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.

1580 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc the French astronomer was born on the 1st December 1580 (died 1637).

1709 – Franz Xaver Richter the Austrian-Moravian singer, violinist, composer, and conductor was born on the 1st December 1709 (died 1789).

1716 – Étienne Maurice Falconet the French sculptor was born on the 1st December 1716 (died 1791).

1761 – Marie Tussaud the French sculptor and founder of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum was born on the 1st December 1761 (died 1850).

1869 – Eligiusz Niewiadomski the Polish painter, critic and assassin of Gabriel Narutowicz was born on the 1st December 1869 (died 1923).

1884 – Karl Schmidt-Rottluff the German painter was born on the 1st December 1884 (died 1976).

1885 – The Dr Pepper soft drink was first served at a drug store in Waco, Texas in the United States on the 1st December 1885.

1912 – Minoru Yamasaki the American architect and designer of the World Trade Center was born on the 1st December 1912 (died 1986).

1913 – The Buenos Aires Subway, the first underground railway system in the southern hemisphere and in Latin America, began operation on the 1st December 1913.

1913 – The Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line on the 1st December 1913.

1923 – Morris the Belgian cartoonist was born on the 1st December 1923 (died 2001).

1925 – Martin Rodbell the American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate was born on the 1st December 1925 (died 1998).

1933 – Lou Rawls the American singer-songwriter, producer and actor was born on the 1st December 1933 (died 2006).

1934 – Billy Paul the American singer was born on the 1st December 1934.

1935 – Woody Allen the American screenwriter, director and actor was born on the 1st December 1935.

1940 – Richard Pryor the American comedian and actor was born on the 1st December 1940 (died 2005).

1944 – John Densmore the American drummer from The Doors was born on the 1st December 1944.

1944 – Eric Bloom the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Blue Öyster Cult was born on the 1st December 1944.

1945 – Bette Midler the American singer-songwriter, producer and actress was born on the 1st December 1945.

1948 – The Taman Shud Case began when the body of an unidentified man was found in Adelaide, Australia on the 1st December 1948, involving an undetectable poison and a secret code in a very rare book; the case remained unsolved as one of Australia’s most profound mysteries.

1952 – The New York Daily News reported the news of Christine Jorgenson, the first notable case of sexual reassignment surgery on the 1st December 1952.

1957 – Chris Poland the American guitarist from Megadeth was born on the 1st December 1957.

1959 – The Antarctic Treaty was signed on the 1st December 1959, which set aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and banned military activity on the continent.

1959 ~ Wally Lewis (AM) the Australian rugby league footballer and coach was born in Hawthorne, Queensland on the 1st December 1959.

1960 – Jane Turner the Australian actress was born on the 1st December 1960.

1960 – Paul McCartney and Pete Best were arrested then deported from Hamburg, Germany on the 1st December 1960, after accusations of attempted arson.

1973 – Papua New Guinea gained self-government from Australia on the 1st December 1973.

1977 – Brad Delson the American guitarist from Linkin Park was born on the 1st December 1977.

1981 – The AIDS virus was officially recognized on the 1st December 1981.

1984 – NASA conducted the Controlled Impact Demonstration on the 1st December 1984, wherein an airliner was deliberately crashed in order to test technologies and gather data to help improve survivability of airplane crashes.

1990 – The Channel Tunnel sections started from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 metres beneath the seabed on the 1st December 1990.

2013 ~ Martin Sharp the Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker died on the 1st December 2013, aged 71 (born 21st January 1942). Martin Sharp was known as Australia’s foremost pop artist. Martin Sharp’s psychedelic posters of Bob Dylan, Donovan and others are ranked as classics of their genre. His covers, cartoons and illustrations were a main feature of Oz magazine. Martin Sharp co-wrote Cream‘s Tales of Brave Ulysses song, and created the cover art for Cream’s Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire albums. In the 1970s Martin Sharp became a champion of singer Tiny Tim, and Sydney’s Luna Park. Martin Sharp Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Martin-Sharp | YouTube video: 7News: Cartoonist Martin Sharp has died….