1934 – Bill Wilson the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous took his last drink and entered treatment for the last time on the 11th December 1934.

1938 – Reg Livermore the Australian actor and singer was born on the 11th December 1938

1946 – UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund was established on the 11th December 1946.

1958 – Nikki Sixx the American bass player  from Mötley Crüe was born on the 11th December 1958.

1958 ~ Tom Shadyac the American comedian, director, screenwriter, producer and author was born on the 11th December 1958.

1968 – The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film was released on the 11th December 1968.

1972 – Apollo 17 became the 6th and last Apollo mission to land on the Moon on the 11th December 1972.

2001 – China joined the World Trade Organization on the 11th December 2001.

2005 – The Cronulla riots originated in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia on the 11th December 2005.

1684 – Isaac Newton‘s derivation of Kepler’s laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, was read to the Royal Society by Edmund Halley on the 10th December 1684.

1830 – Emily Dickinson the American poet was born on the 10th December 1830 (died 1886).

1901 – The 1st Nobel Prizes was awarded on the 10th December 1901.

1902 – Women were given the right to vote in Tasmania on the 10th December 1902.

1906 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize on the 10th December 1906, becoming the 1st American to win a Nobel Prize.

1952 – Susan Dey the American actress was born on the 10th December 1952.

1955 – The Mighty Mouse Playhouse premiered on television on the 10th December 1955.

1957 – Prem Rawat the Indian spiritual leader was born on the 10th December 1957.

1965 – The Grateful Dead‘s 1st concert performance under the new name was on the 10th December 1965.

1968 – Japan‘s biggest heist was on the 10th December 1968. The still-unsolved 300 million yen robbery was carried out in Tokyo.

1974 – Meg White the American drummer from The White Stripes was born on the 10th December 1974.

2013 ~ Analog television was permanently switched off across Australia to digital-only TV on the 10th December 2013. Melbourne was the last city in Australia with an analogue signal on December 10, 2013. www.DigitalReady.gov.au

1793 ~ Noah Webster established New York City‘s 1st daily newspaper, the American Minerva, on the 9th December 1793.

1834 ~ Leopold Müller the Austrian genre painter was born Leopold Carl Müller in Dresden (to Austrian parents ) on the 9th December 1834 (died 4th August 1892 aged 57). Leopold Müller was a pupil of Karl von Blaas and of Christian Ruben at the Academy in Vienna. He worked 8 years as an illustrator for the Vienna Figaro, to support his family after his father’s death. Then  continued his studies, and repeatedly visited Egypt, Italy and Hungary, where he painted a series of scenes from popular life. Leopold Müller later displayed his coloristic talent to greater advantage in oriental subjects, such as Bedouins in Camp (see image below), Arabian Money-Changers, Pilgrims to Mecca Resting, Camel Mart, Young Copt Woman (New Pinakothek, Munich). His other works include The Inundation in Vienna 1862, Old Little Matron (Vienna Museum), Last Task of the Day (Vienna Museum), and Soldiers in the Thirty Years’ War (Prague Gallery).

 

1851 – The 1st YMCA in North America was established in Montreal, Quebec on the 9th December 1851.

1888 – Statistician Herman Hollerith installed his computing device at the United States War Department on the 9th December 1888.

1928 – Dick Van Patten the American actor was born on the 9th December 1928.

1929 – Bob Hawke the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 9th December 1929.

1934 – Judi Dench the English actress was born on the 9th December 1934.

1941 – Beau Bridges the American actor and director was born on the 9th December 1941.

1950 ~ Joan Armatrading (MBE) the British singer-songwriter was born in Saint Kitts on the 9th December 1950. YouTube video: Joan Armatrading ~ Drop The Pilot (1983)…

1953 – John Malkovich the American actor was born on the 9th December 1953.

1957 – Donny Osmond theAmerican singer-songwriter from The Osmonds was born on the 9th December 1957.

1958 – Nick Seymour the Australian bass player and songwriter from Crowded House was born on the 9th December 1958.

1960 – The 1st episode of the world’s longest-running television soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast on the 9th December 1960, in the United Kingdom.

1964 – Paul Landers the German guitarist from Rammstein was born on the 9th December 1964.

1964 ~ Larry Emdur the Australian television personality was born on the 9th December 1964.

