Historical Events
- Dec 1 Plutarco Elías Calles becomes President of Mexico
Historic Publication
Dec 1 "La Révolution surréaliste" publishes its first issue in Paris, edited by André Breton
- Dec 1 The Boston Bruins beat fellow expansion Montreal Maroons, 2-1 at Boston Arena; first NHL game to be played in the United States
- Dec 2 British-German trade agreement signed
- Dec 5 Hamilton Tiger Red Green scores 5 goals to beat Tor Maple Leafs 10-5
- Dec 7 German election (Social Democrats win, Nazis & Communists lose)
- Dec 9 Netherlands & Hungary trade treaty signed
- Dec 9 Michael Hainisch re-elected Austrian president
- Dec 10 Agreement reached on permanent rotation of World Series with each league, getting games 1, 2, 6, 7 in alternating years
- Dec 12 Spanish troops leave Morocco
- Dec 13 KOA-AM in Denver CO begins radio transmissions
- Dec 14 Respighi's symphony "Pini di Roma" premieres in Paris
Music History
Dec 16 Noël Coward's "Vortex" premieres in London
Election of Interest
Dec 16 Hiram Bingham is elected as a Republican to serve in the US Senate forcing him to resign as Governor of Connecticut after serving only one day in office, the shortest term of any Connecticut Governor
- Dec 17 1st US diesel electric locomotive enters service, Bronx, NY
- Dec 17 The Hamilton Tigers and Ottawa Senators battle out the first scoreless game in NHL history; Jake Forbes (Hamilton) and Alex Connell (Ottawa) each record shutouts
- Dec 19 Test Cricket debut of Bill Ponsford, who scored 110 in 1st innings
Historic Event
Dec 19 The last Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost is sold in London, England.
Coup d'état
Dec 20 Adolf Hitler freed from jail early, having served only nine months of five-year sentence for "Beer Hall Putsch"
- Dec 22 Babe Dye of NHL's Toronto St Patricks scores 5 goals beat Bruins 10-2
- Dec 22 Philip Barry's "Youngest" premieres in NYC
- Dec 24 1st radio transmission of NCRV in Netherlands
- Dec 24 Albania becomes a republic (ex-premier Ahmed Zogoe's coup)
- Dec 24 Richard Rodgers Theater (46th St Chanin's) opens at 226 W 46th NYC
- Dec 24 School in Babb's Switch, Oklahoma, catches fire, 36 die
Film & TV History
Dec 26 Frances Gumm (later Judy Garland), age 2½, billed as 'Baby Frances', makes her show business debut
Historic Event
Dec 30 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 2 Alexander Haig Jr, American General and 59th Secretary of State (1981-82), born in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)
- Dec 2 John Herbert "Jonathan" Frid, Canadian actor (Barnabas Collins-Dark Shadows), born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (d. 2012)
- Dec 3 John Backus, American computer scientist and inventor (FORTRAN computer language), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2007)
- Dec 3 Roberto Mières, Argentine auto racer (USAC Road Racing C'ship Daytona 1,000 km 1959; 17 x F1 GP), born in Mar del Plata, Argentina (d. 2012)
- Dec 3 F. Sionil José, Filipino novelist (Rosales Saga) and Philippine National Artist for Literature, born in Rosales, Pangasinan, Philippine Islands
- Dec 3 Fred Taylor, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Ohio State University 1959-76; MLB Washington Senators 1950-52), born in Zanesville, Ohio (d. 2002)
- Dec 3 Wiel Coerver, Dutch soccer manager (developer of Coerver Method, football coaching technique), born in Kerkrade, Netherlands (d. 2011)
- Dec 4 John C. Portman Jr., American architect (Ivan Allen Award-1964), born in Walhalla, South Carolina (d. 2017)
- Dec 5 George Savalas, Greek-American actor (Kojak, Kelly's Heroes), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1985)
- Dec 5 Beverly Hanson, American golfer (3 LPGA major titles), born in Fargo, North Dakota (d. 2014)
- Dec 6 Wallace "Wally" Cox, American comedian and actor (Mister, Underdog, Peepers, Hollywood Squares), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1973)
Mário Soares
Dec 7 Mário Soares, 17th President of Portugal (1986-96) and Prime Minister (1976-78 and 1983-85), born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 2017)
Ed Koch
Dec 12 Ed Koch, American congressman and New York City Mayor (1977-89), born in NYC, New York (d. 2013)
- Dec 12 Francis Miroglio, French composer (Extensions), born in Marseille, France (d. 2005)
- Dec 12 Nevit Kodallı, Turkish composer, born in Mersin, Turkey (d. 2009)
- Dec 13 Larry Doby, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (MLB All-Star 1949–55; World Series 1948; AL HR leader 1952, 54; 1st African-American in AL; Cleveland Indians), born in Camden, South Carolina (d. 2003)
- Dec 14 Marion Morgan, American singer (Stop the Music)
- Dec 14 Siiri Rantanen, Finnish cross country skier (Olympic gold 1956), born in Tohmajärvi, North Karelia, Finland
- Dec 14 Raj Kapoor, Indian actor known as "the greatest showman of Hindi cinema" (Awaara, Boot Polish), born in Peshawar, British India (d. 1988)
- Dec 15 Esther Bejarano, German accordionist, singer (Coincidence; Microphone Mafia), anti-fascism activist, and Holocaust survivor, born in Saarlouis, Germany (d. 2021)
