December This Day in History, Historic Events
What Historic December Events Occurred on Your Birthday?
Our “This Day in History for December” section contains historical December events categorized by month and day. See what happened on your birthday, or any day of the year. Find out what happened on this day in December.
Major Historical December Events
December 1 Historical Events
The White House installs a telephone for the first time. (1878)
Sherlock Holmes appears for the first time in print in “A Study in Scarlet.” (1887)
High School teacher James Naismith nails up peach baskets at opposite ends of the school gym and gives students soccer balls to toss into the baskets, creating basketball. (1891)
The first certified public accountants receive their certificates. (1896)
The Civil Air Patrol is founded. (1941)
Hugh Hefner publishes the first edition of Playboy Magazine. Marilyn Monroe is the first centerfold. (1953)
Police arrest Rosa Parks in Montgomery, AL for refusing to give up her seat in the front section of a bus. (1955)
A 55-year-old man in Wuhan China, is the first person known to have the COVID-19 Coronavirus. (2019)
December 2 Historical Events
The first savings bank opens in the U.S. (1816)
President James Monroe declares the “Monroe Doctrine” opposing European colonialism in the Americas. (1823)
The U.S. Patent Office issues Patent #465,588 for the toilet paper roll. (1891)
The first Ford Model A is sold. The price: $382. (1927)
Communist revolutionary leader Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba. (1976)
Barney B. Clark receives the world’s first artificial heart transplant. (1982)
December 3 Historical Events
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush, declare the Cold War over. (1989)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station hold the first pizza party in space. (2016)
December 4 Historical Events
The first professional football playoff game is held at the Polo Grounds in NYC. The score: Buffalo (NOT the Bills) 7, Canton 3. (1920)
The Vatican approves the “Rhythm Method” for birth control. (1930)
The first Burger King opens in Miami, FL. (1954)
The first edition of “Chase’s Calendar of Events” hits the stores. (1955)
NASA launches the first Mars Rover from Cape Canaveral. (1996)
December 5 Historical Events
The French Franc is first coined. (1360)
The 21st Amendment repeals Prohibition. I’ll drink to that! (1933)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 1,500 for the first time. And, just look at where we are now! (1985)
December 6 Historical Events
The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia. (1790)
President Calvin Coolidge holds the first presidential address to be broadcast on radio. (1923)
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” airs on television for the first time. (1964)
December 7 Historical Events
Wiley Post discovers the jet stream. (1934)
Japanese forces bomb Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack. It marked the U.S. entry into WWII. (1941)
Otis Redding records “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay”. (1967)
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is released. (1979)
December 8 Historical Events
President Franklin D. Roosevelt makes his “Day in Infamy” speech to the U.S. Congress on the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (1941)
The Beatles release “Magical Mystery Tour” album. (1967)
Mark David Chapman assassinates John Lennon, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and poet for the Beatles, in New York City. (1980)
Space-X launches the Dragon spaceship, becoming the first privately held company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. (2010)
December 9 Historical Events
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” premieres on television on CBS. (1965)
Lech Walesa wins Poland’s first direct presidential election. (1990)
December 10 Historical Events
The Encyclopedia Britannica was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1768)
Wyoming, a territory of the U.S., allowed women to vote and hold office. (1869)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. (1964)
December Historical Events: The U.S. Bill of Rights is Enacted (1791)
December 11 Historical Events
Miles Standish and a group of 18 settlers are attacked by 30 Indians. It became known as “The First Encounter”. (1620)
The Mona Lisa is recovered two years after being stolen from the Louvre. (1913)
Joe DiMaggio announces his retirement from baseball. (1951)
The original “Magnum PI” detective series starring Tom Selleck, premieres on television. (1980)
In his 61st and last boxing fight, Mohammad Ali loses to Trevor Berbick in a unanimous decision after 10 rounds. (1981)
December 12 Historical Events
Ludwig von Beethoven receives his first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Hadyn. (1792)
Tide detergent hits the market. (1946)
The movie Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, premieres. (1977)
Apple makes its initial public stock offering. (1980)
December 13 Historical Events
The Massachusetts Bay Colony organizes three military regiments to defend the colony against Pequot Indians. It is the founding of the National Guard. (1636)
The Clip-on tie is created. Or, should we say “invented”? (1928)
Prehistoric bones of a penguin as tall as a human is found in Otage Beach, New Zealand. (2017)
December 14 Historical Events
Princess Mary Stuart, upon the death of her father James V, becomes Queen Mary I of Scotland at just 6 days old. (1542)
Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John” is the first country song to get a gold record. (1961)
President George W. Bush announces the capture of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. (2003)
December 15 Historical Events
The Bill of Rights is enacted, amending the U.S. Constitution. (1791)
Sioux Chief Sitting Bull was killed by Indian police. (1890)
Gone with the Wind premiered in where else but Atlanta, Georgia. (1939)
Infamous band leader Glenn Miller died in a plane crash over the English Channel. (1944)
December 16 Historical Events
Boston residents protesting British taxation threw tea overboard on a British ship. The Boston Tea Party was the beginning of the American fight for independence. (1773)
