What Happened on December 9
Significant Events
- 536 Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city, returning the old capital to its empire.
- 1212 Frederick II (later also Holy Roman Emperor) crowned King of Germany in Mainz
- 1968 NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) is publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
- 1990 Lech Wałęsa wins Poland's 1st direct presidential election in Poland
- 1992 Operation Restore Hope - US Marines land in Somalia
Did You Know?
Alfred Tennyson's poem "Charge of the Light Brigade" is published in "The Examiner"
On December 9, 1854
Famous Birthdays
John Milton
(1608 - 1674)
Margaret Hamilton
(1902 - 1985)
Grace Hopper
(1906 - 1992)
Broderick Crawford
(1911 - 1986)
Kirk Douglas
101 Years Old
Judi Dench
83 Years Old
Would You Believe?
The first traffic lights are installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.
On December 9, 1868
Famous Weddings
- 1883 Poet Rabindranath Tagore (22) weds Mrinalini Devi in an arranged marriage
- 1956 NBA player Bill Russell (22) weds college sweetheart Rose Swisher
- 1956 Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Fraser (26) weds Tamie Beggs (20)
- 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter Lynda marries in the White House
- 1983 Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Willy Brandt weds Brigitte Seebacher
Famous Divorces
- 1929 Businessman Howard Hughes divorces 1st wife Ella Rice after 4 years of marriage
- 1937 Writer Walter Lippmann (48) divorces first wife Faye Albertson after 20 years of marriage
- 1982 Mary-Beth & William Hurt divorce
Gustaf Dalén
Ralph Bunche
Mary Leakey
Archie Moore
Jenni RiveraDecember in History
Real-life Tragedy for Theatrical Family
On this day a tragedy engulfed one of Britain’s noted theatrical families of the early 20th century.
December 8, 1926
Coronation Street, King of the Soaps
Thought to have no great future when launched on this day, Coronation Street still reigns supreme
December 9, 1960
Marconi's Dream: Telegraphy Without Wires
Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi's career received a big boost on this day with backing from the British Post Office.
December 11, 1896
A King Salutes Remarkable Woman Soldier
Whether she went to war out of love or duty, Phoebe Hessel, who died on this day, led a remarkable life on and off the battlefield.
December 12, 1821