| 1165:
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Canonization of Charlemagne (reduced to "Blessed" in 18th century.)
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| 1170:
|
Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England
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| 1607:
|
Powhatan, the Indian Chief, spares John Smith's life after the pleas of his daughter Pocahontas. born
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| 1610:
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Arrest, by Count Thurzo, of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, on over 650 charges of murder, torture, and "satanistic terror."
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| 1616:
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Death of Stephen Bocskay, Prince of Transylvania
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| 1721:
|
Madam Jeanne Poisson de Pompadour, influential mistress of Louis XV. born
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| 1778:
|
British troops, attempting a new strategy to defeat the colonials in America, capture Savannah, the capital of Georgia. In some of the bloodiest fighting of the Revolutionary War, American and French troops failed to take Savannah
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| 1800:
|
Industrialist Charles Goodyear born
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| 1808:
|
Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States born
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| 1809:
|
British statesman William Gladstone born
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| 1813:
|
The British burned Buffalo, New York, during the War of 1812
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| 1837:
|
Canadian militiamen destroyed the "Caroline," a US steamboat docked at Buffalo, New York
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| 1845:
|
Texas (comprised of the present State of Texas and part of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) admitted as the 28th state, with the provision that the area (389, 166 square miles) should be divided into no more than five states "of convenient size."
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| 1848:
|
Gas lights were installed at the White House for the first time. (some sources 1849)
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| 1851:
|
The first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston
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| 1852:
|
Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
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| 1876:
|
Pablo Casals Vendrell Catalonia Spain, violinist/conductor/composer born
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| 1890:
|
The last major conflict of the Indian wars takes place at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota after Colonel James W. Forsyth of the 7th Cavalry tries to disarm Chief Big Foot and his followers. Some 300 Sioux Indians were killed by US troops sent to disarm them
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| 1893:
|
The sole string quartet of Claude Debussy was premiered in Paris
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| 1907:
|
Robert C. Weaver, first black American to serve in FDR's cabinet born
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| 1912:
|
The composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks was born.
|
| 1917:
|
Former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley born
|
| 1921:
|
Sears, Roebuck President, Julius Rosenwald, pledges $20 million of his personal fortune to help Sears through hard times
|
| 1934:
|
ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel born
|
| 1934:
|
Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930
|
| 1937:
|
Actress Mary Tyler Moore born
|
| 1938:
|
Actor Jon Voight born
|
| 1940:
|
Country singer Ed Bruce born
|
| 1940:
|
In a radio interview, President Roosevelt proclaims the U.S. is the arsenal of democracy
|
| 1940:
|
During World War Two, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London
|
| 1946:
|
Singer Marianne Faithfull born
|
| 1946:
|
Jockey Laffit Pincay born
|
| 1947:
|
Actor Ted Danson born
|
| 1948:
|
Tito declares Yugoslavia will follow its own Communist line
|
| 1951:
|
Singer-actress Yvonne Elliman born
|
| 1955:
|
Barbra Striesand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13
|
| 1956:
|
President Eisenhower asks Congress for the authority to oppose Soviet aggression in the Mideast
|
| 1957:
|
Singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were married in Las Vegas, Nevada
|
| 1959:
|
Comedian Paula Poundstone born
|
| 1961:
|
Rock singer-musician Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) born
|
| 1965:
|
A Christmas truce is observed in Vietnam, while President Johnson tries to get the North Vietnamese to the bargaining table
|
| 1967:
|
Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" airs for the first time
|
| 1970:
|
Rock singer-musician Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket) born
|
| 1972:
|
Actor Jude Law born
|
| 1972:
|
Eastern Tristar Jumbo Jet crashes near Everglades killing 101
|
| 1975:
|
Actor Shawn Hatosy born
|
| 1975:
|
A bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing eleven people
|
| 1981:
|
President Reagan curtails Soviet trade in reprisal for Polish policy
|
| 1983:
|
Country singer Jessica Andrews born
|
| 1983:
|
The United States announced its withdrawal from UNESCO
|
| 1986:
|
Former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan died at his home in Sussex, England, at age 92
|
| 1987:
|
NASA announced it was delaying the planned June launch of the space shuttle -- the first since the "Challenger" disaster -- because of the failure of a motor component during a test-firing of the shuttle's redesigned booster rocket
|
| 1988:
|
The Federal Aviation Administration, responding to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, announced tightened security measures for US air carriers at 103 airports in the Middle East and Western Europe
|
| 1989:
|
Playwright Vaclav Havel was sworn in as the first non-communist president of Czechoslovakia since 1948
|
| 1990:
|
Olympic gymnist Mary Lou Retton weds Shannon Kelley
|
| 1990:
|
Iraq denied a report that it was engaged in secret contacts with the US to avert war, and might withdraw from Kuwait before the January 15th United Nations deadline
|
| 1992:
|
The United States and Russia announced agreement on a nuclear arms reduction treaty. Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello resigned
|
| 1992:
|
New York Governor Mario Cuomo commuted the prison sentence of Jean Harris, the convicted killer of "Scarsdale Diet" author Herman Tarnower
|
| 1992:
|
David and Sharon Schoo of St. Charles, Illinois, were arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago upon their return from vacation for leaving their young daughters at home, alone
|
| 1993:
|
The six-volume complete set of the orchestral music of Paul Hindemith was completed
|
| 1993:
|
Nearly three weeks after the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope was repaired by the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, scientists reported "absolutely no sign of problems."
