This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 10 1901 First Nobel Prizes awarded The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace on December 10, 1901. The ceremony came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives. In his will, Nobel... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1778 John Jay is elected president of the Continental Congress   Arts & Entertainment 1830 Emily Dickinson is born 1905 O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” is published 1967 Soul legend Otis Redding dies in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin 2009 “Avatar” makes its world premiere in London   Black History 1950 American diplomat Ralph Bunche receives Nobel Peace Prize   Cold War 1977 Soviets arrest dissidents on United Nations Human Rights Day   Colonial America 1690 First paper currency is authorized in the Colonies   European History 1898 Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American War   Inventions & Science 1903 Marie and Pierre Curie are awarded Nobel Prize for their work with radium   Sports 1922 Canton Bulldogs claim NFL’s first title   U.S. Government and Politics 1974 Sex scandal leads to political fallout for Arkansas congressman   U.S. Presidents 1920 Woodrow Wilson awarded Nobel Peace Prize   Women’s History 1869 Wyoming grants women the right to vote   World War I 1917 Red Cross is awarded Nobel Peace Prize

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 11 1936 Edward VIII announces his abdication After ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII becomes the first English monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne. He chose to abdicate after the British government, public, and the Church of England condemned his decision to marry the American divorcée Wallis Warfield Simpson. On the evening... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1994 Russian forces enter Chechnya 1997 Kyoto Protocol first adopted in Japan   21st Century 2019 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg named Time’s Person of the Year   American Revolution 1777 British delay Washington’s march to Valley Forge   Arts & Entertainment 1964 Sam Cooke dies under suspicious circumstances in LA   Asian History 1915 Yuan Shih-kai accepts Chinese throne   Cold War 1969 Soviets declare nudity a sign of “western decadence”   Crime 1963 Frank Sinatra Jr. released by kidnappers 1978 Millions stolen from JFK Airport in infamous ‘Lufthansa heist’ 2008 Billionaire conman Bernard Madoff arrested   LGBTQ+ History 1973 Gay rights advocate interrupts Walter Cronkite’s news broadcast   Vietnam War 1961 First U.S. helicopters arrive in South Vietnam   World War II 1941 Germany declares war on the United States 1946 UNICEF founded

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 12 1980 Da Vinci notebook sells for over $5M On December 12, 1980, American oil tycoon Armand Hammer pays $5,126,000 at auction for a notebook containing writings by the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript, written around 1508, was one of some 30 similar books da Vinci produced during his lifetime on a variety of subjects. It... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT African History 1963 Kenya declares independence from Britain   American Revolution 1787 Pennsylvania ratifies the Constitution   Arts & Entertainment 1967 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” opens in theaters 1970 “Tears Of A Clown” gives Smokey Robinson & The Miracles their first #1 pop hit 1977 “Saturday Night Fever” premieres in New York   Crime 1868 Vigilantes yank train robbers from jail and hang them 1913 Stolen “Mona Lisa” recovered in Florence 1989 Real estate mogul Leona Helmsley sentenced to prison 1997 14-year-old indicted for school shooting   Inventions & Science 1901 First radio transmission sent across the Atlantic Ocean   Sports 1965 NFL rookie Gale Sayers ties single-game TD record   U.S. Presidents 1963 JFK memorial album sets record for sales   World War II 1937 USS Panay sunk by Japanese

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 13 2000 Al Gore concedes presidential election Vice President Al Gore concedes defeat to George W. Bush in his bid for the presidency, following weeks of legal battles over the recounting of votes in Florida, on December 13, 2000. In a televised speech from his ceremonial office next to the White House, Gore said that while he was deeply... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1776 General Charles Lee captured at Widow White’s Tavern   Arts & Entertainment 1925 Dick Van Dyke born   Asian History 1937 The Rape of Nanking begins   Civil War 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg   Crime 2000 Texas Seven prison break   Exploration 1577 Explorer Francis Drake sets sail from England   Middle Eastern History 2003 Saddam Hussein captured   Sports 1992 Goaltender Manon Rheaume becomes first woman to play in pro hockey game   U.S. Presidents 1918 Woodrow Wilson arrives in France for peace talks   World War I 1916 Soldiers perish in avalanche as World War I rages   World War II 1942 Joseph Goebbels complains of Italians’ treatment of Jews