1968 – Brian Bell the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Weezer was born on the 9th December 1968.

1979 – The eradication of the smallpox virus was certified on the 9th December 1979, making smallpox the first and only human disease driven to extinction.

1980 ~ Simon Helberg the American actor, voice actor and comedian was born in Los Angeles on the 9th December 1980. Simon Helberg is best known for his role as Howard Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory  sitcom. Simon Helberg’s verified Twitter: www.twitter.com/SimonHelberg

65BC – Horace the Roman poet was born on the 8th December in the year 65 BC (died 8 BC).

1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots was born on the 8th December 1542 (d. 1587).

1560 – The city of Guarulhos was founded on the 8th December 1560.

1574 – Maria Anna of Bavaria the German wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor was born on the 8th December 1574 (died 1616).

1626 – Christina, Queen of Sweden was born on the 8th December 1626 (died 1689).

1699 – Maria Josepha of Austria the Austrian wife of Augustus III of Poland was born on the 8th December 1699 (died 1757).

1724 – Claude Balbastre the French composer and organist was born on the 8th December 1724 (died 1799).

1731 – František Xaver Dušek the Czech composer was born on the 8th December 1731 (died 1799).

1756 – Maximilian Francis of Austria aka Archbishop-Elector of Cologne was born on the 8th December 1756 (died 1801).

1765 – Eli Whitney the American inventor of the cotton gin was born on the 8th December 1765 (died 1825).

1795 – Peter Andreas Hansen the Danish astronomer was born on the 8th December 1795 (died 1874).

1813 – Premier of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony on the 8th December 1813.

1815 – Adolph Menzel the German painter and illustrator was born on the 8th December 1815 (died 1905).

1818 – Charles III, Prince of Monaco was born on the 8th December 1818 (died 1889).

1832 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson the Norwegian author and Nobel Prize laureate was born on the 8th December 1832 (died 1910).

1861 – William C. Durant the American businessman and founder of General Motors and Chevrolet was born on the 8th December 1861 (died 1947).

1861 ~ Georges Méliès the French illusionist and filmmaker was born Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès on the 8th December 1861 (died 1938, aged 77). Georges Méliès was famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema.

1861 – Aristide Maillol the French sculptor and painter was born on the 8th December 1861 (died 1944).

1864 – Camille Claudel the French illustrator and sculptor was born on the 8th December 1864 (died 1943).

1865 – Jean Sibelius the Finnish composer was born on the 8th December 1865 (died 1957 aged 91). Jean Sibelius is featured in Classical Desinations 3 (episode 3) presented by Aled Jones.

1874 – Ernst Moro the Austrian physician was born on the 8th December 1874 (died 1951).

1886 – Diego Rivera the Mexican painter was born on the 8th December 1886 (died 1957).

1890 – Bohuslav Martinů the Czech composer was born on the 8th December 1890 (died 1959).

1894 – E. C. Segar the American cartoonist was born on the 8th December 1894 (d. 1938).

1894 – James Thurber the American author and illustrator was born on the 8th December 1894 (died 1961).

1902 – Wifredo Lam the Cuban painter was born on the 8th December 1902 (died 1982).

1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden acceded to the Swedish throne on the 8th December 1907.

1915 – Ernest Lehman the American screenwriter was born on the 8th December 1915 (died 2005).

1922 – Lucian Freud the German-English painter was born on the 8th December 1922 (died 2011).

1922 – Jean Ritchie the American singer-songwriter was born on the 8th December 1922.

1924 – Lionel Gilbert the Australian historian and author was born on the 8th December 1924.

1925 ~ Sammy Davis Jr. the African-American entertainer was born Samuel George Davis Jr. on the 8th December 1925 (died 16th May 1990 aged 64). YouTube video: Sammy Davis Jnr performing Mr Bojangles in Germany in 1985…

1925 – Jimmy Smith the American organist was born on the 8th December 1925 (died 2005).

1927 – The Brookings Institution, one of the United States’ oldest think tanks, was founded on the 8th December 1927, through the merger of 3 organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings.

1927 – Vladimir Shatalov the Soviet cosmonaut and general was born on the 8th December 1927.

