzards" Loring; Major General (Confederate Army).
  • 1822 - Birth of Frances Crabbe in England; feminist, founded Anti-Vivisection Society.
  • 1829 - Britain abolishes "suttee" practice in India (widow burning herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre.
  • 1832 - French army begins bombing citadel of Antwerp.
  • 1833 - American Anti-Slavery Society formed by Arthur Tappan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • 1835 - Birth of Samuel Butler in England; author (Erewhom, Way of All Flesh).
  • 1836 - Whig party holds its first national convention, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
  • 1843 - Manila paper (made from sails, canvas and rope) is patented, in Massachusetts, USA.
  • 1844 - James K Polk is elected 11th President of US, George M Dallas as Vice President.
  • 1851 - Forces loyal to President Louis Napolean Bonaparte crush a coup d'etat in France.
  • 1858 - Birth of Billy Gunn; cricket player (Notts and England batsman in 11 Tests 1886-99).
  • 1861 - Birth of Lillian Russell [Helen Leonard]; US singer/actress (Great Mogul).
  • 1863 - Storm flood ravages Nethe coastal provinces.
  • 1864 - Romanian Jews are forbidden to practice law.
  • 1865 - Birth of Edith Louisa Cavell in England; nurse (WWI).
  • 1866 - Birth of Vassily Kandinsky; Russian/German/French abstract artist (Dreamy Inspiration).
  • 1867 - The Grange is organized to protect farm interests.
  • 1874 - Birth of Jean H L Bossard; actor/impresario (Merchant of Venice).
  • 1875 - Birth of Rainer Maria Rilke in Germany; poet (Duino Elegies).
  • 1876 - Birth of Dimitur Poljanov [Popov] in Bulgaria; poet (Iron Poems).
  • 1881 - The Los Angeles Times newspaper is first published.
  • 1881 - Birth of Erwin von Witzleben; German fieldmarshal (July 20th plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler).
  • 1888 - Birth of Aleksandar I Karadordjevic; king of Yugoslavia (1921-34).
  • 1889 - Birth of Buck Jones AKA Charles F Gebhart; US actor (War Horse).
  • 1889 - Birth of Isabel Randolph in Illinois, USA; actress (Fuller Brush Girl, Our Miss Brooks).
  • 1889 - Stanley's expedition reaches Bagamoyo in Indian Ocean.
  • 1891 - Birth of Felix Schlag in Frankfurt, Germany; designer of US Jefferson 5-cent coin.
  • 1892 - Birth of Francisco Franco y Bahamonde; general/dictator of Spain (1936-75).
  • 1895 - Birth of Nils FA Nilsson in Piraten; Swedish writer (Bombi Bitt Och Jag).
  • 1896 - Birth of Nikolai S Tichonov; Russian writer (against Pasternak).
  • 1897 - Birth of Mari Andriessen; Dutch sculptor (Dock Worker).
  • 1899 - Webb Hayes, son of US President Rutherford Hayes, receives Medal of Honor.
  • 1903 - Birth of Cornell Woolrich; US writer (El Angel Negro).
  • 1905 - Birth of Emilio Médici; President of Brazil (1969-74).
  • 1905 - British government of Arthur James Balfour resigns.
  • 1907 - Birth of Jo Boer; Dutch author (Catharina and the Magnolias).
  • 1908 - Birth of A D Hershey; US biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel Prize 1969).
  • 1908 - Haiti's President General Alexis Nord flees from military coup.
  • 1909 - First Canadian Football League Grey Cup: University of Toronto defeats Toronto Parkdale, 26-6.
  • 1909 - Paul-Albert Besnard, French painter/graphic artist (Elle), dies at age 60.
  • 1910 - Birth of Alex North in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; composer (Spartacus, Viva Zapata, Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf).
  • 1910 - Birth of Amar Singh; cricket player (dashing Indian all-rounder of thirties).
  • 1910 - Birth of Ramaswamy Venkataraman; President of India (1987-92).
  • 1912 - Birth of Alfons "Alphons" Berckmans; Flemish/British actor (Family Stastok).
