- 602 Byzantine senate elects army officer Phocas Emperor in a mutiny against the reigning Emperor Maurice (who is then killed along with all his family)
Event of Interest
800 Charlemagne arrives in Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Pope Leo III
Conquest of Seville
1248 Conquest of Seville by Christian troops under King Ferdinand III of Castile after the city capitulates
- 1334 St Clemens Flood: Storm surge overwhelms dikes along Flemish and Dutch North Sea coast, killing thousands; city of Ostend moves church inland to higher ground (an effort repeated twice more over the next two centuries)
Historic Publication
1644 "Areopagitica", a pamphlet by John Milton decrying censorship, is published
Event of Interest
1654 French mathematician, scientist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal experiences an intense, mystical vision that marks him for life.
Music Premiere
1834 "Harold in Italy", symphonic work for orchestra and viola by Hector Berlioz, premieres and at the Paris Conservatoire; Chrétien Urhan soloist, with Narcisse Girard conducting
- 1835 Henry Burden patents horseshoe manufacturing machine (Troy, NY)
- 1844 Independence of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from Denmark.
- 1848 Female Medical Educational Society forms in Boston
- 1852 Just past midnight, a sharp jolt likely caused by heavy rains causes Lake Merced, California, to drop 30 feet (9m)
- 1863 Battle of Chattanooga & Orchard Knob, Tennessee begins (results in Union victory 25 Nov)
- 1863 Patent granted for a process of making color photographs
- 1864 -25] Battle at Ball's Ferry, Georgia (30 casualties)
- 1867 The Manchester Martyrs are hung at Salford Gaol, Manchester, England for shooting a police officer
- 1868 Louis Ducos du Hauron patents trichrome color photo process
- 1869 The clipper Cutty Sark is launched In Dumbarton, Scotland, one of the last clippers ever built and the only one still surviving
- 1876 Columbia, Harvard & Princeton form Intercollegiate Football Association
- 1885 Amsterdam police attack meeting of social-democrats united
- 1887 Notre Dame loses its 1st football game 8-0 to Michigan
- 1887 Opera "Trumpeter of Säckingen" 1st American production (NYC)
- 1889 Debut of 1st jukebox (Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco)
- 1890 General elections in Italy won by the Left group headed by Francesco Crispi
- 1890 King William III of the Netherlands dies (b. 1817) without a male heir and a special law is passed to allow his daughter Princess Wilhelmina to inherit
- 1892 Battle of Lomani Congo: Belgian unit beats Arabs, 1000-3000 killed
- 1892 Pierre de Coubertin launches plan for modern Olympic Games at the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques AGM
- 1897 American inventor Andrew Jackson Beard invents the "jerry coupler" to connect railroad cars
- 1897 Portable pencil sharpener patented by American inventor John Lee Love
- 1899 Battle at Belmont: General Methuen's British brigades engage Boer force during Second Boer War
- 1903 Colorado Governor James Peabody sends the state militia into the town of Cripple Creek to break up a miners' strike.
Music History
1903 Enrico Caruso makes his US debut at the Metropolitan Opera House, in New York in Verdi's "Rigoletto"
1st US Olympic Games
1904 III Summer (Modern) Olympic Games close in St Louis
- 1905 Henry Watson Furness, an American physician from Indiana is named US minister to Haiti
- 1909 7.17" (18.2 cm) of rainfall, Rattlesnake Creek, Idaho (state record)
- 1909 Wright Brothers form million dollar corporation to manufacture airplanes
- 1911 Post Hospital at Presidio, San Francisco, renamed Letterman General Hospital
- 1911 Wilhelm Kienzl's opera "Der Kuhreigen" premieres at the Volksoper in Vienna, Austria-Hungary
- 1912 Hamilton Alerts suspended by ORFU for refusing to field a full team in a replay of a protested game
- 1913 Jim Larkin and James Connolly establish the Irish Citizens Army in order to protect strikers
- 1914 The US Army withdraws from Mexico
- 1915 On the Tigris River in Mesopotamia, the Battle of Ctesiphon between Allied and Turkish forces enters its second day
Event of Interest
1921 US President Warren G. Harding signs Willis Campell Act (anti-beer bill) forbidding doctors prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes
Film & TV History
1923 Cecil B. DeMille's first version of "The Ten Commandments" premieres in the USA
- 1923 German army commander General Von Seeckt bans NSDAP & KPD
Event of Interest
1923 Germany's Gustav Stresemann's government falls to the SPD
Music History
1926 Noël Coward's "This Was a Man" premieres in NYC
- 1930 NY Giant Hap Moran runs 91 yards for a TD from a scrimmage
- 1931 Nationally Crisis Committee forms in The Hague
- 1934 An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden discovers an Italian garrison at Walwal, which lay well within Ethiopian territory. This leads to the Abyssinia Crisis.
