http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
Dec 16, 1773: The Boston Tea Party
In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor.
The midnight raid, popularly known as the "Boston Tea Party," was in protest of the British Parliament's Tea Act of 1773, a bill designed to save the faltering East India Company by greatly lowering its tea tax and granting it a virtual monopoly on the American tea trade. The low tax allowed the East India Company to undercut even tea smuggled into America by Dutch traders, and many colonists viewed the act as another example of taxation tyranny.
When three tea ships, the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver, arrived in Boston Harbor, the colonists demanded that the tea be returned to England. After Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused, Patriot leader Samuel Adams organized the "tea party" with about 60 members of the Sons of Liberty, his underground resistance group. The British tea dumped in Boston Harbor on the night of December 16 was valued at some $18,000.
Parliament, outraged by the blatant destruction of British property, enacted the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, in 1774. The Coercive Acts closed Boston to merchant shipping, established formal British military rule in Massachusetts, made British officials immune to criminal prosecution in America, and required colonists to quarter British troops. The colonists subsequently called the first Continental Congress to consider a united American resistance to the British.
Dec 16, 1944: Battle of the Bulge
On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a "bulge" around the area of the Ardennes forest in pushing through the American defensive line, was the largest fought on the Western front.
The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Their assault came in early morning at the weakest part of the Allied line, an 80-mile poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest (the Allies simply believed the Ardennes too difficult to traverse, and therefore an unlikely location for a German offensive). Between the vulnerability of the thin, isolated American units and the thick fog that prevented Allied air cover from discovering German movement, the Germans were able to push the Americans into retreat.
One particularly effective German trick was the use of English-speaking German commandos who infiltrated American lines and, using captured U.S. uniforms, trucks, and jeeps, impersonated U.S. military and sabotaged communications. The ploy caused widespread chaos and suspicion among the American troops as to the identity of fellow soldiers--even after the ruse was discovered. Even General Omar Bradley himself had to prove his identity three times--by answering questions about football and Betty Grable--before being allowed to pass a sentry point.
The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian life. Nazi atrocities abounded, including the murder of 72 American soldiers by SS soldiers in the Ardennes town of Malmedy. Historian Stephen Ambrose estimated that by war's end, "Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded." The United States also suffered its second-largest surrender of troops of the war: More than 7,500 members of the 106th Infantry Division capitulated at one time at Schnee Eifel. The devastating ferocity of the conflict also made desertion an issue for the American troops; General Eisenhower was forced to make an example of Private Eddie Slovik, the first American executed for desertion since the Civil War.
The war would not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions.
Dec 16, 1979: OPEC states raise oil prices
On December 16, 1979, the night before the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' annual price-setting meeting in Caracas, two member states (Libya and Indonesia) announce plans to raise the price of their oil by $4 (Libya) and $2 (Indonesia) per barrel. (The resulting prices--$30 and $25.50 per barrel, respectively--were among the highest they had ever been.) These diplomatic maneuverings were intended to keep OPEC's "price hawks" from raising them even further; nevertheless, by the end of 1979 the cost of oil had more than doubled since the end of the previous year.
This price hike only exacerbated an energy crisis that had been going on since the beginning of 1979. An Iranian oil-field strike and the January revolution had disrupted oil supplies from that part of the Middle East, and an earlier OPEC fee increase had sent prices inching toward an all-time high. By the time the Iranian hostage crisis began in November, Americans were already dealing with the effects of this "oil shock": long lines and short tempers at gas pumps, panics over gasoline and heating oil shortages, and frustration with the inefficient, gas-guzzling vehicles manufactured by American automakers.
These inconveniences reminded many Americans of the oil crisis of 1973-1974, when an Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) embargo sent gasoline prices through the roof: By the time that embargo ended, the average retail price of gas had climbed to 84 cents per gallon from 38 cents per gallon. As a result, the big, heavy cars that American automakers were famous for became incredibly expensive to operate--many got fewer than 10 miles to every gallon of gas!--and many people traded their gas-guzzling muscle cars and gigantic luxury sedans for more fuel-efficient compact cars. This episode had not ended well for American carmakers, who had rushed some smaller cars to market without thoroughly checking them for problems and quirks, which in turn contributed to their growing reputation for unreliability and poor craftsmanship. Once the immediate crisis had subsided, most of those domestic compacts were left to languish on dealers' lots.
However, during the 1979 energy crisis, Japanese carmakers gained a reputation for building inexpensive, reliable, efficient cars that were particularly well-suited to the new era of austerity. That year, Datsun, Subaru, Toyota and Honda--whose Accord sedan was one of the most successful cars of 1979--all gained a permanent foothold in the American marketplace.