  • 1912 - Birth of Jack Walsh; New South Wales/Leicestershire cricket china bowler (didn't represent Australia).
  • 1912 - Birth of John W Pritchard [Ian Wallace]; US sci-fi author (Megalomania).
  • 1915 - Birth of Alan Jackson in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA; newscaster (head anchor at CBS Radio News for over 25 years).
  • 1915 - Birth of Fred Freer; cricket player (Australian pace bowler played one Test in 1946).
  • 1915 - Frank Jack Fletcher is first admiral to receive Congressional Medal of Honor.
  • 1915 - Birth of Eddie Heywood Junior in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; pianist and composer ("Canadian Sunset").
  • 1915 - The Ku Klux Klan receives charter from Fulton County, Georgia, USA.
  • 1915 - The Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held in San Francisco, California, closes. 19 million visitors attended the event.
  • 1918 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails to the peace talks in Versailles, France, becoming the first U.S. president to travel to Europe while in office.
  • 1920 - First Pro football playoff game Buffalo-7, Canton-3 at Polo Grounds stadium.
  • 1920 - 8th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: University of Toronto defeats Toronto Argonauts, 16-3.
  • 1920 - Birth of Michael Bates in Jhansi, India; actor (A Clockwork Orange, Patton).
  • 1921 - Birth of Deanna Durbin in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; actress/vocalist (100 Men and a Girl).
  • 1922 - Birth of Gerard Philipe in Cannes, France; actor (Caligula, Le Diable au Corps).
  • 1923 - Birth of Charles Keating; district attorney (Los Angeles, California).
  • 1923 - [Auguste-]Maurice Barrès, French writer/parliament leader, dies at age 61.
  • 1924 - Birth of John Portman in South Carolina, USA; architect (Ivan Allen Award-1964).
  • 1925 - Birth of Maurice Binder in New York City, New York, USA; photographer/film titler (James Bond films).
  • 1926 - 14th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Ottawa Senators defeat University of Toronto, 10-7.
  • 1927 - Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Waner wins National League Most Valuable Player.
  • 1928 - Birth of Dena Dietrich in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Dena - Karen, Ethel - The Ropers).
  • 1928 - Birth of Russell L Rogers; US Air Force/astronaut (X-20).
  • 1930 - Birth of Harvey Kuenn; baseball player (American League Rookie of the Year-1953).
  • 1930 - Birth of Ronnie Corbett in England; comedian (The Two Ronnies).
  • 1930 - French government of André Tardieu falls.
  • 1930 - Vatican approves rhythm method for birth control.
  • 1932 - Birth of Roh Tae Woo in Taegu, South Korea; President of South Korea (1988-93).
  • 1933 - Birth of Horst Buchholz in Berlin, Germany; actor (Charlie's Angels, How the West Was Won, Raid on Entebbe, Crossings, Logan's Run, Danny Thomas Hour, Sahara, The Magnificent Seven).
  • 1933 - US President Franklin Roosevelt creates Federal Alcohol Control Administration.
  • 1933 - Stefan George, German poet (Das neue Reich), dies at age 65.
  • 1934 - Birth of Victor French in Santa Barbara, California, USA; actor (Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Carter Country).
  • 1934 - Birth of Wink [Winston Conrad] Martindale in Jackson, Tennessee, USA; radio/TV game show host (Tic-Tac-Dough, Can You Top This, Music of Your Life).
  • 1935 - Birth of Fred Rumsey in England; cricket lefty pace bowler (5 Tests 1964-65).
  • 1935 - Hylton Philipson, cricket player (England keeper in five Tests 1892-95), dies.
  • 1937 - Birth of Donnelly Rhodes in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; actor (Dutch - Soap, Double Trouble, DaVinci's Inquest, Danger Bay, The Young and the Restless).
  • 1937 - Birth of Max Baer Junior in Oakland, California, USA; actor/producer (Jethro - The Beverly Hillbillies).
  • 1938 - Birth of Andre Marrou; US Libertarian presidential candidate (1992).
  • 1938 - Birth of Liesbeth Struppert; actress (Miep Gies - Anne Frank).