- 1936 1st issue of Life picture magazine created by Henry R. Luce published
Music Recording
1936 Legendary Delta blues musician Robert Johnson's first recording session with producer Don Law at the Gunter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
- 1937 Clifford Odets' play "Golden Boy" premieres on Broadway in NYC
- 1937 Emile Janson becomes Belgian premier
Theater Premiere
1937 John Steinbeck's play "Of Mice & Men" premieres in NYC
Event of Interest
1939 Nazi Governor of Poland Hans Frank requires Jewish Poles above the age of 11 years to wear a blue Star of David
Poon Lim's 133 Day South Atlantic Odyssey
1942 Chinese steward Poon Lim begins 133 days adrift after British ship SS Benlomond torpedoed by german U-boat and he is the sole survivor
- 1942 German 4th & 6th Army surrounded at Stalingrad
- 1942 Japanese bombing of Port Darwin, Australia
- 1942 Soviet 21st Army recaptures Kalatsj at Don
- 1942 US Coast Guard Woman's Auxiliary (SPARS) authorized
- 1943 1st printing of illegal "Warheid"
- 1943 British Forces Broadcasting Service begins operations
- 1943 Philadelphia Phillies owner William D. Cox is permanently banned from baseball for having bet on his own team
- 1943 US forces take control of Tarawa, Gilbert Island & Makin from Japanese
Music History
1944 Arnold Schoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon" premieres in NYC
Victory in Battle
1944 US 7th army under General Alexander Patch conquers Straatsburg
Sports History
1947 Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh passes for 6 touchdowns vs. Chicago Cardinals (45-21)
- 1948 Dr Frank G. Back (NYC) patents lens to provide zoom effects
- 1950 Howard Swanson's "Short Symphony" premieres
- 1953 KVFD (now KTIN) TV channel 21 in Ft Dodge, IA (NBC) 1st broadcast
- 1953 WJBF TV channel 6 in Augusta, GA (ABC) begins broadcasting
- 1954 For the first time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the peak it reached just before the 1929 crash
- 1955 Britain transfers the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean to Australia
- 1956 Vladimir Kuts of the Soviet Union runs Olympic record 28:45.6 to win the 10,000m at the Melbourne Olympics; later also wins 5,000m gold
Music Premiere
1959 Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's musical "Fiorello!", about New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia, directed by George Abbott, and starring Tom Bosley, opens at Broadhurst Theater, NYC; runs for 796 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
- 1960 Dodgers outfielder Frank Howard is voted NL Rookie of Year
- 1960 Tinseltown dedicated its Walk of Fame at Hollywood Blvd & Vine St
- 1960 Tiros 2, a weather satellite is launched
- 1962 LA Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills is named National League MVP
- 1963 "Tambourines to Glory" closes at Little Theater NYC after 24 performances
- 1963 Debut of "Doctor Who" the long-running British sci-fi series
- 1963 Horatio Alger Society founded
- 1964 "Bajour" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 232 performances
- 1964 Beatles release single "I Feel Fine" & "She's a Woman"
- 1965 31st Heisman Trophy Award: Mike Garrett, Southern Cal (RB)
- 1965 The Beatles film promotional video clips for 5 of their songs at Twickenham Film Studios to provide to television outlets (in lieu of live appearances)
- 1965 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1966 Chicago outfielder Tommie Agee is voted AL Rookie of Year
- 1968 Milwaukee Bucks make their 1st NBA trade, giving Bob Love & Bob Weiss to Chicago Bulls for Flynn Robinson
- 1968 Musical revue "Noël Coward's Sweet Potato" closes at Booth Theatre, NYC, after 44 performances
Album Release
1970 A&M and Island Records release British folk-rock singer-songwriter Cat Stevens' fourth studio album "Tea for the Tillerman"; featuring singles "Wild World and "Father and Son"
- 1970 Arthur Young resigns as Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Music Single
1970 George Harrison releases "My Sweet Lord" single in the US
- 1970 KNCT TV channel 46 in Belton/Killeen, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