Dec 16, 1914: Germans bombard English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough
At approximately 8 o'clock in the morning, German battle cruisers from Franz von Hipper's Scouting Squadron catch the British navy by surprise as they begin heavy bombardment of Hartlepool and Scarborough, English port cities on the North Sea.
The bombardment lasted for about one and a half hours, killing more than 130 civilians and wounding another 500. It would unleash a damning response from the British press, which pointed to the incident as yet another example of German brutality. The German navy, however, saw the two port cities as valid targets due to their fortified status.
Two defense batteries in Hartlepool responded to the attacks, damaging three of the German vessels, including the heavy cruiser Blucher. Hipper's squadron hoped to draw British forces to pursue them across waters freshly laced with mines. Another German fleet, commanded by Admiral Friedrich von Ingenohl, sat waiting offshore to provide support. A major confrontation did not take place, however, as the British decided to keep most of their fleet—depleted by the dispatch of their major cruisers to pursue the dangerous squadron of Admiral Maximilian von Spee—in the harbor.
An attempt by the Scouting Squadron one month later to repeat the tactics used to surprise the British at Scarborough and Hartlepool resulted in the Battle of Dogger Bank, where Hipper's squadron was defeated but managed to avoid capture.
Dec 16, 1950: Truman declares state of emergency
In the wake of the massive Chinese intervention in the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency. Proclaiming that "Communist imperialism" threatened the world's people, Truman called upon the American people to help construct an "arsenal of freedom."
In November, the stakes in the Korean War dramatically escalated with the intervention of hundreds of thousands of communist Chinese troops. Prior to their arrival on the battlefield, the U.S. forces seemed on the verge of victory in Korea. Just days after General Douglas MacArthur declared an "end the war offensive," however, massive elements of the Chinese army smashed into the American lines and drove the U.S. forces back. The "limited war" in Korea threatened to turn into a widespread conflict. Against this backdrop, Truman issued his state of emergency and the U.S. military-industrial complex went into full preparations for a possible third world war. The president's proclamation vastly expanded his executive powers and gave Mobilization Director Charles E. Wilson nearly unlimited authority to coordinate the country's defense program. Such an increase in government power had not been seen since World War II.
The Soviet Union, which Truman blamed for most of the current world problems in the course of his speech, blasted the United States for "warmongering." Congress, most of America's allies, and the American people appeared to be strongly supportive of the President's tough talk and actions. Truman's speech, and the events preceding it, indicated that the Cold War-so long a battle of words and threats-had become an actual military reality. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953.
Today
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at
Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty of China.
882 - Marinus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope succeeding
John VIII
1392 - Nanboku-chō - Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor
of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
1431 - King Henry VI of England crowned king of France
1538 - King Francois I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1575 - The 1575 Valdivia earthquake takes place.
1577 - Danzig surrenders to troops of Polish king Istvan
Bathory
1598 - Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point - The final
battle of the Seven Year War is fought between the Korean and Japanese navies,
resulting in a decisive Korean victory.
1617 - Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds
provinces Rio de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1631 - Mount Vesuvious, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages
& kills 4,000
1653 - Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as
Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland
1659 - General Monck demands free parliamentary election in
Scotland
1689 - English Parliament adopts Bill of Rights after
Glorious Revolution
1707 - Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.
1740 - Prussian Libya falls to Silezie
1761 - Seven Years' War: After four-month siege, Russian
army under Pyotr Rumyantsev takes Prussian fortress of Kolobrzeg (German:
Kolberg).
1767 - Van Ritter von Glucks opera "Alceste"
premiers
1773 - Big tea party in Boston harbor - indians welcome (Boston
Tea Party); protest against taxes imposed by British parliament
1811 - Earthquake hits New Madrid, Missouri, causing
widespread damage
English Military and Political Leader Oliver CromwellEnglish
Military and Political Leader Oliver Cromwell 1817 - Leaders of Molukkas
uprising hanged in Ambon
1824 - Great North Holland Canal opens
1826 - Benjamin W. Edwards rides into Mexican controlled
Nacogdoches, Texas and declares himself ruler of the Republic of Fredonia.