  • 1940 - Birth of Freddy Cannon [Picariello] in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA; rocker (Palisades Park).
  • 1940 - Birth of John Cale in Wales; rock vocalist/keyboardist (Velvet Underground).
  • 1941 - Birth of Humberto Solas; director/writer (Lucia).
  • 1941 - Birth of Raul Blanco; Australian soccer assistant coach (Olyroos, Olympics-1996).
  • 1941 - German ordinances places Jews of Poland outside protection of courts.
  • 1942 - First US citizenship granted an alien on foreign soil (James Hoey).
  • 1942 - Birth of Bob Mosley in Paradise Valleym California, USA; rock bassist (Moby Grape).
  • 1942 - Birth of Chris Hillman in San Diego, California, USA; singer (Byrds - "Turn Turn Turn", "Mr Tambourine Man").
  • 1942 - Birth of Gemma Jones; British actress (Duchess of Duke Street).
  • 1942 - US President Franklin Roosevelt orders dismantling of Works Progress Administration.
  • 1942 - US bombers strike Italian mainland for first time in World War II.
  • 1943 - Second conference of Caïro: US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Turkish President Inönü.
  • 1943 - Birth of Patti Chandler in California, USA; actress (Bikini Beach).
  • 1943 - US Major League Baseball Commissioner Landis announces any baseball club may sign Negroes.
  • 1943 - Yugoslavian resistance forms provisionary government under Dr Ribar.
  • 1944 - Birth of Dennis Wilson in Hawthorne, California, USA; drummer/vocalist (Beach Boys - "In My Room", "California Dreaming").
  • 1944 - Germans destroy Rhine dikes, flooding Betuwe.
  • 1945 - 11th Heisman Trophy Award: Doc Blanchard, Army (FB); he is first junior to win the trophy.
  • 1945 - US Senate approves US participation in United Nations.
  • 1947 - USSR joins International Amateur Athletic Union.
  • 1948 - Birth of Roberta Lynn in Bondar, Ontario, Canada; astronaut (STS 42).
  • 1948 - Birth of Southside Johnny Lyon in Neptune, New Jersey, USA; rocker (Asbury Jukes - "Don't Want Go Home").
  • 1948 - Refugee ship SS Kiangya hits mine in Whangpoo River, China, sinks killing 2,750.
  • 1949 - Birth of Jeff Bridges in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Stay Hungry, Jagged Edge, Against All Odds, Sea Hunt, The Girls in Their Summer Dresses).
  • 1949 - Birth of Mary Bea Porter-King in Everett, Washington, USA; LPGA golfer (1975 Golf Inns Classic).
  • 1949 - Bob Gage ties NFL record of a 97-yard touchdown run.
  • 1950 - Birth of Pamela Stephenson in Auckland, New Zealand; actress (Superman III, Saturday Night Live).
  • 1951 - Birth of Gary Rossington; rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band).
  • 1951 - Birth of Patricia Wettig in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; actress (Nancy Weston - Thirty Something, Brothers and Sisters, Prison Break).
  • 1951 - Superheated gases roll down Mount Catarman (Philippines), killing 500.
  • 1952 - Birth of Ronald Michael Sega in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; PhD/Astronaut (STS 60, 76).
  • 1952 - Karen Horney, German/US neo freudian psycho analyst, dies at age 67.
  • 1952 - Killer fogs begin in London England; "Smog" becomes a word. Over 4000 die.
  • 1952 - Walter P Reuther chosen chairman of CIO.
  • 1954 - The first Burger King opens, in Miami, Florida.
  • 1954 - Nina Vasar, wife of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, dies.
  • 1955 - Birth of Brian Prout in Troy, New York, USA; singer (Diamond Rio - "Meet in the Middle").
  • 1955 - Manager Alfrink installed as archbishop of Utrecht.
  • 1956 - 22nd Heisman Trophy Award: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame (quarterback).
  • 1956 - Birth of Bernard King; basketball player (New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets).
  • 1956 - Birth of Blagoi Blagoyev in Bulgaria; 82.5kg weightlifter (Olympics-silver-1976).
