- 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 8 Maxwell Anderson's "Bad Seed" premieres in NYC
Maxwell Anderson
- Dec 8 WPTZ TV channel 5 in Plattsburgh, NY (NBC) begins broadcasting
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
- Dec 10 USAF Lt Col John Stapp travels at 632 mph in a rocket sled at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
- Dec 10 Albert Schweitzer receives Nobel Peace Prize
- Dec 10 Philadelphia Phillies purchase Connie Mack Stadium
- Dec 11 Phillies purchase Connie Mack Stadium
- Dec 11 USS Forrestal christened in Newport News, Va
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 Gian Carlo Menotti's opera "Saint of Bleecker Street" opens at Broadway Theater in NYC for 92 performances
- 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
Music Premiere
Dec 30 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's musical "House of Flowers" premieres at Alvin Theater in NYC
Truman Capote