December in History

1918

Society

Iceland becomes a sovereign kingdom, sharing only its king with Denmark.

The union allowed either side to end it after 25 years, and Iceland became a fully independent republic during the Second World War. The date is still marked as Sovereignty Day.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Kingdom of Iceland · Wikidata — Q62567

1804

Society

Napoleon is crowned Emperor of the French at Notre-Dame de Paris, in the presence of Pope Pius VII.

Napoleon's 1804 coronation made him Emperor of the French. He crowned himself and then Joséphine, and David's painting of the scene now hangs in the Louvre.

Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism

Sources: Wikipedia — Coronation of Napoleon · Wikidata — Q973118

1904

Science

Charles Dillon Perrine discovers Himalia, a small outer moon of Jupiter.

Himalia is about 140 kilometers wide and is the largest of Jupiter's irregular moons, which likely are captured asteroids. The Cassini spacecraft photographed it on its way to Saturn.

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Himalia (moon) · Wikidata — Q16841

1964

Culture

The Beatles release Beatles for Sale, their fourth album in under two years.

Beatles for Sale was released in 1964 and topped the UK charts. Its weary cover photo showed how exhausting the height of Beatlemania had become.

Sources: Wikipedia — Beatles for Sale · Wikidata — Q207336

2014

Exploration

NASA's Orion spacecraft makes its first flight, Exploration Flight Test-1, orbiting Earth twice.

Exploration Flight Test-1 lasted four and a half hours in 2014 and ended with a splashdown in the Pacific. It tested the heat shield and systems of the Orion capsule used for NASA's Artemis missions.

Sources: Wikipedia — Exploration Flight Test-1 · Wikidata — Q500185

1947

Nature

President Harry Truman dedicates Everglades National Park in southern Florida.

It was the first U.S. national park created mainly to protect a living ecosystem rather than dramatic scenery. It is now a World Heritage Site and a refuge for manatees, panthers and wading birds.

Sources: Wikipedia — Everglades National Park · Wikidata — Q274131

1972

Exploration

Apollo 17 astronauts photograph the whole sunlit Earth, creating the famous 'Blue Marble' image.

Because the Sun was behind the spacecraft, the whole disk of Earth was lit up. The image became one of the most reproduced photographs in history and a symbol of the environmental movement.

Sources: Wikipedia — The Blue Marble · Wikidata — Q202014

2010

Technology

SpaceX launches its Dragon capsule into orbit and recovers it, the first private company to do so.

COTS Demo Flight 1 in 2010 made SpaceX the first private company to launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. Dragon capsules later carried cargo and then astronauts to the ISS.

Sources: Wikipedia — SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 1 · Wikidata — Q6912958

1968

Technology

Douglas Engelbart gives the 'Mother of All Demos,' showing the computer mouse, hypertext and video calls.

The 90-minute presentation stunned the audience of engineers. Many of the ideas it showed, from the mouse to collaborative documents, became part of everyday computing decades later.

Sources: Wikipedia — The Mother of All Demos · Wikidata — Q3521932

1993

Technology

id Software releases the first episode of the first-person shooter Doom as shareware on the internet.

Doom's 1993 shareware release was played by millions and helped make first-person shooters popular. Fans made their own levels, and "can it run Doom?" became a running joke for unusual devices.

Sources: Wikipedia — Doom (1993 video game) · Wikidata — Q189784

1997

Nature

Delegates adopt the Kyoto Protocol, setting binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The protocol came into force years later, after enough countries ratified it. It was later succeeded by the Paris Agreement, which covers nearly every country.

Sources: Wikipedia — Kyoto Protocol · Wikidata — Q47359

2015

Nature

Nearly 200 countries adopt the Paris Agreement on climate change at the COP21 conference.

The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 and came into force in November 2016. Each country sets its own targets for cutting greenhouse gases, reviewed every five years.

Sources: Wikipedia — Paris Agreement · Wikidata — Q21707860

2007

Society

European Union leaders sign the Treaty of Lisbon, reforming how the EU works.

The treaty replaced a proposed European constitution that voters in France and the Netherlands had rejected. It also gave the European Parliament more power and set out how a member state can leave the union.

Sources: Wikipedia — Treaty of Lisbon · Wikidata — Q52843

2004

Technology

France inaugurates the Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, over the Tarn valley.

The Millau Viaduct was inaugurated in 2004 and opened to traffic two days later. It is the tallest bridge in the world and removed a notorious traffic jam on the route to the Mediterranean.

Sources: Wikipedia — Millau Viaduct · Wikidata — Q99236

1939

Culture

Gone with the Wind premieres in Atlanta, where the governor declares a state holiday for the event.

Gone with the Wind premiered in 1939 and won eight Oscars, including one for Hattie McDaniel, the first Black actor to win an Academy Award. Adjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing film ever.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — Gone with the Wind (film) · Wikidata — Q2875

1893

Culture

Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World,' premieres at Carnegie Hall in New York.