1928 – Ulric Neisser the German-American psychologist was born on the 8th December 1928 (died 2012).

1930 – Maximilian Schell the Austrian-Swiss actor and director was born on the 8th December 1930.

1933 – Flip Wilson the American comedian and actor was born on the 8th December 1933 (died 1998).

1936 – David Carradine the American actor was born on the 8th December 1936 (died 2009).

1939 – James Galway the Irish flute player was born on the 8th December 1939.

1939 – Jerry Butler the American singer-songwriter from The Impressions was born on the 8th December 1939.

1939 – Soko Richardson the American drummer from Kings of Rhythm and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers was born on the 8th December 1939 (died 2004).

1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared on the 8th December 1941, that December 7 would be a date which will live in infamy, after which the U.S. declared war on Japan.

1941 – World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invaded Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies on the 8th December 1941. (See 7th December for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere).

1941 – Bobby Elliott the English drummer from The Hollies was born on the 8th December 1941.

1943 – Jim Morrison the American singer-songwriter from The Doors was born on the 8th December 1943 (died 1971).

1943 – Mary Woronov the American actress was born on the 8th December 1943.

1943 – Larry Martin the American paleontologist was born on the 8th December 1943 (died 2013).

1947 – Gregg Allman the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Allman Brothers Band was born on the 8th December 1947.

1947 – Thomas R. Cech the American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate was born on the 8th December 1947.

1949 – Nancy Meyers the American director, producer, and screenwriter was born on the 8th December 1949.

1949 – Ray Shulman the English violinist and guitarist from Simon Dupree and the Big Sound was born on the 8th December 1949.

1949 – Robert Sternberg the American psychologist was born on the 8th December 1949.

1950 – Dan Hartman the American singer-songwriter and producer of the Edgar Winter Group was born on the 8th December 1950 (d. 1994).

1951 – Bill Bryson the American author was born on the 8th December 1951.

1951 – Richard Desmond the English publisher, businessman and founder of Northern & Shell was born on the 8th December 1951.

1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his Atoms for Peace speech on the 8th December 1953, which led to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.

1953 – Kim Basinger the American actress, singer, and producer was born on the 8th December 1953.

1953 – Sam Kinison the American comedian and actor was born on the 8th December 1953 (died 1992).

1954 ~ Louis de Bernières the British novelist was born in London on on the 8th December 1954. Louis de Bernières is best known for his 4th novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (1994), and released as a film in 2001. Louis de Bernières is also known for his book Red Dog (2001) which was inspired by a statue of a dog he saw while visiting to the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which was made into a film in 2011. Louis de Bernières official website: www.LouisdeBernieres.co.uk

1955 ~ Deborra-Lee Furness the Australian actress, director, producer and wife of Hugh Jackman was born in Sydney on the 8th December 1955, and brought up in Melbourne.

1955 – Kasim Sulton the American bass guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Utopia was born on the 8th December 1955.

1956 – Warren Cuccurullo the American guitarist from Duran Duran and Missing Persons was born on the 8th December 1956.

1956 – Andrew Edge the English drummer from the Thompson Twins was born on the 8th December 1956.

1957 – Phil Collen the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Def Leppard was born on the 8th December 1957.

1958 – Bob Greene the American physiologist was born on the 8th December 1958.

1958 – Thongchai McIntyre the Thai singer and actor was born on the 8th December 1958.

1961 – Mikey Robins the Australian comedian and television host was born on the 8th December 1961.

1962 – Marty Friedman the American-Japanese guitarist and songwriter from Megadeth was born on the 8th December 1962.

1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, was struck by lightning and crashed near Elkton, Maryland on the 8th December 1963, killing all 81 people on board.

1962 – Steve Elkington the Australian golfer was born on the 8th December 1962.

1964 – James Blundell the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 8th December 1964.

1964 – Teri Hatcher the American actress was born on the 8th December 1964.

1964 – Mike Ruiz the Canadian-American model, photographer, and director was born on the 8th December 1964.

1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sank in a storm in the Aegean Sea on the 8th December 1966, killing over 200 people.

1966 – Sinéad O’Connor the Irish singer-songwriter was born on the 8th December 1966.

1969 – An Olympic Airways Douglas DC-6 struck a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece on the 8th December 1969, killing 90 people, making it the worst crash of a DC-6.