  • 1956 - Birth of Herbert Groenemeyer in Germany; rocker (OE, Luxus, Chaos, Spruenge).
  • 1957 - First edition of Chase's Annual Events published.
  • 1957 - Two commuter trains collide in heavy fog killing 90 (Saint John's, England).
  • 1957 - Birth of Lee Smith in Jamestown, Louisiana, USA; pitcher (Cincinnati Reds).
  • 1957 - Birth of Raul Boesel in Brazil; Indy-car racer (CART).
  • 1958 - Birth of Bill Roy in Versailles, Illinois, USA; skeet (Olympics-1996).
  • 1958 - Dahomey and Ivory Coast become autonomous republics within the French Community.
  • 1958 - Finnish government of Fagerholm resigns.
  • 1959 - Birth of Bob Griffin; rock musician (The BoDeans).
  • 1959 - Rosetta Duncan (Duncan Sisters) dies in an auto accident at age 58.
  • 1959 - A monkey returns to Earth safely, after being launched 55 miles high into outer space by the United States space program.
  • 1961 - Birth of Frank Reich; NFL quarterback (Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions).
  • 1961 - Floyd Patterson knocks out Tom McNeeley in four rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
  • 1961 - New York Museum of Modern Art corrects orientation of Matisse's Le Bateau painting (it hung upside down for 47 days).
  • 1961 - Smallest New York Knicks crowd at 49th Steet Madison Square Garden - 1,300 (due to snowstorm).
  • 1961 - Tanganyika becomes the 104th member of the United Nations.
  • 1962 - Birth of Vinnie Dombroski; Rock singer (Sponge).
  • 1962 - Birth of Arnold Scholten; soccer player (Feyenoord).
  • 1962 - Birth of John Gaasbeek; soccer player (FC Twente/NAC).
  • 1962 - Birth of Stan Gelbaugh; NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks).
  • 1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1963 - Aldo Moro forms Italian government.
  • 1963 - Birth of Johanna Wright in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; WPVA volleyball player (Pismo Beach-4th).
  • 1963 - Birth of Mike Snoei; soccer player (Sparta).
  • 1963 - Birth of Sergey Bubka in Ukraine; pole vaulter (Olympics-gold-1988, 1992).
  • 1963 - Pope Paul VI closes second session of second Vatican Council.
  • 1964 - American Major League Baseball approves a free-agent draft.
  • 1964 - The Beatles release "Beatles For Sale" album.
  • 1964 - Birth of Bill Peterson in Smithfield, North Carolina, USA; WLAF general manager (Amsterdam Admirals).
  • 1964 - Birth of Chelsea Noble; actress (Kirk, Growing Pains).
  • 1964 - Birth of Marisa Tomei in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (My Cousin Vinny, A Different World, As the World Turns).
  • 1964 - Commissioner's office given full powers in baseball disputes.
  • 1964 - Test Cricket debut of Ian Chappell, versus Pakistan Melbourne Cricket Ground, 11, 0-49, 0-31.
  • 1965 - Two passenger planes collide above Danbury, Connecticut, USA; four die.
  • 1965 - Second New York Knicks game postponed (due to death of opponent Philadelphia 76ers' owner).
  • 1965 - Birth of Rob Smits; pop drummer (Kong/Phlegm).
  • 1965 - Gemini 7 is launched with two astronauts (Borman and Lovell).
  • 1965 - San Francisco Giants' Masanori Murakami, 4-1 this year, does not renew his contract signing instead with the Nankai Hawks of Osaka, Japan for US$40,000.
  • 1966 - Birth of Fred Armisen; actor-comedian (Saturday Night Live, Crank Yankers, Reverb).
  • 1966 - Sandra Haynie wins LPGA Pensacola Ladies Golf Invitational.
  • 1967 - Death of Bert Lahr AKA Irving Lahrheim at age 72 of pneumonia; comedian/actor (Cowardly Lion - The Wizard of Oz, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Toast of the Town, Steve Allen Show, Hollywood Palace, Kraft TV Theatre).
