- Dec 1 Nationalist China & US sign dike agreement
- Dec 1 NY Yankees and Baltimore Orioles complete largest trade in MLB history as 17 players, including Don Larsen, Gene Woodling, Bob Turley change teams; first phase of transaction began November 18 and concludes today after the MLB draft
- Dec 2 Taiwan (ROC) & US sign the Mutual Defense Treaty, preventing Mainland China (PRC) from taking Taiwan between 1955-1979
- Dec 2 "Hit the Trail" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 4 performances
- Dec 2 Milwaukee Hawks shooting guard Frank Selvey sets then NBA record of 24 of 26 free throws as he scores 42 points in 117-108 win over the Minneapolis Lakers at Milwaukee Arena
- Dec 2 US Senate censures Joeseph McCarthy (Sen-R-Wisc) for "conduct that tends to bring Senate into dishonor & disrepute"
Event of Interest
Dec 3 Samuel Barber's "Prayers of Kierkegaard" premieres
Samuel Barber
- Dec 3 William Walton's opera "Troilus & Cressida" premieres in London
- Dec 4 "Hit the Trail" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 4 performances
- Dec 4 "On Your Toes" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 64 performances
- Dec 4 The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, USA
- Dec 5 KTEW (now KJRH) TV channel 2 in Tulsa, OK (NBC) begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
Dec 6 Simone de Beauvoir receives the Prix Goncourt prize in French literature
Simone de Beauvoir
Event of Interest
Dec 9 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honored guest of Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Dmitri Shostakovich
Nobel Prize
Dec 10 Linus Pauling wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Linus Pauling
Event of Interest
Dec 13 Elsa Schiaparelli's House of Schiaparelli at Place Vendôme in Paris closes
Elsa Schiaparelli
- Dec 14 WOAY TV channel 4 in Oak Hill-Beckley, WV (ABC) begins broadcasting
- Dec 15 Fordham University scraps football team for financial reasons
- Dec 15 Netherlands Antilles becomes co-equal part of Kingdom of Netherlands
- Dec 17 1st fully automated railroad freight yard (Gary, Indiana)
- Dec 17 WEAU TV channel 13 in Eau Claire, WI (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Dec 23 The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts
- Dec 24 Council for the Protection of Children forms in Netherlands
- Dec 24 Laos gains its independence
- Dec 25 WSFA TV channel 12 in Montgomery, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Dec 26 "The Shadow" airs for last time on radio
- Dec 26 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Municipal Stadium: Cleveland Browns thrash Detroit Lions, 56-10; Browns' placekicker Lou Groza makes 8 extra points, a new title game record
- Dec 27 "Saint of Bleecker Street" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 92 performances
- Dec 27 Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Saint" premieres in NYC
- Dec 28 43rd Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Sydney (3-2)
- Dec 28 KEPR TV channel 19 in Pasco-Kennewick-Richl, WA (CBS) 1st broadcast
- Dec 29 Kingdom of Netherlands, with Netherlands & Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes into being
- Dec 30 "House of Flowers" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 165 performances
Music Premiere
Dec 30 Harold Arlen and Truman Capotes musical "House of Flowers" premieres in NYC
Truman Capote