1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashed after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport on the 8th December 1972, killing 45 people. The crash was the first ever loss of a Boeing 737.

1972 – Indrek Allmann the Estonian architect was born on the 8th December 1972.

1973 – Corey Taylor the American singer-songwriter from Slipknot was born on the 8th December 1973.

1980 – John Lennon the English musician, former member of The Beatles, and peace activist, was murdered by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, on the 8th December 1980, in front of The Dakota apartment building in New York City.

1982 – Nicki Minaj the Trinidadian-American rapper was born on the 8th December 1982.

1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed on the 8th December 1987.

1987 – Jana Juričová the Slovak tennis player was born on the 8th December 1987.

1987 – Frank Vitkovic shot and killed 8 people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, then jumped to his death on the 8th December 1987.

1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurred on the 8th December 1987.

1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany on the 8th December 1988, killing 5 people and injuring 50.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine signed an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States on the 8th December 1991.

1993 – AnnaSophia Robb the American actress and singer was born on the 8th December 1993.

2010 – With the 2nd launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 on the 8th December 2010, and the 1st launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX became the 1st private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft.

2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passed the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km on the 8th December 2010.

0903 – Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi the Persian astronomer was born on the 7th December 0903 (died 986).

1598 – Gian Lorenzo Bernini the Italian sculptor and painter was born on the 7th December 1598 (died 1680).

1643 – Giovanni Battista Falda the Italian architect and printmaker was born on the 7th December 1643 (died 1678).

1732 – The Royal Opera House opened at Covent Garden, London on the 7th December 1732.

1792 – Abraham Jacob van der Aa the Dutch author of reference books was born on the 7th December 1792 (died 1857).

1860 – Joseph Cook the English-Australian politician and 6th Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 7th December 1860 (died 1947).

1863 – Richard Warren Sears the American businessman and co-founder of Sears was born on the 7th December 1863 (died 1914).

1869 – Jesse James committed his first confirmed bank robbery on the 7th December 1869, in Gallatin, Missouri.

1894 – Freddie Adkins the British cartoonist was born on the 7th December 1894.

1902 – Hilda Taba the Estonian architect was born on the 7th December 1902 (died 1967).

1905 – Gerard Kuiper the Dutch-American astronomer was born on the 7th December 1905 (died 1973).

1917 – World War I: The United States declared war on Austria-Hungary on the 7th December 1917.

1930 – W1XAV in Boston, Massachusetts broadcasted video from the CBS radio orchestra program, The Fox Trappers on the 7th December 1930. This broadcast included the 1st television commercial in the United States, an advertisement for I.J. Fox Furriers.

1931 – Allan B. Calhamer the American game designer and creator of Diplomacy was born on the 7th December 1931 (died 2013).

1932 – Paul Caponigro the American photographer was born on the 7th December 1932.

1941 – World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor on the 7th December 1941. The Imperial Japanese Navy carried out a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Japan’s near-simultaneous attacks on Eastern Hemisphere targets were on December 8).

1942 ~ HARRY CHAPiN the American singer & songwriter was born on the 7th December 1942 (died 1981).

1949 – Tom Waits the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 7th December 1949.

1954 – Mike Nolan the Irish singer from Bucks Fizz was born on the 7th December 1954.

1963 – Instant replay made its debut on the 7th December 1963, during an Army–Navy game.

1972 – Apollo 17, the last Apollo moon mission, was launched on the 7th December 1972. The crew took the photograph known as The Blue Marble as they left the Earth.

1972 – Hermann Maier the Austrian skier was born on the 7th December 1972.

1974 – Nicole Appleton the Canadian singer from All Saints and Appleton was born on the 7th December 1974.

1974 – Kang Full the South Korean illustrator was born on the 7th December 1974.

1977 – Dominic Howard the English drummer from Muse was born on the 7th December 1977.

1978 – Mr. Porter the American rapper from D12 was born on the 7th December 1978.

1979 – Sara Bareilles the American singer-songwriter and pianist was born on the 7th December 1979. YouTube video: Sara Bareilles ~ Brave (2013)…

1988 – Emily Browning the Australian actress and singer was born on the 7th December 1988.