|
| 1994:
|
US officials confirmed the release of US Army helicopter pilot Bobby Hall from North Korean custody (due to the time difference, it was December 30th in Korea when Hall crossed the demilitarized zone to freedom)
|
| 1995:
|
Japan's finance minister (Masayoshi Takemura) announced the resignation of the deputy finance minister (Kyosuke Shinozawa) over several scandals, including the ministry's cover-up of trading losses at Daiwa Bank's New York office
|
| 1996:
|
War-weary guerrilla and government leaders in Guatemala signed an accord ending 36 years of civil conflict. North Korea apologized for sending a spy submarine into South Korean waters
|
| 1997:
|
Hong Kong began killing 1.4 million chickens to stem the spread of a mysterious bird flu that had already killed four people
|
| 1998:
|
Two top Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the deaths of as many as two million people during their regime in the 1970s, and asked Cambodians to forget the past
|
| 1999:
|
The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4041.46
|
| 2005:
|
US consumer confidence up
|
| 2005:
|
69-year-old Australian mother and son on drugs charges
|
| 2005:
|
Man buys his stolen camera on eBay
|
| 2005:
|
South Korea begins sending indictments via SMS
|
| 2005:
|
Melbourne Victory held to draw by Perth Glory
|
| 2005:
|
New text message encryption method developed
|
| 2005:
|
Former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet fingerprinted
|
| 2006:
|
Sydney FC to lose competition points
|
| 2006:
|
New Zealand doctor starts smoking in protest
|
| 2006:
|
Train collides with bus in Mexico
|
| 2006:
|
High definition anti-piracy DRM possibly hacked
|
| 2006:
|
Custody of Saddam Hussein given to Iraq, to be executed 'today or tomorrow'
|
| 2006:
|
Donald Trump reacts to 'Pimp' comments
|
| 2006:
|
Ice shelf breaks free in Canadian Arctic
|
| 2006:
|
Islamist militia driven out of Mogadishu, vow to keep fighting
|
| 2006:
|
FDA backs clone meat
|
| 2007:
|
South African prosecutors charge ANC leader Jacob Zuma with corruption
|
| 2007:
|
Australian David Hicks is released from Yatala Labour Prison
|
| 2007:
|
World Trade Organization allows Antigua to ignore US$21 million of US copyright per year
|
| 2007:
|
UK rail regulator launches investigation into line closure at short notice
|
| 2007:
|
Celebrities draw attention on 2008 UK New Year Honours list
|
| 2007:
|
Scottish footballer Phil O'Donnell collapses during game and dies
|
| 2007:
|
Musharraf orders strong action against rioters in Pakistan
|
| 2008:
|
Four UK retailers call in administrators during the week of Christmas
|
| 2008:
|
Nine dead after armed Santa Claus opens fire in LA suburb
|
| 2008:
|
NFL: Packers defeat Lions 31–21, Lions become first team to finish season with 0-16 record
|
| 2009:
|
Fireworks found on US domestic flight
|
| 2009:
|
Apartment block blaze kills nine in Mississippi, US
|
| 2009:
|
British national Akmal Shaikh executed in China
|
| 2009:
|
Somali pirates capture two ships
|
| 2009:
|
Avenged Sevenfold drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan found dead at age 28
|
| 2009:
|
US charges homeless man after plane stolen and crashed in Maryland
|
| 2011:
|
Russian court rejects move to ban Hindu scripture
|
| 2011:
|
U.S. presidential candidate Gary Johnson leaves GOP to vie for the LP nom
|
History
Icons
Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning actress, singer, and dancer, Mary Tyler Moore born in Brooklyn, New York
Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker, Ray Nitschke born in Elmwood Park, Illinois
Academy Award winning actor, Jon Voight born in Yonkers, New York
Musician, singer, songwriter and actress, Marianne Evelyn Faithfull born in Hampstead, London
College basketball player, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actor, Ted Danson born in San Diego, California
Engineer, soldier and astronaut, Nancy Currie born in Wilmington, Delaware
Emmy Award winning actress, Patricia Clarkson born in New Orleans, Lousiana
Film producer, director, and actor, Jude Law born in London, England