  • 1967 - Birth of Klaus Wilmsmeyer; NFL punter (New Orleans Saints).
  • 1967 - Birth of Martha O'Kelley; US softball infielder (Olympics-gold-1996).
  • 1968 - Birth of Mike Barrowman in Costa Mesa, California, USA; kayak/200 metre breast stroke (Olympics-gold-1992, 1996).
  • 1968 - Birth of Margaret Cho; actress/comedienne (Face/Off).
  • 1969 - Birth of Ferric Collons; NFL defensive end (New England Patriots).
  • 1969 - Birth of Jacques Landry in Saskatoon, Saskatchawan, Canada; cyclist (Olympics-1996).
  • 1969 - Birth of Marie-Josée Morneau in Longueuil, Québec, Canada; 56kg judoka (Olympics-1996).
  • 1969 - Birth of Mik Middleton; WLAF safety (Barcelona Dragons).
  • 1969 - Birth of Terry Glenn; wide receiver (New England Patriots).
  • 1970 - Birth of Kevin Sussman; actor (Ugly Betty).
  • 1970 - Birth of Jeff Blake; NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals).
  • 1970 - Unemployment in US increases to 5.8 percent.
  • 1971 - Birth of Terrence Wisdom; NFL/WLAF guard/center (New York Jets, London Monarchs).
  • 1971 - Shunryu Suzuki, Zen teacher, founder of San Francisco Zen Center, dies.
  • 1972 - Birth of Damien Covington; NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills).
  • 1972 - Birth of Howard Eisley; NBA guard (Utah Jazz).
  • 1972 - Birth of Jassen Cullimore Simcoe; NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks).
  • 1972 - Birth of Jude Saint John; Canadian Football League offensive linebacker (Hamilton Tiger Cats).
  • 1972 - Birth of Kerry Anne Guse in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; tennis star (1996 final Hobart).
  • 1972 - Birth of Ted Johnson; NFL inside linebacker (New England Patriots).
  • 1972 - In Japan, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs, centered on the island of Hachijojima 325 kilometers southeast of Tokyo.
  • 1973 - Birth of Corliss Williamson; NBA forward (Sacramento Kings).
  • 1973 - Birth of Tyra Banks; model/actress (Higher Learning, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Tyra Talk Show, America's Next Model).
  • 1973 - John Cappelletti wins Heisman trophy.
  • 1973 - Death of Michael O'Shea at age 67 of a heart attack; actor (It's a Great Life TV show, Smart Woman).
  • 1974 - Birth of Anke Huber in Bruchsal, Germany; tennis star (1996 finalist Australian).
  • 1974 - Dutch DC-8 charter crashes in Sri Lanka killing 191 Muslim pilgrims.
  • 1974 - Jean-Paul Sartre visits RAF leader Andreas Baader in prison.
  • 1974 - Lee Kinsolving, actor (Explosive Generation), dies at age 36.
  • 1975 - Six South Molukkans occupy Indonesian consulate in The Hague, one dead.
  • 1975 - Death of Hannah Arendt in New York (born in Hannover, Germany); director of the Conference on Jewish Relations in New York, chief editor of Schocken Books, executive director of Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, professor at the University of Chicago, and author (Origins of Totalitarianism, Eichmann in Jerusalem, On Violence, On Revolution).
  • 1976 - Benjamin Britten, British composer (Beggar's Opera, War Requiem), dies at age 63.
  • 1976 - Birth of John Lee in Chicago, Illinois; dance skater (and Julia Bikbova).
  • 1976 - Central African Republic changes name to Central African Empire.
  • 1976 - Death of Tommy Bolin at age 25 of a heroin overdose; guitarist (Deep Purple).
  • 1977 - Birth of Emily Ballard; Miss Washington Teen USA (1996).
  • 1977 - Birth of Shahid Nazir; cricket player (Pakistan Test fast bowler versus Zimbabwe 1996).
  • 1977 - Hollis Stacy/Jerry Pate win Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Golf Championship.
  • 1977 - Jean-Bedel Bokassa, ruler of Central African Empire, crowns himself.