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 14 1911 Roald Amundsen becomes first explorer to reach the South Pole On December 14, 1911, Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the great figures in polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian expedition that... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Civil War 1863 President Lincoln pardons his sister-in-law   Crime 1874 Burglar confesses to high-profile kidnapping case 1982 Woody Harrelson’s father convicted for assassinating a federal judge 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting   Inventions & Science 1900 The birth of quantum theory 1909 Drivers make first test laps at newly laid Indy “Brickyard”   U.S. Presidents 1799 George Washington dies   Vietnam War 1961 President Kennedy announces intent to increase aid to South Vietnam   World War II 1939 USSR expelled from the League of Nations

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 15 2011 U.S. declares an end to the war in Iraq In a ceremony held in Baghdad on December 15, 2011, the war that began in 2003 with the American-led invasion of Iraq officially comes to an end. But violence continued and in fact worsened over the subsequent years. The withdrawal of American troops had been a priority of President Barack Obama,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1973 Kidnapped grandson of Getty billionaire found   Arts & Entertainment 1944 Legendary bandleader Glenn Miller disappears over the English Channel 1993 “Schindler’s List” opens, wins Steven Spielberg his first Oscar   Cold War 1978 United States announces that it will recognize communist China   Crime 1988 James Brown begins his prison sentence   Holocaust 1961 Architect of the Holocaust sentenced to die   Landmarks 2001 Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens   LGBTQ+ History 1973 The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses   Native American History 1890 Sitting Bull killed by Indian police   Sports 1925 Madison Square Garden formally opens with NHL game 1973 Jockey Sandy Hawley wins record 500th race 1974 “Catfish” Hunter becomes MLB’s first free agent in modern era   U.S. Constitution 1791 Bill of Rights is finally ratified   World War I 1917 Russia reaches armistice with the Central Powers   World War II 1945 General MacArthur orders end of Shinto as Japanese state religion

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 16 1773 The Boston Tea Party In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The midnight raid, popularly known as the “Boston Tea Party,” was in protest of the British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773, a bill designed to save the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1960 Two airplanes collide over New York City   Arts & Entertainment 1775 Jane Austen is born 1893 Antonin Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” receives its world premiere in New York City 2009 Blockbuster sci-fi film “Avatar” has its U.S. premiere   Crime 1989 A terrorist bomber begins his deadly rampage   Sports 1973 OJ Simpson rushes record 2,000 yards in a season   U.S. Presidents 1950 President Truman declares state of emergency over Korean War 1998 U.S. House of Representatives recommends impeaching Clinton 1998 President Clinton orders air attack on Iraq   World War I 1914 Germans bombard English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough   World War II 1938 Hitler establishes Mother’s Cross to encourage German women to procreate 1944 Battle of the Bulge begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 17 1903 First airplane flies Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903. Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1872 Buffalo Bill Cody makes his first stage appearance   1960s 1961 Circus catches fire in Brazil, killing hundreds   21st Century 2011 Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies   American Revolution 1777 France formally recognizes the United States   Arts & Entertainment 1892 First issue of “Vogue” is published 2003 Third and final “Lord of the Rings” movie opens   Civil War 1862 Union General Ulysses S. Grant expels Jews from his military district   Cold War 1991 Boris Yeltsin announces the Soviet Union will cease to exist by New Year’s Eve   Crime 1975 Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme sentenced to life for assassination attempt 1986 “Operation Iceman” nabs notorious mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski   Inventions & Science 1979 Stuntman Stan Barrett breaks the sound barrier, unofficially   Middle Eastern History 2010 Street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolates in Tunisia, igniting the Arab Spring   U.S. Government and Politics 1944 U.S. approves end to internment of Japanese Americans 1963 Clean Air Act becomes law   World War II 1941 Commander at Pearl Harbor relieved of his duties