- Dec 17 Sándor Lakatos, Hungarian violinist, bandleader, and actor (mostly as a gypsy violinist), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 1994)
- Dec 19 Edmund Purdom, British actor (The Egyptian, Asissi Underground, Pieces), born in Hertfordshire, England (d. 2009)
- Dec 19 Peter Prowtiny, English real estate developer/multi-millionaire
- Dec 19 Cicely Tyson, American stage and screen actress (Roots; The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman), born in Harlem, New York City (d. 2021) [1]
- Dec 19 Carlo Chiti, Italian race car engineer (d. 1994)
Doug Harvey
Dec 19 Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey defence player ('100 Greatest NHL Players), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1989)
- Dec 19 Gary Morton [Morton Goldaper], American comedian, television producer, studio executive (Desilu), and second husband of Lucille Ball, born in New York City (d. 1999)
- Dec 19 Michel Tournier, French writer (Friday, or, The Other Island), born in Paris (d. 2016)
- Dec 20 Errol John, Trinidadian actor & playwright (A Man from the Sun, The Nun's Story, Assault on a Queen), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad (d. 1988)
- Dec 20 Judy LaMarsh, Canadian politician & broadcaster, born in Chatham-Kent, Canada (d. 1980)
- Dec 21 Johan W "Jo" van Marle, KNVB-chairman (1980-93), born in Zwolle, Netherlands (d. 1995)
- Dec 21 Rita Reys [Maria Reijs], Dutch jazz singer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands (d. 2013)
- Dec 22 Francesco "Frank" Corsaro, American opera director (The Night of the Iguana, Play of the Week), born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)
- Dec 23 Floyd Kalber, American television journalist & anchorman (NBC Weekend News Anchor-1973), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2004)
- Dec 24 Roy Miller, West Indian cricketer (WI all-rounder in one Test 1953, 23 & 0-28), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Dec 24 Willem Drees, Dutch statesman (Prime Minister 1948–1958), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1988)
- Dec 24 [Irving] Lee Dorsey, American pop and R&B singer ("Working In the Coal Mine"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1986)
- Dec 24 Grigory Kriss, Russian Olympic champion fencer, born in Kyiv, Ukraine
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Dec 25 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, 10th Prime Minister of India (1996, 1998-2004), born in Gwalior, India (d. 2018)
- Dec 25 Rod Serling, American screenwriter and TV host (The Twilight Zone; Night Gallery), born in Syracuse, New York (d. 1975)
- Dec 26 Frank Broyles, American collegiate athlete, and administrator (University of Arkansas Athletic Director, 1974-2007), born in Decatur, Georgia (d. 2017)
- Dec 26 Glenn Davis, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1946; National C'ship 1944, 45, 46; Army; NFL: LA Rams), born in Claremont, California (d. 2005)
- Dec 27 James A McClure, (Sen-R-Idaho)
- Dec 27 Mokta Ould Daddah, president Mauritania (1961-78)
- Dec 27 Wouter Eijkelemboom, Dutch architect (Holy-hospital, Vlaardingen)
- Dec 28 Milton Obote, President of Uganda (d. 2005)
- Dec 28 Christine Norden, British actress (Little Shop of Horrors, Night Beat), born in Sunderland, England (d. 1988)
- Dec 29 Dub Jones, American NFL halfback (Pro Bowl 1951, 52; All Pro 1951) and coach (Cleveland Browns), born in Arcadia, Louisiana
- Dec 29 Warren Amling, American College Football Hall of Fame guard (Ohio State), born in Pana, Illinois (d. 2001)
- Dec 29 Tuomas Haapanen, Finnish violinist, conductor, and teacher, born in Helsinki, Finland
- Dec 31 Victoria Draves, American platform/springboard diver (Olympic gold 1948)
- Dec 31 Taylor Mead, American writer, actor and performer (Factory, Taylor Mead's Ass), born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (d. 2013)
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
Dec 11 Photographer Alfred Stieglitz (60) marries artist Georgia O'Keeffe (37) in Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Famous Deaths
- Dec 2 Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian philologist (b. 1879)
- Dec 6 Gene Stratton-Porter, American author, screenwriter and naturalist (b. 1863)
- Dec 8 (Franz) Xaver Scharwenka, German pianist, educator, and composer (Mataswintha), dies at 74
- Dec 9 Bernard Zweers, Dutch composer (Gisbertus of Aemstel, To My Fatherland), dies at 70
Samuel Gompers
Dec 13 Samuel Gompers, American labor union leader (American Federation of Labor), dies at 74
- Dec 15 T. Frank Appleby, American politician (U.S. House of Representatives - (R) New Jersey, 1921-23), dies at 60
- Dec 27 William Archer, Scottish critic/playwright (Green Goddess), dies at 68
- Dec 28 Léon Bakst, Russian painter and scene and costume designer, dis at 58
- Dec 29 Carl Spitteler, Swiss writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