1835 - Fire consumes over 600 buildings in NYC
1838 - Boers beat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
1850 - Ships the Charlotte-Jane and the Randolph bring the
first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand
1857 - Earthquake in Naples, Italy
1858 - Dutch government decides to vacate Schokland Island
1862 - Kingdom of Nepal accepts its constitution
1864 - Battle of Nashville ends after 4400 casualities
1877 - Anton Bruckner's 3rd Symphony in D, premieres
1880 - Transvaal region declares itself as the Republic of
South Africa
1884 - Great Britain recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free
State
1886 - Rift at Dutch Reformed Church over
"Doleantie"
1890 - Negro Methodist Episcopal Church founded in Jackson,
TN
1892 - Commencement of 1st Sheffield Shield cricket game, SA
v NSW
1893 - Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony"
premieres
1897 - 1st submarine with an internal combustion engine
demonstrated
1900 - Boer army under gen Kritzinger take Cape colony
1901 - Boer general Kritzinger captured
1903 - Majestic Theater, NYC, becomes 1st in US to employ
women ushers
1905 - "Variety" covering all phases of show
business, 1st published
1907 - Eugene H Farrar is 1st to sing on radio (Bkln Navy
Yard NY)
1907 - Great White Fleet United States Navy battle fleet
commencing circumnavigation of the globe) sails from Hampton Downs on its World
Cruise
1908 - 1st credit union in US forms (Manchester NH)
1909 - US pressure forces Nicaraguan Pres Jose Santos Zelaya
from office
1912 - 1st US postage stamp picturing an airplane, 20 cent
parcel post, issued
1912 - Austria-Hungary engage in conflict with Serbia
Comedian/Actor/Filmaker Charlie
ChaplinComedian/Actor/Filmaker Charlie Chaplin 1913 - Charlie Chaplin began his
film career at Keystone for $150 a week
1914 - French offensive in Artois (Pétain)
1914 - World War I: German battleships under Franz Von
Hipper bombard the English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough.
1915 - Albert Einstein publishes his "General Theory of
Relativity"
1918 - Jack Dempsey KOs Carl Morris in 14 seconds
1920 - 8.5 earthquake rocks the Gansu province in China,
killing an estimated 200,000
1922 - Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs
formally organizes
1922 - NSW all out for 786 against South Australia Cricket
1924 - Noel Coward's "Vortex" premieres in London
1925 - Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity is
founded at Lafayette College.
1926 - Darius Milhauds opera "Le Pauvre Matelot"
premieres in Paris
1926 - Kenesaw Mountain Landis renewed 7-years as baseball
commissioner
1926 - WOW-AM in Omaha NE begins radio transmissions
1927 - Cricket 1st-class debut of Don Bradman, NSW v South
Australia
1929 - Chic Blackhawks 1st game at Chicago Stadium, beat
Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1
Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack DempseyHeavyweight Boxing
Champion Jack Dempsey 1930 - Golfer Bobby Jones wins James E Sullivan Award
1931 - German SPD begins Iron Front against fascism
1933 - Abe de Vries & Sipke Castelein win Elfstedentocht
1936 - John Monks/Fred Finklehoff's "Brother Rat"
premieres in NYC
1937 - Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from
the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is
ever seen again.
1938 - Bradman scores 143 South Aust v NSW, 11 fours 91
singles
1939 - Bradman scores 251* SA v NSW, 271 minutes, 38 fours 2
sixes
1940 - British air raid on Mannheim
1940 - Joe Louis KOs Al McCoy in 6 for heavyweight boxing
title in Chicago
1941 - Sarawak occupied by Japanese
1942 - Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia
& Balkan
1943 - "Tamiami Champion" (New York to Florida)
trains collide, kills 73 & injures 200
1944 - Ardennes campaign ('Battle of the Bulge') begins in
Belgium
1944 - German V-2 strikes Antwerp bioscope (638 kill)
1944 - US 2nd Inf division occupies "Heartbreak
Crossroads" Wahlerscheid
Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi
Germany Adolf Hitler 1945 - Cleveland Rams win NFL championship
1948 - "Lend an Ear" opens at National Theater NYC
for 460 performances
1949 - Sukarno becomes president Indonesia, Mokammed Hatta
premier
1949 - Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget, later knows as SAAB,
is founded in Sweden.