  • 1977 - Leila Hyams, actress (Red Headed Woman, Freaks), dies at age 72.
  • 1977 - NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati Bengals beat Kansas City Chiefs 27-7.
  • 1978 - Dutch War criminal Pieter Menten freed.
  • 1978 - Pioneer Venus 1 goes into orbit around Venus.
  • 1979 - Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey number 7, Bingo Smith.
  • 1979 - Death of Robert Karnes at age 62 of heart failure; actor (Gunsmoke, Max - The Lawless Years, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Have Gun Will Travel, The Virginian).
  • 1980 - Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco Sá Carneiro dies in a plane crash in Camarate in the outskirts of Lisbon (born 1934).
  • 1980 - Two months after death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin breaks up.
  • 1980 - New York Islanders end 15-game undefeated streak (13-0-2) (to Colorado Rockies).
  • 1980 - Stella Walsh-S-Walasiewicz, sprinter (Olympics-gold-1932), shot dead at age 69.
  • 1981 - South Africa grants "homeland" Ciskei independence (not recognized outside South Africa).
  • 1981 - Universal releases the film On Golden Pond to theaters.
  • 1981 - CBS-TV debuts the nighttime soap Falcon Crest.
  • 1981 - US President Ronald Reagan allows US Central Intelligence Agency to engage in domestic counter-intelligence (order number 12333).
  • 1982 - The People's Republic of China adopts its constitution.
  • 1982 - 48th Heisman Trophy Award: Herschel Walker, Georgia (Running Back).
  • 1982 - Police and racist demonstrators clash in Antwerp, Belgium.
  • 1982 - Birth of Nick Vujicic; director for Life Without Limbs.
  • 1983 - Estelle Omens, actress (Effect of Gamma Rays), dies at age 55.
  • 1983 - New Jersey Devils' make their first NHL hockey shut-out, beating Detroit Red Wings 6-0.
  • 1983 - US jet fighters strike Syrian anti-aircraft positions in Lebanon.
  • 1983 - Election in Venezuela, Jaime Lusinchi of the Acción Democrática party is elected president with 54 percet of vote. The COPEI party gets 33 percent.
  • 1984 - Hezbollah militants hijack a Kuwait Airlines plane and kill four passengers.
  • 1984 - Birth of Lindsay Felton in Seattle, Washington, USA; actress (Caitlin's Way, Thunder Alley).
  • 1984 - John Rock, US co-developer of anti-conceptiepil, dies at age 94.
  • 1985 - French President Francois Mitterrand receives Polish leader Jaruzelski.
  • 1985 - US President Ronald Reagan appoints Vice Admiral John Poindexter as security adviser.
  • 1986 - NASA launches Fltsatcom-7.
  • 1987 - Birth of Orlando Brown; American actor, singer, and comedian (That's So Raven, Proud Family, Filmore).
  • 1987 - Karlstad skates world record 10 km (13:48.51).
  • 1987 - Rouben Mamoulian, director (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde), dies at age 90.
  • 1987 - IBM ships first copies of OS/2 Standard Edition 1.0.
  • 1988 - Amy Benz/John Huston win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic.
  • 1988 - Baltimore Orioles trade veteran first baseman Eddie Murray to Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • 1988 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
  • 1990 - Due to Persian Gulf crisis, gasoline hits $1.60 per gallon price in New York City, New York.
  • 1990 - Death of Edward Binns at age 74 of a heart attack; actor (It Takes a Thief, Brenner, The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, Police Story, The Virginian, juror #6 - Twelve Angry Men).
  • 1990 - Iraq announces it will release all 3,300 Soviet hostages.
  • 1991 - Muslim Shiites in Lebanon release last US hostage Terry Anderson (held 6.5 years).
  • 1991 - Captain Mark Pyle pilots Clipper Goodwill, a Pan American World Airways Boeing jet, to Miami International Airport ending 64 years of Pan Am operations.
  • 1992 - U.S. military forces land in Somalia.
  • 1993 - Dan Jansen skates world record 500 metre (35.92 seconds).
  • 1993 - Frank Sturgis, Watergate burglar, dies at age 68.