Charlie Chaplin begins his career at Keystone. He makes $150/week. (1913)
The famous World War II “Battle of the Bulge” began. (1944)
Shirley Temple retires from making movie films at the age of 22. (950)
Mariah Carey’s single “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hits #1. (2019)
December 17 Historical Events
Pope Paul II excommunicates King Henry VIII of England. (1538)
Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” was published. (1843)
The Wright Brothers made their first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C. (1903)
A prize of 100, 000 francs is offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians are excluded because it is considered too easy. (1900)
December 18 Historical Events
William Bond takes the first photograph of the moon through a telescope. (1849)
The game show “To Tell the Truth” premieres on CBS. (1956)
The cartoon “Pink Panther” premieres. (1964)
Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas airs for the first time. 1966)
December 19 Historical Events
Robinson Caruso leaves his island after being marooned for 28 years. (1686)
Charles Dickens publishes “A Christmas Carol”. (1843)
“The Fellowship of the Ring” is released. It is the first of the Lord of the Rings movies. (2001)
December 20 Historical Events
The first U.S. cotton mill begins spinning yarn in Pawtucket, RI. (1790)
“Grimm’s Fairy Tales” by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm is published. (1812)
Bob Hope becomes an American citizen. (1920)
Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” premieres. (1946)
Elvis Presley receives his draft notice. (1970)
The United Space Force is founded as an armed branch of the military dedicated to space warfare. (2019)
December Historical Events - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Premieres
December 21 Historical Events
The Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth, Massachusetts. (1620)
Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium. (1898)
Coco the Clown first appears in a circus in Manchester, England. (1937)
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premieres at theaters. (1937)
Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry accepts the coaching job at Dallas Cowboys. He stays until 1988. (1959)
December 22 Historical Events
The U.S. Navy is formed with 7 ships. (1777)
Seth Wheeler receives U.S. Patent #465,588 for the toilet paper roll. (1871)
Thomas Edison creates the first string of Christmas tree lights. (1882)
Madonna’s hit “Like a Virgin” goes #1 and stays there for six weeks. (1984)
December 23 Historical Events
English Astronomer John Flamsteed observes Uranus, without realizing it is undiscovered. (1690)
BBC radio begins broadcasting. (1922)
The transistor was invented by U.S. physicists John Bardeen, Walter H. Britain, and William Shockley. (1947)
The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray in Boston, MA. (1954)
Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders become the first to orbit the moon. (1968)
December 24 Historical Events
Franz Joseph Gruber composed “Silent Night”. (1818)
The first completely solar-heated house is occupied in Dover, MA. (1948)
December 25 Historical Events
Jesus Christ is born in a manger in a little town in Bethlehem. (00)
England adopts the Julian calendar. (597)
William the Conqueror is crowned the King of England. (1066)
St. Francis of Assisi sets up the first Nativity scene. It is displayed in Greccio, Italy. (1223)
Astronomer Andres Celsius introduces the Centigrade temperature scale. (1741)
Robert May, an Employee of Montgomery Ward, creates the poem “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Montgomery Ward uses it as a highly successful marketing campaign. (1939)
December 26 Historical Events
In Buffalo, NY, paper made from wood pulp is first displayed. (1854)
James Mason invents the coffee percolator. (1865)
The TV soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” ends after 35 years. (1986)
December 27 Historical Events
The song “Sweet Adeline”, popular among barbershop quartets, is first sung. (1903)
Radio City Music Hall in New York City opens. (1932)
Skimobiles first hit the U.S. market. (1939)
The “Howdy Doody Show’ premieres on NBC. (1947)
December 28 Historical Events
Citing differences with President Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun is the first Vice President to resign from office. (1832)
William F. Semple patented chewing gum. (1869)
The first professional football game is played indoors Syracuse beats Philadelphia at Madison Garden in NYC. (1902)
The first U.S. test tube baby is born. She is Elizabeth Jordon Carr, born in Norfolk, VA. (1981)
December 29 Historical Events
A steam-powered threshing machine is patented in Winthrop, Maine. (1837)
Gas lighting is installed at the White House. (1837)
Emma Snodgrass is arrested in Boston for wearing pants. (1852)
The bowling ball is invented. (1862)
December 30 Historical Events
Wearing masks at balls in Boston is prohibited. Dial forward a couple of centuries to 2020 and masks of a different kind will be mandatory in many areas of the world. (1809)
John E. Hoover changes his name to J. Edgar Hoover. (1918)
Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other galactic systems. Yes, the Hubble telescope was later named after him. (1924)
The Roy Rogers Show premieres on television. (1951)
Frank Sinatra records “My Way”. (1968)
December 31 Historical Events
Shopkeepers in England brick up their windows to avoid a Window tax. (1695)
The first New Year’s Eve celebration is held in New York City’s Times Square. (1904)
To mark the arrival of the new year, the ball is dropped in Times Square for the first time. (1907)
Charles Darrow patents the board game “Monopoly”. It was on the market the month before. See Play Monopoly Day. (1935)
he Monkee’s song “I’m a Believer” hits #1 and stays there for seven weeks. (1966
Congress authorizes the Eisenhower dollar coin. (1970)
The zombie series “Walking Dead” premieres on television. (2010)
Additional Resources
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