- 1971 China People's Republic seated in UN Security Council
- 1971 Danny Murtaugh, manager of MLB world champions Pittsburgh Pirates, announces his retirement
- 1973 Arab summit conference adopts open and secret resolutions on the use of the oil weapons; embargo extended to Portugal, Rhodesia, and South Africa
- 1974 60 Ethiopia government officials executed
- 1974 Alexis Argüello of Nicaragua knocks out Mexican defending champion Rubén Olivares in the 13th round at the Forum in Inglewood, California, to claim the WBA world featherweight boxing title
- 1975 Bob Thomas of Chicago Bears kicks 55-yard field goal
- 1975 CFL Grey Cup, McMahon Field, Calgary: Edmonton Eskimos defeat Montreal Alouettes, 9-8; just the 3rd Grey Cup in which no TDs scored; game-time temperature -15 degrees Celsius, with a 25-kph wind
- 1976 Apneist Jacques Mayol is the first man to reach a depth of 100m undersea without breathing equipment.
- 1976 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- 1976 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- 1977 European weather satellite Meteosat 1 launched from Cape Canaveral
- 1980 4,800 die in series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy
- 1980 CFL Grey Cup, CNE Stadium, Toronto: Edmonton Eskimos 3rd straight title; outclass Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 48-10
- 1980 National Black Independent Party forms
Event of Interest
1981 President Reagan vetoes House Joint Resolution 357 which called for further appropriations for fiscal year 1982
Film Premiere
1984 "A Christmas Carol" directed by Clive Donner starring George C. Scott premieres in the UK
Sports History
1984 Boston College QB Doug Flutie passes (472 yards), including game ending 48 yard TD (Hail Mary Pass) to end game & beat Miami 47-45
Cricket Debut
1984 Limited-over international cricket debut for Wasim Akram for Pakistan, v New Zealand
Cricket Debut
1984 Test Cricket debuts of Australians David Boon aged 23 & Bob Holland aged 38 (v WI)
- 1984 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- 1985 58 die as Egyptian commandos storm hijacked Egyptair jet in Malta
- 1985 Retired CIA analyst Larry Wu-tai Chin, arrested of spying for China
Sports History
1986 Second WTA Tour Championship of the year; change of tennis schedule; Martina Navratilova wins 5th straight and 8th overall title with 7–6, 6–3, 6–2 win over Steffi Graf in NYC
Sports History
1987 German tennis star Steffi Graf claims her first WTA Tour Championship with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 win over Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina at Madison Square Garden, NYC
- 1988 France performs nuclear test
- 1988 President Reagan announces that he is pocket-vetoing a bill designed to further restrict lobbying by former federal employees.
Sports History
1988 Wayne Gretzky scores his 600th NHL goal
- 1988 Yankees sign free agent 2nd-baseman Steve Sax to 3-year contract
- 1989 Pilots Union give up sympathy strike against Eastern Airlines
Sports History
1989 The "Bounty Bowl": Philadelphia Eagles defeat Dallas Cowboys 27-0 at Thanksgiving in an ill-tempered game, after which Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson accuses Eagles coach Buddy Ryan of placing bounties on players
Boxing Title Fight
1991 Evander Holyfield TKOs Bert Cooper in 7 for heavyweight boxing title
Music History
1991 Freddie Mercury, 45, confirms he has AIDS the day before he dies
- 1991 Martín López-Zubero swims world record 200m backstroke (1:56.57)
- 1991 Sacramento Kings ends NBA's longest road losing streak at 43 games
- 1992 "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" opens at Booth NYC for 232 performances
- 1992 10,000,000 cellular telephone sold
- 1993 "Angels in America-Perestroika" opens at Walter Kerr NYC for 216 performances
Album Release
1993 "Doggystyle" debut album by Snoop Doggy Dogg is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1994)
- 1996 Irene Skliva, 18, of Greece, crowned 46th Miss World
- 1996 The Republic of Angola officially joins the World Trade Organization.