1988 – Hayley Williams the American singer was born on the 7th December 1988.

1995 – The Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on the 7th December 1995, about 6 years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34.

1421 – Henry VI of England was born on the 6th December 1421 (died 1471).

1534 – Quito in Ecuador was founded by Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Belalcázar on the 6th December 1534.

1586 – Niccolò Zucchi the Italian astronomer was born on the 6th December 1568 (died 1670).

1768 – The Encyclopædia Britannica first edition was published on the 6th December 1768.

1805 – Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin the French illusionist was born on the 6th December 1805 (died 1861).

1841 – Frédéric Bazille the French painter was born on the 6th December 1841 (died 1870).

1876 – Fred Duesenberg the German-American businessman and co-founder of the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company was born on the 6th December 1876 (died 1932).

1877 – Thomas Edison made one of the earliest recordings of a human voice, reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb” using his new phonograph on the 6th December 1877.

1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. was completed on the 6th December 1884.

1884 – Cornelia Meigs the American children’s author was born on the 6th December 1884 (died 1973).

1890 – Rudolf Schlichte the, German painter was born on the 6th December 1890 (died 1955).

1897 – Taxicabs were licensed for the first time in the World on the 6th December 1897, in London.

1898 – Alfred Eisenstaedt the German-American photographer and journalist was born on the 6th December 1898 (died 1995).

1900 – Agnes Moorehead the American actress was born on the 6th December 1900 (died 1974).

1916 – Kristján Eldjárn the Icelandic politician and 3rd President of Iceland was born on the 6th December 1916 (died 1982).

1917 – Irv Robbins the Canadian-American businessman and co-founder of Baskin-Robbins was born on the 6th December 1917 (died 2008).

1917 – Finland declared independence from Russia on the 6th December 1917.

1929 – Frank Springer the American illustrator was born on the 6th December 1929 (died 2009).

1942 – Robb Royer the American songwriter, screenwriter, bass guitar player, guitar player, and keyboard player from the band Bread was born on the 6th December 1942.

1943 – Mike Smith the English singer-songwriter and keyboard player from The Dave Clark Five was born on the 6th December 1943 (died 2008).

1946 – Frankie Beverly the American singer-songwriter and producer from Maze was born on the 6th December 1946.

1947 – The Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated on the 6th December 1947.

1948 – JoBeth Williams the American actress and director was born on the 6th December 1948.

1949 – Doug Marlette the American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Kudzu was born on the 6th December 1949 (died 2007).

1952 – Craig Newmark the American computer programmer, businessman and founder of Craigslist was born on the 6th December 1952.

1952 – Shio Satō the Japanese manga artist was born on the 6th December 1952.

1953 – Vladimir Nabokov completed his controversial novel Lolita on the 6th December 1953.

1955 – Steven Wright the American comedian and actor was born on the 6th December 1955.

1955 – Rick Buckler the English drummer from The Jam was born on the 6th December 1955.

1956 – Peter Buck the American guitarist and songwriter from R.E.M. was born on the 6th December 1956.

1956 – Randy Rhoads the American guitarist and songwriter from Quiet Riot was born on the 6th December 1956 (died 1982).

1956 ~ Hans Kammerlander the Italian mountaineer was born in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy on the 6th December 1956. Hans Kammerlander has climbed 13 of the 14 8000m peaks. In 1984 Hans Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner were the first climbers to traverse two 8000m peaks before descending to base camp. Hans Kammerlander’s official website: www.kammerlander.com

1957 – Vanguard TV3 exploded on the launchpad on the 6th December 1957, thwarting the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.

1958 – Nick Park the English director and animator was born on the 6th December 1958.

1959 – Satoru Iwata the Japanese businessman and president of Nintendo was born on the 6th December 1959.

1962 – Ben Watt the English musician from Everything but the Girl was born on the 6th December 1962. Ben Watt’s official website: www.BenWatt.com

1967 – Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first human heart transplant in the United States on the 6th December 1967.

1969 – The Altamont Free Concert was on the 6th December 1969, featuring The Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Flying Burrito Brothers.

1970 – Ulf Ekberg the Swedish singer-songwriter and keyboard player from Ace of Base was born on the 6th December 1970.

1986 ~ Brashs opened Australia’s first major megastore  on Saturday 6th December 1986, at 244 Pitt Street, Sydney.

