Events in History
I Robot
Dec 2 "I Robot" collection of sci-fi short stories by Isaac Asimov published by Gnome Press in the US
- Dec 5 Sikkim becomes a protectorate of India
Nobel Prize
Dec 10 Ralph Bunche (1st black American) presented the Nobel Peace Prize for mediation in Israel
- Dec 11 Baseball owners vote 9-7 not to renew Commissioner Chandler's contract
Nobel Prize
Dec 11 British Physicist Cecil Frank Powell awarded Nobel Prize in Physics for his study of nuclear processes and the discovery of the pion
Event of Interest
Dec 16 US President Harry Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"
Event of Interest
Dec 19 Chinese invasion of Tibet forces the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to flee Lhasa for Yadong on the Tibetan-India border [1]
Event of Interest
Dec 19 General Eisenhower named NATO commander
- Dec 22 2 self-propelled trains of Long Island RR collide, killing 77
- Dec 25 Coronation Stone, taken from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in 1296, stolen from Westminster Abbey & smuggled back to Scotland
- Dec 28 Chinese troops cross 38th Parallel, into South Korea
- Dec 28 The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's 1st National Park
- Dec 30 Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia become Independent states within the French Union
Birthdays in History
- Dec 2 Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian academic (politics, history, political economy and international relations of the Middle East and Central Asia), born in Kabul, Afghanistan
- Dec 3 Asa Hutchinson, American politician, Governor of Arkansas (2015-), born in Bentonville, Arkansas
- Dec 3 Muntu Myeza, South African anti-apartheid activist and General Secretary of SASO, born in Natal, South Africa (d. 1990)
- Dec 8 Rick Baker, American special effects makeup artist (Exorcist), born in Binghamton, New York
- Dec 10 John Boozman, American politician (Senator-R-Arkansas 2011-), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
- Dec 11 Christine Onassis [Andreadis], American-born Greek heiress (Aristotle's daughter), born in NYC, New York
- Dec 16 Claudia Cohen, American gossip columnist (NY Post - "Page Six") and socialite, born in Englewood, New Jersey (d. 2007)
- Dec 16 Ieremia Tabai, I-Kiribati politician (President of Kiribati, 1979-91), born in Nonouti, Kiribati (Gilbert Islands)
- Dec 17 Laurence F. Johnson, American educator
- Dec 18 Gillian Armstrong, Australian director (My brilliant Career, Little Women), born in Melbourne, Victoria
- Dec 23 Ilchi Lee, South Korean educator and author, born in Cheonan, South Korea
- Dec 23 Michael C. Burgess, American politician, born in Rochester, Minnesota
- Dec 24 Dana Gioia, American poet, born in Hawthorne, California
- Dec 25 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor
- Dec 30 Lewis Shiner, American sci-fi/fantasy author
- Dec 30 Yunus I Mahomed, South African attorney/leader (UDF)
Weddings in History
- Dec 25 Dick Tracy marries Tess Truehart
Deaths in History
Peter Fraser (1884-1950)
Dec 12 British-born New Zealand statesman and 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1940-49), dies of a heart attack following hospitalization with influenza at 66
Sardar Patel (1875-1950)
Dec 15 Indian freedom fighter and statesman, dies at 75
- Dec 21 Hattie Wyatt Caraway, American politician (1st woman elected to US Senate, Senator for Arkansas 1931-45), dies at 72 [1]
- Dec 25 Neil Francis Hawkins, British fascist (b. 1903)
- Dec 25 Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet (Nostalgia de la muerte), dies at 47
- Dec 26 James Stephens, Irish poet (Crock of Gold), dies at 68
- Dec 27 Max Beckmann, German painter and graphic artist, dies at 66
- Dec 30 Arthur Davison, American businessman (co-founder of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company), dies in a car crash at 69
- Dec 31 Karl Renner, Austrian President (1918-20, 45-50), dies at 80
Authors
Civil Rights Activists
Inventors
Kings
Revolutionaries
Scientists