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 18 1620 Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor On December 18, 1620, with the English ship Mayflower anchored in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts, a small party of sailors from the vessel go ashore, as its passengers prepare to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony. The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1961 The Tokens earn a #1 hit with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”   Crime 1878 Last member of Irish secret society is executed   Slavery 1865 Slavery abolished in America with adoption of 13th amendment   Sports 1932 First NFL playoff game is played indoors 2022 Argentina wins the World Cup, Messi’s first   U.S. Presidents 1915 Woodrow Wilson marries Edith Bolling Galt 1972 Joe Biden loses first wife and daughter in tragic car accident 2019 President Donald Trump impeached for the first time   Vietnam War 1972 Nixon announces start of “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam   World War I 1916 Battle of Verdun ends   World War II 1941 Japan invades Hong Kong

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 19 1998 President Clinton impeached After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president in American history to be impeached, vowed to finish... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1776 Thomas Paine publishes “The American Crisis” 1777 George Washington leads troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge   Arts & Entertainment 1843 “A Christmas Carol” is published 1997 “Titanic” sails into theaters   Asian History 1984 Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China   Cold War 1986 Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov released from internal exile   Colonial America 1732 Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanack” is published   Crime 1986 World Series parachutist sentenced   Space Exploration 1972 Last lunar-landing mission ends   Sports 1917 National Hockey League opens its first season 1990 Bo Jackson becomes first athlete named to NFL, MLB all-star games   World War II 1941 Hitler takes command of the German army

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 20 1957 Elvis Presley is drafted On December 20, 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays at Graceland, his newly purchased Tennessee mansion, rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the United States Army. With a suggestive style—one writer called him “Elvis the Pelvis”—a hit movie, Love Me Tender, and a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1995 NATO assumes peacekeeping duties in Bosnia   Arts & Entertainment 1989 “Roger & Me” opens in U.S. theaters   Cold War 1963 Berlin Wall opened for first time   Crime 1986 Man chased to his death in Howard Beach hate crime   Latin American & Caribbean History 1989 The U.S. invades Panama   Vietnam War 1960 National Liberation Front formed   World War II 1941 Hitler to Halder: No retreat!

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 21 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 explodes over Scotland On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated in the cargo area when the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1866 Native warriors ambush 81 U.S. soldiers in Fetterman Massacre    21st Century 2012 “Gangnam Style” becomes the first YouTube video to reach one billion views   Arts & Entertainment 1967 “The Graduate” opens in New York 1996 “Curious George” co-creator Margret Rey dies   Crime 1954 A sensationalized murder trial inspires “The Fugitive” 1980 Socialite Sunny von Bulow is found comatose   European History 1958 Charles de Gaulle elected president of France   Space Exploration 1968 Apollo 8 departs for lunar orbit   Sports 1891 First basketball game played   U.S. Presidents 1970 President Nixon meets Elvis Presley   World War II 1945 General George S. Patton dies

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 22 1956 First gorilla born in captivity On December 22, 1956, a baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity. Weighing in at approximately 4 pounds, Colo, a western lowland gorilla whose name was a combination of Columbus and Ohio, was the daughter of Millie and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1884 Cattleman John Chisum dies in Arkansas   Arts & Entertainment 1808 Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony given world premiere in Vienna 1849 Fyodor Dostoevsky spared from execution 1993 “Philadelphia,” the first major Hollywood movie about AIDS, opens in theaters   Civil War 1864 General Sherman presents President Lincoln with a Christmas gift   Cold War 1989 Romanian government falls   Crime 1978 John Wayne Gacy confesses to dozens of murders 1984 Bernhard Goetz shoots four youths on the subway 2001 “Shoe bomber” Richard Reid attempts to detonate bombs on Paris-Miami flight   European History 1894 Albert Dreyfus found guilty, sparking French scandal    Latin American & Caribbean History 1988 Chico Mendes, leading Brazilian conservationist, is assassinated   Sports 1894 Governing body for U.S. golf is founded   U.S. Presidents 1968 Julie Nixon marries David Eisenhower   Vietnam War 1971 Soviet Union attacks Chinese policy toward Vietnam   World War I 1917 Russian-German peace talks begin at Brest-Litovsk   World War II 1941 Churchill and Roosevelt discuss war and peace