1988 – The Australian Capital Territory was granted self-government on the 6th December 1988.

1990 – Tamira Paszek the Austrian tennis player was born on the 6th December 1990.

1995 ~ Joy Gruttmann the German singer was born in Gelsenkirchen on the 6th December 1995. Joy Gruttmann is best known for singing Schnappi, which was recorded in 2001 when she was 5 years old. The Schnappi song became a No.1 hit in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and also made the Top 10 in Australia and New Zealand. YouTube video: Schnappi – Schnappi das kleine krokodil (live)…

2001 – The Canadian province of Newfoundland was renamed Newfoundland and Labrador on the 6th December 2001.

2006 – NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.

2011 – Dobie Gray the American singer-songwriter and producer died aged 71 (born 26th July 1940).

2013 ~ Azoosh.com was launched on the World Wide Web on the 6th December 2013.

1492 – Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti) on the 5th December 1492.

1766 – James Christie held his first sale in London on the 5th December 1766.

1815 – Maceió in Brazil was founded on the 5th December 1815.

1879 – Clyde Vernon Cessna the American aviator, businessman and founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation was born on the 5th December 1879 (died 1954).

1890 – David Bomberg the English painter was born on the 5th December 1890 (died 1957).

1901 – Walt Disney the American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and co-founder of The Walt Disney Company was born on the 5th December 1901 (died 1966).

1932 –  Albert Einstein was granted an American visa on the 5th December 1932.

1932 – Little Richard the American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor was born on the 5th December 1932.

1933 – Prohibition in the United States ended on the 5th December 1933, when Utah became the 36th U.S. state to validate the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, to establish the required 75% of states needed to enact the amendment, which overturned the 18th Amendment which had made the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol illegal in the United States.

1938 – JJ Cale the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 5th December 1938 (died 2013).

1945 – Flight 19 was lost in the Bermuda Triangle on the 5th December 1945.

1945 – Serge Chapleau the Canadian cartoonist was born on the 5th December 1945.

1946 – José Carreras the Spanish tenor was born on the 5th December 1946.

1947 – Jim Messina the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Buffalo Springfield was born on the 5th December 1947.

1947 – Rick Wills the English bass guitarist from Foreigner was born on the 5th December 1947.

1951 – Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven the Belgian painter and illustrator was born on the 5th December 1951.

1952 – Bobby Barth the American singer, songwriter, record producer and guitarist from Blackfoot was born on the 5th December 1952.

1958 – STD: Subscriber Trunk Dialling was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in the UK on the 5th December 1958, when she spoke to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh.

1960 – Matthew Taylor the English Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts was born on the 5th December 1960.

1963 – Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards the English ski jumper was born on the 5th December 1963.

1965 – John Rzeznik the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from the Goo Goo Dolls was born on the 5th December 1965.

1969 –  The ARPANET Nodes closed on the 5th December 1969.

1978 – The Soviet Union signed a “friendship treaty” with the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan on the 5th December 1978.

1993 – The mayor of Vienna, Helmut Zilk, was injured by a letter bomb on the 5th December 1993.

2012 – Elisabeth Murdoch the Australian philanthropist died on the 5th December 2012 aged 103 (born 8 February 1909).

2012 – Oscar Niemeyer the Brazilian architect and designer of the United Nations Headquarters and Cathedral of Brasília died on the 5th December 2012 aged 104 (born 15th December 1907).

2013 ~ Nelson Mandela the South African politician, 1st President of South Africa, and Nobel Prize laureate died on the 5th December 2013 at the age of 95 (born: 18th July 1918). Nelson Mandela died at his home surrounded by his family. Nelson Mandala’s death was announced by President Jacob Zuma.

1791 – The Observer first edition was was first published on the 4th December 1791, becoming the world’s first Sunday newspaper.

1881 – The Los Angeles Times first edition was published on the 4th December 1881.

1914 – Rudolf Hausner the Austrian painter and sculptor was born on the 4th December 1914 (died 1995).

1914 – Claude Renoir the French cinematographer  was born on the 4th December 1914 (died 1993).

1924 – John C. Portman, Jr. the American architect and designer of the Renaissance Center and Tomorrow Square  was born on the 4th December 1924.