1950 - "Let's Make an Opera" closes at John Golden
Theater NYC after 5 perfs
1950 - Harry Truman proclaims state of emergency against
"Communist imperialism"
1953 - 1st White House Press Conference (Pres Eisenhower
& 161 reporters)
1953 - Charles E Yeager fly > 2,575 kph in Bell X-1A
1956 - "Fanny" closes at Majestic Theater NYC
after 888 performances
1957 - Sir Feroz Khan Noon replaces Ibrahim Ismail
Chundrigar as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
1958 - Bogota warehouse fire kills 82
1959 - Snow falling in Lowarai Pass West Pakistan kills 48
1960 - "Wildcat" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for
172 performances
1960 - TWA 266 & United 826 collide over Staten Island,
kills 134
1961 - "Evening with Yves Montand" opens at John
Golden NYC after 55 perfs
33rd US President Harry Truman33rd US President Harry Truman
1962 - David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" premieres, starring the late
Peter O'Toole
1962 - NY Giant YA Title sets NFL season touchdown pass
record at 33 with 6 touchdowns vs Dallas (41-31)
1962 - Nepal gets constitution/becomes Constitutional Hindu
Monarchy
1964 - US performs nuclear test at Pacific Ocean
1965 - Gemini 6 returns to Earth
1965 - Pioneer 6 launched into solar orbit
1965 - Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, becomes King of Tonga
1966 - Beatles release "Everywhere it's Christmas"
in UK
1966 - Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single,
"Hey Joe," in the UK
1967 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Phila 76ers scores 68 points
vs Chicago
1968 - KFIZ TV channel 34 in Fond du Lac, WI begins
broadcasting
1969 - Brit House of Commons votes 343-185 abolishing the
death penalty
1969 - "War is Over! If You Want It, Happy Christmas
from John & Yoko" posters begin appearing
1970 - 1st successful landing on Venus (USSR)
1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Rock Guitarist Jimi HendrixRock Guitarist Jimi Hendrix 1971
- Bangladesh (East Pakistan) declares independence from Pakistan
1971 - Don McLean's 8+ minute version of "American
Pie" released
1971 - India's army occupies Dacca, West Pakistani troops
surrenders
1972 - Bangladesh Constitution goes into effect
1972 - Miami Dolphins become 1st undefeated NFL team (14-0-0)
1973 - O J Simpson becomes 1st NFLer to rush 2,000 yard in a
season
1973 - US kidnap victem Paul Getty III freed
1974 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1974 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern
Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1975 - 1st broadcast of "One Day at a Time" on CBS
TV
1975 - Bill Veeck buys 80% of White Sox from John Allyn
1976 - Andrew Young named Ambassador & Chief US Delegate
to UN
1976 - Charlie Finley's $10 million damage suit against
Bowie Kuhn begins
1976 - Government halts swine flu vaccination prog following
reports of paralysis
1976 - Liberian tanker stranded at Nantucket, 180,000
barrels oil in sea
US President & Actor Ronald ReaganUS President &
Actor Ronald Reagan 1978 - Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's
recognition of China PR
1978 - Cleveland, Ohio becomes the first post-Depression era
city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
1979 - 68th Davis Cup: USA beats Italy in San Francisco
(5-0)
1979 - QB Roger Staubach's last regular season game with the
Dallas Cowboys
1980 - President-elect Reagan announces Alexander Haig as
secretary of state
1981 - Dutch Van Agt's 2nd government falls
1982 - Tom Seaver agrees to new contract with Mets
1982 - The Federal Reserve announces that the operating
capacity of factories has gone down to 67.8%.
1983 - Spokesperson for The Who announces the group is
disbanding
1983 - Yogi Berra named Yankee manager for 2nd time
1983 - Riverside, California; judge denies cerebral palsy
victim Elizabeth Bouviato request to starve herself to death in a county
hospital
1985 - Challenger moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of STS
51-L mission
1986 - Revolt in Kazakhstan against Communist party, known
as Zheltoksan, which becomes the first sign of ethnic strife during Gorbachev's
tenure
1987 - Roh Tae Woo elected president of South Korea
1988 - Political cult leader Lyndon LaRouche convicted of
tax, mail fraud
1989 - Commencement of 1st Test Cricket play at Bellerive
Oval, Hobart (v SL)
1989 - Geoff Marsh completes 355* for WA against South
Australia
1989 - Protest breaks out in Timişoara in response to an
attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor, László Tőkés.
1990 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide elected pres of Haiti
1990 - KUSW, Salt Lake City Utah, final shortwave radio
transmissions
1990 - Rev Jean Betrand Aristide elected president of Haiti
1991 - Fla Marlins sign their 1st player, 16 year old
pitcher Clemente Nunez
1991 - UN reverses ruling that Zionism is racism by 111-25
(13 abstain) vote
1991 - Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
1993 - "Red Shoes" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC
for 5 performances
Actress Shannen DohertyActress Shannen Doherty 1993 -
Shannen Doherty (Brenda) is fired from Beverly Hills 90210
1994 - Davy Jones (Monkees), charged with DWI
1997 - President Clinton names his Labrador retriever
"Buddy"
1998 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox - the
United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq.