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 23 1888 Vincent van Gogh chops off his ear On December 23, 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor while staying in Arles, France. He later documented the event in a painting titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. Today, Van Gogh is regarded as an...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1783 George Washington resigns as commander in chief   Arts & Entertainment 1997 Woody Allen marries Soon-Yi Previn   Black History 1867 Madam C.J. Walker is born   Christmas 1823 The poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” is first published   Cold War 1968 Crew of USS Pueblo released by North Korea   Colonial America 1620 Construction of Plymouth settlement begins   Crime 1959 Chuck Berry is indicted on Mann Act charges in St. Louis, Missouri 2009 “Balloon Boy” parents sentenced in Colorado   Exploration 1986 Voyager completes global flight   Inventions & Science 1982 Chemical contamination prompts evacuation of Missouri town 1983 The journal “Science” publishes first academic report on nuclear winter   Sports 1972 Pittsburgh Steelers’ Franco Harris scores on “Immaculate Reception” iconic NFL play 1982 Chaminade shocks No. 1 Virginia in one of greatest upsets in sports history   World War II 1944 The execution of Eddie Slovik is authorized 1948 Japanese war criminals hanged in Tokyo

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 24 1979 Soviet Union invades Afghanistan On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978. As midnight approached, the Soviets organized a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1814 Treaty signed to end the War of 1812 1851 Fire ravages Library of Congress   Arts & Entertainment 1973 Stephenie Meyer, best-selling author of “Twilight” novels, is born   Cold War 1952 McCarran-Walter Act goes into effect, revising immigration laws   Inventions & Science 1801 Richard Trevithick introduces his “Puffing Devil” 1948 A family moves into the world’s first fully solar house   U.S. Presidents 1923 President Coolidge lights first national Christmas tree   Vietnam War 1964 Viet Cong bomb Brinks Hotel 1972 Bob Hope gives his last show in Vietnam

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 25 1914 The Christmas Truce Just after midnight on Christmas morning, the majority of German troops engaged in World War I cease firing their guns and artillery and commence to sing Christmas carols. At certain points along the eastern and western fronts, the soldiers of Russia, France and Britain even heard brass bands... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1776 George Washington crosses the Delaware   Arts & Entertainment 1895 The legend of “Stagger Lee” is born 1941 Bing Crosby introduces “White Christmas” to the world 1962 “To Kill a Mockingbird” film premieres in Los Angeles   Cold War 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the USSR   Religion 6 Christ is born?   Sports 1971 Miami Dolphins beat Kansas City Chiefs in NFL’s longest game 2002 Katie Hnida is first woman to play in Division I football game

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 26 1946 Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel Mobster Bugsy Siegel opens the glitzy Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 26, 1946.  Well-known singer and comedian Jimmy Durante headlined the night’s entertainment, with music by Cuban band leader Xavier Cugat. Some of infamous gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel’s Hollywood friends,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1820 Moses Austin asks Spain for Texas colony   American Revolution 1776 George Washington wins first major U.S. victory at Trenton   Annual Observances 1941 FDR establishes modern Thanksgiving holiday 1966 The first Kwanzaa   Arts & Entertainment 1973 “The Exorcist” opens in theaters   Crime 1996 Body of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey is found   Inventions & Science 1956 Carmaker Preston Tucker dies   Natural Disasters & Environment 2004 Tsunami devastates Indian Ocean coast   Sports 1908 Jack Johnson wins heavyweight title   U.S. Presidents 1972 Harry Truman dies   World War I 1917 U.S. government takes over control of nation’s railroads   World War II 1941 Office of Price Administration announces automobile tire rationing 1943 Britain surprises German attacker in the Arctic 1944 General Patton relieves Allies at Bastogne