1937 – The Dandy Comic first children’s comic was published on the 4th December 1937, becoming one of the first to use speech balloons.

1944 – Chris Hillman the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Byrds  was born on the 4th December 1944.

1944 – Dennis Wilson the American singer-songwriter from The Beach Boys was born on the 4th December 1944 (died 1983).

1945 – Roberta Bondar the Canadian astronaut  was born on the 4th December 1945.

1949 – Pamela Stephenson the New Zealand-Australian actress and psychologist  was born on the 4th December 1949.

1951 – Gary Rossington the American guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd was born on the 4th December 1951.

1954 – Burger King was first opened in Miami, Florida, in the United States on the 4th December 1954.

1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet consisting of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash got together at Sun Studios for the first and last time in history on the 4th December 1956.

1961 – Naomi Robson the American-Australian journalist  was born on the 4th December 1961.

1971 – The Montreux Casino in Switzerland was set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert on the 4th December 1971. This incident was be noted in the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water“.

1975 – Suriname joined the United Nations on the 4th December 1975.

1980 – Led Zeppelin officially disbanded on the 4th December 1980, following the death of drummer John Bonham on the 25th September.

1982 – Nick Vujicic the Australian evangelist and motivational speaker  was born on the 4th December 1982.

1991 – Pan Am went bankrupt and ceased operations on the 4th December 1991.

1998 – The Unity Module, the 2nd module of the International Space Station, was launched on the 4th December 1998.

2006 – An adult giant squid was caught on video for the first time by Tsunemi Kubodera near the Ogasawara Islands, 1,000 km (620 mi) south of Tokyo on the 4th December 2006.

1818 – Illinois became the 21st U.S. state on the 3rd December 1818.

1854 – The Eureka Stockade battle was fought between miners and the Colonial forces of Australia on the 3rd December 1854 at Eureka Lead, a small town in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The battle over mining licences resulted in the deaths of 22 miners, becoming the most significant conflict in the colonial history of Victoria. The Eureka Stockade was also known as the birth of Australian democracy.

1883 – Anton Webern the Austrian composer was born on the 3rd December 1883 (died 1945).

1904 – The Jovian moon Himalia was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at California’s Lick Observatory on the 3rd December 1904.

1910 – Modern neon lighting was first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show on the 3rd December 1910.

1919 – The Quebec Bridge opened to traffic on the 3rd December 1919, after almost 20 years of planning and construction, including two collapses causing 89 deaths.

1927 – The 1st Laurel and Hardy film Putting Pants on Philip was released on the 3rd December 1927.

1948 – Ozzy Osbourne the English singer-songwriter from Black Sabbath was born on the 3rd December 1948.

1949 – Mickey Thomas the American singer-songwriter Jefferson Starship was born on the 3rd December 1949.

1959 – The current flag of Singapore was adopted, six months after Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire on the 3rd December 1959.

1960 – Daryl Hannah the American actress was born on the 3rd December 1960.

1960 – Julianne Moore the American actress was born on the 3rd December 1960.

1960 – The musical Camelot debuted at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway on the 3rd December 1960, and became associated with the Kennedy administration.

1968 – Brendan Fraser the Canadian-American actor was born on the 3rd December 1968.

1973 – Pioneer 10 sent back the first close-up images of Jupiter on the 3rd December 1973.

1976 –  Bob Marley had an assassination attempt on his life on the 3rd December 1976, when he was shot twice, but still played a concert 2 days later.

1992 ~ SMS messaging was used for the very first time on the 3rd December 1992, when 22 year old Neil Papworth, a test engineer for Sema Group in the UK (now Airwide Solutions)  sent the world’s first ever text message. Since mobile phones didn’t have keyboards at the time, he typed the “Merry Christmas” message out on a PC, and sent it to the phone of Richard Jarvis of Vodafone in the UK, who was enjoying his office Christmas party at the time. No-one on that day had any idea how gigantic the texting phenomenon would become, as this concept was for them to use essentially as a paging service.

1999 – NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.

2005 – XCOR Aerospace makes first manned rocket aircraft delivery of US Mail in Mojave, California.

2007 ~ KEViN RUDD was sworn in as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia on the 3rd December 2007, when Labor won the 2007 federal election with a 23-seat swing.