The symphony was an instant triumph, and the audience applauded after every movement. The haunting melody of its slow movement was later turned into the song 'Goin' Home.'

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism

Sources: Wikipedia — Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák) · Wikidata — Q11985

1989

Culture

The Simpsons premieres as a half-hour series on Fox with a Christmas special.

The Simpsons started as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show before its 1989 series premiere. It has become the longest-running American scripted primetime series.

Sources: Wikipedia — The Simpsons · Wikidata — Q886

1958

Technology

The US launches SCORE, the first communications satellite, which later broadcasts a Christmas message.

SCORE was launched in 1958 and carried a recorded greeting from President Eisenhower. Its batteries ran out 12 days later, but it proved satellites could relay communications.

Sources: Wikipedia — SCORE (satellite) · Wikidata — Q539769

2013

Science

The European Space Agency launches Gaia, a spacecraft built to map more than a billion stars.

Gaia worked from a point about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, away from its heat and light. Its data revealed traces of ancient galaxies that merged with the Milky Way and pinned down the orbits of countless asteroids.

Sources: Wikipedia — Gaia (spacecraft) · Wikidata — Q767805

1999

Society

Portugal hands Macau over to China, ending more than four centuries of Portuguese administration.

Macau is often described as the last European colony in Asia. Today it is known for its casinos and its blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture, food and culture.

Sources: Wikipedia — Handover of Macau · Wikidata — Q847839

1968

Exploration

Apollo 8 launches, carrying the first humans to leave Earth orbit and circle the Moon.

Apollo 8 launched in 1968 and orbited the Moon ten times. Bill Anders took the famous "Earthrise" photograph during the mission.

Sources: Wikipedia — Apollo 8 · Wikidata — Q184201

1964

Technology

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird makes its first flight in California.

The SR-71 could cruise above 24,000 meters at more than Mach 3. It still holds the record as the fastest crewed air-breathing jet aircraft.

Sources: Wikipedia — Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird · Wikidata — Q190114

1972

Sports

Franco Harris makes the "Immaculate Reception" to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a last-second playoff win.

The Immaculate Reception gave the Steelers their first playoff win, 13–7, in 1972. It is often named the greatest play in NFL history, and people still argue whether it was legal.

Sources: Wikipedia — Immaculate Reception · Wikidata — Q13534617

1979

Technology

Europe's Ariane 1 rocket makes its first successful launch from French Guiana.

Ariane gave Europe independent access to space. Later versions of the rocket went on to launch a large share of the world's commercial satellites.

Sources: Wikipedia — Ariane 1 · Wikidata — Q18375

1758

Science

Amateur astronomer Johann Georg Palitzsch spots the return of Halley's Comet, confirming Edmond Halley's prediction.

Halley had died more than a decade before, but his prediction proved correct. It was the first time a comet's return had been forecast, and the comet was named in his honor.

Meanwhile in art: Rococo

Sources: Wikipedia — Halley's Comet · Wikidata — Q23054

1991

Society

A day after its president resigns, the Soviet Union is formally dissolved and its republics become independent.

The declaration recognized the independence of the former Soviet republics, most of which had already joined the new Commonwealth of Independent States. Russia took over the Soviet seat on the UN Security Council.

Sources: Wikipedia — Dissolution of the Soviet Union · Wikidata — Q5167679

1945

Society

The International Monetary Fund comes into existence as 29 countries sign its founding agreement.

The IMF was designed to prevent the currency chaos and trade wars of the Great Depression from returning. It now counts almost every country in the world as a member.

Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — International Monetary Fund · Wikidata — Q7804

1958

Sports

The Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in overtime in a title game later called 'The Greatest Game Ever Played'.

The Colts won 23-17. Seen by tens of millions of viewers on NBC, the drama helped turn professional football into a major television sport in the United States and paved the way for its later boom, including the Super Bowl.

Sources: Wikipedia — 1958 NFL Championship Game · Wikidata — Q1960121

1993

Nature

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity enters into force, committing countries to protect nature.

The Convention on Biological Diversity entered into force in 1993 and has been joined by almost every country. Its Kunming-Montreal framework of 2022 set a goal of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030.

Sources: Wikipedia — Convention on Biological Diversity · Wikidata — Q152805

1905

Culture

Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow premieres at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.

The Merry Widow premiered in 1905 and became a worldwide hit. It inspired Merry Widow hats, corsets and cocktails, and it is still one of the most performed operettas.

Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism

Sources: Wikipedia — The Merry Widow · Wikidata — Q478202

1973

Culture

The rock band AC/DC plays its first gig, at a New Year's Eve party in a Sydney nightclub.

AC/DC became one of the best-selling bands in history, and their album Back in Black is among the best-selling albums of all time.

Sources: Wikipedia — AC/DC · Wikidata — Q27593