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 27 1932 Radio City Music Hall opens At the height of the Great Depression, thousands turn out for the opening of Radio City Music Hall, a magnificent Art Deco theater in New York City. Radio City Music Hall was designed as a palace for the people, a place of beauty where ordinary people could see high-quality entertainment. Since its... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1904 J.M. Barrie’s play “Peter Pan” opens in London   Cold War 1979 Soviets take over in Afghanistan   Crime 1900 Prohibitionist Carry Nation smashes bar 1985 World-renowned primatologist Dian Fossey is found murdered in Rwanda   European History 1831 Charles Darwin sets sail from England   Middle Eastern History 2007 Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto assassinated   Space Exploration 1968 Apollo 8 returns to Earth   U.S. Presidents 1944 FDR seizes control of Montgomery Ward   World War I 1918 Polish citizens take up arms against German troops in Poznan

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 28 1895 First commercial movie screened On December 28, 1895, the world’s first commercial movie screening takes place at the Grand Cafe in Paris. The film was made by Louis and Auguste Lumière, two French brothers who developed a camera-projector called the Cinematographe. The Lumière brothers unveiled their invention to the public in... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1973 “The Gulag Archipelago” is published 1991 Nine killed in a stampede outside a hip-hop celebrity basketball game   Crime 1793 Writer Thomas Paine is arrested in France   Inventions & Science 1938 Silent-film star and inventor Florence Lawrence dies 1981 First American “test-tube baby” is born   Natural Disasters & Environment 1908 Worst European earthquake ever recorded   Sports 1958 Colts win NFL title in “Greatest Game Ever Played” 1975 Dallas Cowboys win playoff game on “Hail Mary” pass   U.S. Government and Politics 1832 John C. Calhoun resigns vice presidency 1973 Endangered Species Act signed into law   U.S. Presidents 1856 Woodrow Wilson born in Staunton, Virginia   Vietnam War 1964 Battle of Binh Gia begins   World War II 1944 Hungary declares war on Germany

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 29 1890 U.S. Army massacres Lakota Indians at Wounded Knee On December 29, 1890, in one of the final chapters of America’s long Indian wars, the U.S. Cavalry kills 146 Lakota Indians at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Throughout 1890, the U.S. government worried about the increasing influence at Pine Ridge of the Ghost Dance... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1845 Texas enters the Union   American Revolution 1778 British capture Savannah, Georgia   Crime 1610 Hungarian countess’s torturous escapades are exposed 1985 The “Railway Rapist” commits his first murder   European History 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered   World War II 1940 London is devastated by German air raid

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 30 1922 USSR established On December 30, 1922, in post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (divided in 1936 into the Georgian, Azerbaijan and Armenian republics). Also known as the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1965 Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated president of the Philippines   Arts & Entertainment 1968 Led Zeppelin recorded live for the first time   Asian History 1884 Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo is born   Crime 1994 An anti-abortion activist goes on a murder spree   Early 20th Century U.S. 1903 Fire breaks out in Chicago theater   Great Depression 1936 Sit-down strike begins in Flint   Latin American & Caribbean History 1853 Gadsden Purchase helps establish southern U.S. border   World War I 1916 Rasputin is murdered

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY December 31 1999 Panama Canal turned over to Panama On December 31, 1999, the United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially hands over control of the Panama Canal, putting the strategic waterway into Panamanian hands for the first time. Crowds of Panamanians celebrated the transfer of the 50-mile canal, which links the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2019 Wuhan government confirms dozens of cases of virus later ID’d as COVID-19   American Revolution 1775 Patriots are defeated at Quebec   Arts & Entertainment 1985 Rick Nelson dies in a plane crash   Civil War 1862 U.S.S. Monitor sinks   Crime 1984 Subway shooter Bernhard Goetz turns himself in   European History 1600 Charter granted to the East India Company 1999 Putin becomes acting president of Russia, following Yeltsin’s resignation   Inventions & Science 1879 Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent light   Space Exploration 1968 Soviets test supersonic airliner   Sports 1972 Baseball star Roberto Clemente dies in plane crash 1988 Chicago Bears beat Philadelphia Eagles in freaky Fog Bowl   U.S. Presidents 1961 Kennedy and Khrushchev exchange holiday greetings