Sports History
1997 Czech tennis No. 1 Jana Novotná wins WTA Tour Championship at Madison Square Garden, NYC; beats Mary Pierce of France 7–6, 6–2, 6–3
- 1998 Agreement between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his rival, prince Norodom Ranariddh.
Album Release
1999 Jessica Simpson releases her debut studio album "Sweet Kisses"
- 2001 53rd NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jeff Gordon wins
- 2001 Convention on Cybercrime is signed in Budapest, Hungary.
Federation Cup
2003 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Moscow, Russia: Amélie Mauresmo beats American Meghann Shaughnessy 6-2, 6-1 to give France an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 4-1) and their second title
Election of Interest
2003 Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigns following weeks of mass protests over flawed elections
President's Cup
2003 Presidents Cup Golf, Fancourt Hotel and CC: US and International team tie, 17-17; after 3 tied playoff holes between Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, captains and players decide Cup to be shared
American Music Awards
2008 36th American Music Awards: Rihanna & Chris Brown win
- 2008 97th Davis Cup: Spain beats Argentina in Mar del Plata (3-1)
- 2008 CFL Grey Cup, Olympic Stadium, Montreal: Calgary Stampeders beat Montreal Alouettes, 22-14; 66,308 2nd-highest attended Grey Cup game in history
- 2008 Economists at the University of Hawaii report that the state entered recession in the previous quarter based on the drop in tourist figures and growing unemployment, with 8,800 jobs expected to be cut in 2009
- 2008 Geffen Records releases rock band Guns N" Roses sixth, and to date last, studio album, "Chinese Democracy"; 8 years in production, with costs over $13 million, it is the most expensive rock album ever made
- 2009 Fela! based on music and lyrics by Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, opens on Broadway
- 2009 Maguindanao massacre occurs in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines
I Dreamed a Dream
2009 Susan Boyle releases her debut album “I Dreamed a Dream” (biggest selling album worldwide 2009, 2010 Billboard Album of the Year)
- 2010 The Bombardment of Yeonpyeong occurs on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea. The North Korean artillery attack kills 2 civilians and 2 South Korean marines.
- 2011 Arab Spring: After 11 months of protests in Yemen, The Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh Signs a deal to transfer power to the vice president, in exchange for legal immunity.
- 2012 JR Tokai unveil a maglev LO train prototype capable of travelling up to 500km per hour
- 2013 "The Day of the Doctor" 50th anniversary episode of "Doctor Who" screens on BBC One, 1st episode to feature 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi
Sports History
2013 Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao defeats American Brandon Rios by unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title at Cotai Arena, Macau, China
- 2014 103rd Davis Cup: Switzerland beats France in Lille (3-1), winning the Davis Cup for the first time
American Music Awards
2014 42nd American Music Awards: One Direction, Sam Smith and Katy Perry win
- 2014 A magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes central Japan
- 2014 A suicide bomber kills 40 people at a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan
- 2014 An adviser to the Kenyan president says the slaughter of 28 people on a bus by the Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab is intended to create a religious war in the country
F1 World Champion
2014 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit to clinch his second F1 World Drivers Championship, 67 points ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg
Sports History
2014 Magnus Carlsen defends his World Chess Championship title after defeating Vishy Anand
- 2014 Mass protests in Mexico by relatives of 43 missing Mexican students, who the authorities say were murdered by a drugs gang
Event of Interest
2014 Republicans condemn US President Obama's use of executive powers to force through immigration reform
Event of Interest
2015 President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia bans "Khatna", the Islamic ritual practice of genital mutilation of young girls [1]
- 2017 Brazilian footballer Robinho sentenced to nine years in prison for rape in Italy
- 2017 Papua New Guinea Police storm Manus Island refugee camp, forcibly removing asylum seekers