  • 1993 - Death of Frank Zappa at age 52 of prostate cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California, USA; rock singer and composer ("Memories of El Monte", Mothers of Invention band, 50 albums, "Jazz From Hell" album (Grammy Award 1988)).
  • 1993 - Johann Koss skates world record 5000m (6:35.53).
  • 1993 - Margaret Landon, US author (Anna and the King of Siam), dies at age 90.
  • 1994 - The Game Show Network launches in the US with mostly reruns of past TV game shows.
  • 1994 - 83rd Davis Cup: Sweden beats Russia in Moscow (4-1).
  • 1994 - Jakob Kaplan, French head rabbi (1955-81), dies at age 99.
  • 1994 - Marta Figueras-Dottie and Brad Bryant win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic.
  • 1995 - Atherton (185) bats for 643 minutes to save Johannesburg Test.
  • 1995 - Itzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel (1968-73), is assassinated.
  • 1996 - NASA's first Mars rover launched from Cape Canaveral.
  • 1996 - The Orlando Magic team ties the NBA record of fewest points scored since inception of 24 second clockm losing to Cleveland Cavalier, 84-57.
  • 1996 - Death of Wilf Carter AKA Montana Slim at age 91 at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; father of country music in Canada, performed for more than six decades, "Swiss Moonlight Lullaby" (1932), "The Capture of Albert Johnson", inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1985).
  • 1997 - NBA suspends Latrell Sprewell for one year for attacking his coach.
  • 1997 - Richard Vernon, British actor (Gandhi, Hard Days Night), dies at age 72.
  • 1998 - The second (Unity) module of the International Space Station is launched.
  • 2002 - A total solar eclipse occurs.
  • 2005 - A protest for democracy in Hong Kong draws 250,000 people.
  • 2005 - Death of Greg Hoffman, film producer (Saw, Saw II) (born 1963).
  • 2006 - An adult giant squid is caught on video near the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo.
  • 2007 - The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) releases the results of the PISA 2006 survey.
  • 2008 - Iraq's Presidency Council approves a security pact with the United States, which requires U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi towns by mid-2009 and leave the country by the end of 2011.
  • 2008 - The Bank of England cuts interest rates by one percentage point, down to 2 percent - the lowest level since 1951.
  • 2008 - Argentine cruise ship Ushuaia runs aground off the Antarctic coast. The Chilean navy rescues all 89 passengers.
  • 2008 - New Zealand's central bank cuts the interest rate from 6.5 percent to 5.
  • 2008 - The European Court of Human Rights rules unanimously that holding DNA samples and fingerprints of innocent suspects violates their right to privacy. The ruling is binding on all 46 members of the Council of Europe, and affects databases of about 850,000 innocents.
  • 2008 - In Oslo, Norway, 94 countries sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty banning the use of cluster bombs.
  • 2008 - Canada's Governor General Michaëlle Jean grants a request from Prime Minister Stephen Harper to suspend Parliament until January 26, to avoid a confidence vote set for Monday that could have toppled his minority government.
  • 2009 - At least four attackers open fire and throw grenades on worshippers at a mosque near the Pakistani army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, killing at least 35 people. After an hour-long gun battle with security forces, two or three attackers blow themselves up.
  • 2017 - Death of Ali Abdullah Saleh, 1st President of Yemen (born 1947).
  • 2018 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 800 points following US President Donald Trump callingself a "Tariff Man" in regard to trade with the People's Republic of China.
  • 2020 - The United States announces its withdrawal from the Somali civil war over the next month.
  • 2020 - The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 65 million worldwide, with the global death toll exceeding 1.5 million.
  • 2021 - The 2021 Gambian presidential election is held and incumbent president Adama Barrow is reelected.
  • 2022 - In Washington, D.C., the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors event is held. Those recognized for their achievements in the performing arts: Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, George Clooney, Tania León, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., the Edge, Bono.
  • 2022 - Death of Bob McGrath at age 90 of complications of a stroke at home in New Jersey, USA; singer, actor (Bob Johnson - Sesame Street TV show (1969 - 2017)).

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