2012 ~ The KATE MiDDLETON official pregnancy announcement was made by St. James Palace on behalf of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and her husband Prince William on the 3rd December 2012, when Kate was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital with a rare form of severe morning sickness. The Duchess was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that is often experienced by women expecting twins, and being 3 times more likely to have a multiple birth.

1409 – The University of Leipzig opened on the 2nd December 1409.

1697 – St Paul’s Cathedral opened in London on the 2nd December 1697.

1755 – The 2nd Eddystone Lighthouse was destroyed by fire on the 2nd December 1755.

1775 – The USS Alfred became the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (precursor to the Stars and Stripes flag) on the 2nd December 1775.

1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French on the 2nd December 1804, the 1st French Emperor in 1000 years.

1848 – Franz Josef I became Emperor of Austria on the 2nd December 1848.

1851 – French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrew the Second Republic on the 2nd December 1851.

1852 – Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte became Emperor of the French as Napoleon III on the 2nd December 1852.

1859 – Georges Seurat the French painter was born on the 2nd December 1859 (died 1891).

1863 – Charles Edward Ringling the American businessman and co-founder of the Ringling Brothers Circus was born on the 2nd December 1863 (died 1926).

1867 – At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gave his first public reading in the United States on the 2nd December 1867.

1891 – Otto Dix the German painter and illustrator was born on the 2nd December 1891 (died 1969).

1908 – Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of 2 on the 2nd December 1908.

1910 – Russell Lynes the American photographer, historian and author was born on the 2nd December 1910 (d. 1991)

1927 – Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveiled the Ford Model A as its new automobile on the 2nd December 1927.

1927 – Prabhakar Thokal the Indian cartoonist was born on the 2nd December 1927.

1930 – In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposed a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy on the 2nd December 1930 during the Great Depression.

1939 – New York City’s La Guardia Airport opened on the 2nd December 1939.

1942 – During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiated the 1st self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction on the 2nd December 1942, during World War II.

1946 – David Macaulay the English-American author and illustrator was born on the 2nd December 1946.

1946 – Gianni Versace the Italian fashion designer and founder of Versace was born on the 2nd December 1946 (died 1997).

1950 – Paul Watson the Canadian activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was born on the 2nd December 1950.

1958 – George Saunders the American writer was born on the 2nd December 1958.

1960 – Rick Savage the English singer-songwriter and bass player from Def Leppard was born on the 2nd December 1960.

1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared that he was a Marxist-Leninist on the 2nd December 1961, and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.

1968 – Lucy Liu the American actress and producer was born on the 2nd December 1968.

1968 – Nate Mendel the American bass player from the Foo Fighters was born on the 2nd December 1968.

1969 – Tanya Plibersek the Australian politician and Labor MP was born on the 2nd December 1969.

1970 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency began operations on the 2nd December 1970.

1970 – Treach the American rapper from Naughty by Nature was born on the 2nd December 1970.

1971 – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain formed the United Arab Emirates on the 2nd December 1971.

1971 – Mine Yoshizaki the Japanese illustrator was born on the 2nd December 1971.

1976 – Fidel Castro became President of Cuba replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado on the 2nd December 1976.

1978 – Nelly Furtado the Canadian singer-songwriter and producer was born on the 2nd December 1978.

1978 – Christopher Wolstenholme the English singer-songwriter and bass player from Muse was born on the 2nd December 1978.

1979 – Sabina Babayeva the Azerbaijani singer was born on the 2nd December 1979.

1981 – Britney Spears the American singer-songwriter and dancer was born on the 2nd December 1981.

1982 – At the University of Utah, Barney Clark became the 1st person to receive a permanent artificial heart on the 2nd December 1982.

1986 – Tal Wilkenfeld the Australian bass player and composer was born on the 2nd December 1986.

1987 – Mari-Leen the Estonian singer was born on the 2nd December 1987.

1988 – Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state on the 2nd December 1988.

1993 – Space Shuttle program: STS-61 – NASA launched the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope on the 2nd December 1993.

1999 – Glenbrook Rail Accident: 7 passengers were killed when 2 trains collidde near Sydney in New South Wales on the 2nd December 1999.

2001 – Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the 2nd December 2001.