2012 - 4 people are killed after Cyclone Evan strikes Fiji
2012 - Corinthians defeat Chelsea 1-0 to win the 2012 FIFA
Club World Cup
2012 - A gang rape of a woman on a bus in India that
resulted in her death leads to national and international outrage
1653 - Oliver Cromwell became lord protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. 1773 - Nearly 350 chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor off of British ships by Colonial patriots. The patriots were disguised as Indians. The act was to protest taxation without representation and the monopoly the government granted to the East India Company. 1809 - Napoleon Bonaparte was divorced from the Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate. 1835 - In New York, 530 buildings were destroyed by fire. 1838 - The Zulu chief Dingaan was defeated by a small force of Boers at Blood River celebrated in South Africa as 'Dingaan's Day'. 1850 - The first immigrant ship, the Charlotte Jane, arrived at Lyttleton, New Zealand. 1901 - "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," by Beatrix Potter, was printed for the first time. 1903 - Women ushers were employed for the first time at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. 1905 - Sime Silverman published the first issue of "Variety". 1912 - The first postage stamp to depict an airplane was issued was a 20-cent parcel-post stamp. 1916 - Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen. 1940 - French Premier Petain arrested Pierre Laval after learning of a plan for Laval to seize power and set up a new government with German support. 1944 - During World War II, the Battle of the Bulge began in Belgium. It was the final major German counteroffensive in the war. 1950 - U.S. President Truman proclaimed a national state of emergency in order to fight "Communist imperialism." 1951 - NBC-TV debuted "Dragnet" in a special preview on "Chesterfield Sound Off Time". The show began officially on January 3, 1952. 1960 - A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collided over New York City, killing 134 people. 1972 - The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season. The Dolphins went on to defeat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. 1973 - O.J. Simpson broke Jim Brown’s single-season rushing record in the NFL. Brown had rushed for 1,863 yards, while Simpson attained 2,003 yards. 1981 - The U.S. Congress restored the $122 minimum monthly social security benefit for current recipients. 1984 - The play "Diamonds" opened in New York City. 1985 - Reputed organized-crime chief Paul Castellano was shot to death outside a New York City restaurant. 1990 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a leftist priest, was elected president in Haiti's first democratic elections. 1991 - The U.N. General Assembly rescinded its 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism by a vote of 111-25. 1993 - The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for negotiations on a comprehensive test ban. 1995 - Many U.S. government functions were again closed as a temporary finance provision expired and the budget dispute between President Clinton and Republicans in Congress continued. 1995 - NATO launched a military operation in support of the Bosnia peace agreement. 1996 - Britain's agriculture minister announced the slaughter of an additional 100,000 cows thought to be at risk of contracting BSE in an effort to persuade the EU to lift its ban on Britain. 1998 - The U.S. and Britain fired hundreds of missiles on Iraq in response to Saddam Hussein's refusal to comply with U.N. weapons inspectors. 1999 - Sigourney Weaver received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 1999 - Torrential rains and mudslides in Venezuela left thousands of people dead and forced at least 120,000 to leave their homes. 2000 - Researchers announced that information from NASA's Galileo spacecraft indicated that Ganymede appeared to have a liquid saltwater ocean beneath a surface of solid ice. Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, is the solar system's largest moon. The discovery is considered important since water is a key ingredient for life. 2000 - U.S. President-elect George W. Bush selected Colin Powell to be the first African-American secretary of state. Powell was sworn in January 20, 2001. 2001 - In Tora Bora, Afghanistan, tribal fighters announced that they had taken the last al-Quaida positions. More than 200 fighters were killed and 25 captured. They also announced that they had found no sign of Osama bin Laden. 2001 - Cuba received the first commercial food shipment from the United States in nearly 40 years. The shipment was sent to help Cuba after Hurrican Michelle hit Cuba on November 4, 2001. 2001 - A British newspaper, The Observer, reported that a notebook had been found at an al-Quaida training camp in southern Afghanistan. The notebook contained a "blue print" for an bomb attack on London's financial district. 2002 - Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The 1997 treaty was aimed a reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 2009 - Astronomers discovered GJ1214b. It was the first-known exoplanet on which water could exist.
1653 Oliver Cromwell became lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 1773 The Boston Tea Party took place. 1916 Grigori Rasputin assassinated by a group of noble Russian conspirators. 1920 One of the deadliest earthquakes in history hit the Gansu province in China. The 8.6 quake killed 200,000 people. 1944 The Battle of the Bulge during World War II began in Belgium. 1990 Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in the country's first democratic elections. 2000 Colin Powell was selected to become the first African-American secretary of state.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/dec16.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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