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY January 01 1863 Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. Attempting to stitch together a nation mired in a bloody civil war, Abraham Lincoln made a last-ditch, but carefully calculated, decision regarding the institution of slavery in America. By the end of 1862, things were not... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1863 A Nebraska farmer files the first homestead claim   1990s 1999 The euro debuts   American Revolution 1781 Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line   Annual Observances 45 B.C. The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time on New Year’s Day   Arts & Entertainment 1818 Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is published 1915 A preview of “The Birth of a Nation” is shown to audiences 1958 Johnny Cash plays San Quentin State Prison 1980 Sherry Lansing named first female studio production head   Black History 1923 Rosewood Massacre decimates Black Florida community   Immigration 1892 The first immigrants arrive at Ellis Island   Latin American & Caribbean History 1804 Haitian independence proclaimed 1959 Batista forced out by Castro-led revolution   Sports 2006 New England Patriots’ Doug Flutie makes NFL’s first drop kick since 1941 2008 Sidney Crosby wins first NHL game played outdoors in US   U.S. Government and Politics 1835 The U.S. national debt reaches $0 for the first time 1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement comes into effect   World War II 1942 26 WWII Allies declare themselves “United Nations”

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY January 02 1980 U.S.-Russia detente ends On January 2, 1980, in a strong reaction to the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asks the Senate to postpone action on the SALT II nuclear weapons treaty and recalls the U.S. ambassador to Moscow. These actions sent a message that the age of detente and the... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1923 Secretary Fall announces resignation in Teapot Dome scandal   21st Century 2006 13 coal miners are trapped in Sago Mine disaster; 12 die   American Revolution 1776 Continental Congress publishes the Tory Act   Arts & Entertainment 1897 Author Stephen Crane’s boat sinks 1958 Opera star Maria Callas walks out of performance 1962 Folk group The Weavers are banned by NBC after refusing to sign a loyalty oath   Colonial America 1788 Georgia enters the Union   Crime 1973 The real-life murder behind “Looking For Mr. Goodbar” 1981 The Yorkshire Ripper is apprehended   European History 1905 Russian fleet surrenders at Port Arthur   Exploration 1492 Reconquest of Spain   Inventions & Science 2009 News breaks of rare Bugatti “garage find”   Sports 1965 Joe Namath spurns NFL to sign record deal with AFL’s New York Jets 1971 Football fans crushed in stadium stampede   U.S. Government and Politics 1811 First censuring of a U.S. senator   U.S. Presidents 1974 President Nixon signs national speed limit into law   World War II 1946 Several Japanese soldiers surrender after learning Pacific War has ended

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY January 03 1990 Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega surrenders to U.S. On January 3, 1990, Panama’s General Manuel Antonio Noriega, after holing up for 10 days at the Vatican embassy in Panama City, surrenders to U.S. military troops to face charges of drug trafficking. Noriega was flown to Miami the following day and crowds of citizens on the streets of Panama City... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1834 Stephen Austin imprisoned by Mexicans   1960s 1967 Jack Ruby dies before second trial   American Revolution 1777 The Battle of Princeton   Ancient Egypt 1924 King Tut’s sarcophagus uncovered   Arts & Entertainment 1841 Herman Melville sails for the South Seas 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts first woman   Asian American & Pacific Islander History 1957 Dalip Singh Saund assumes office as the first Asian American and the first Sikh elected to Congress   Asian History 1868 Meiji Restoration begins   Civil War 1861 Delaware rejects secession   Cold War 1961 United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba   Crime 1990 Charles Stuart implicated for staged murder of his wife   European History 1925 Benito Mussolini declares himself dictator of Italy   Religion 1521 Martin Luther excommunicated   Space Exploration 2004 The Mars Exploration Rover “Spirit” safely lands on the Red Planet   Sports 1973 George Steinbrenner’s group buys Yankees from CBS 1993 Buffalo Bills pull off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history   U.S. Government and Politics 1959 George A. Kasem of California becomes first Arab American member of Congress 1959 Alaska admitted into Union 1973 James Abourezk of South Dakota becomes first Arab American to serve in U.S. Senate   U.S. Presidents 1938 Franklin Roosevelt founds March of Dimes