Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
On this day in 755, An Lushan revolted against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty of China. In 1577 on this day, Danzig surrendered to troops of Polish King Istvan Bathory. Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell was appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, on this day in 1653. The last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan took place on this day in 1707. On this day in 1773, one of the earliest and most famous episodes of the American Revolution took place when colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest a tax imposed by the British Parliament. The episode is now famously known as the Boston Tea Party. This date is a very important one in South African history. In 1838 on this day, the Boers (those whose ancestors were the original Dutch and Huguenots who had settled the Cape Colony a couple of centuries earlier), led by Andries Pretorius, defeated Zulu Chieftain Dingaan at the Battle of Blood River. They had been trying to exact a measure of revenge for Dingaan's killing of another group of Boers who had entered Dingaan's Zulu camp unarmed and expecting peaceful negotiations, but were instead victims of a surprise attack. The Boer victory came to be known as the "Day of the Vow" (also sometimes known as the "Day of the Covenant") and was officially celebrated in South Africa during the days of apartheid. These days, it remains a holiday, but has changed in both name and meaning, as it is known as the "Day of Reconciliation." On this day in 1900, a Boer army under General Kritzinger invaded the Cape Colony. One year later on this same date, Kritzinger was shot in the chest and ultimately captured. In 1914 on this day during World War I, the Germans bombarded the English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough. On this day in 1944, the Germans launched what proved to be their last major offensive of the war during the Battle of the Bulge. In 1978 on this day, Ronald Reagan denounced American President Jimmy Carter's re-establishment of diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China, which included recognizing Taiwan as a part of China. On this day in 1979, members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to raise the price of oil. The Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan came on this day in 1991. In 2009 on this day, astronomers discovered GJ1214b. It was the first-known exoplanet on which water could exist. A gang rape of a woman on a bus in India which ultimately resulted in her death led to national and international outrage on this day in 2012.
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& amp; kills 4,000
English Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
• On this day in 1653, British Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell was 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
Early version of the American flag used during the Revolutionary War for Independence
• 1773 - Big tea party in Boston harbor - indians welcome (Boston Tea Party); protest against taxes imposed by British parliament
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.
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.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
• 1809 - Napoleon Bonaparte was divorced from the Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate.
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
Zulu shields from South Africa (displayed in the Voortrekker Museum, Pretoria).
• 1838 - Boers beat Zulu chieftain Dingaan in South Africa
The flag of New Zealand
• 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
• On this day in 1880, the Transvaal region declared itself as the Republic of South Africa, as the First Anglo-Boer War commenced.
• 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 General Kritzinger take Cape Colony
The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.
• 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& amp; 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
Bust of American President Harry Truman
• 1950 - Harry Truman proclaims state of emergency against "Communist imperialism"
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.
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.
1953 - 1st White House Press Conference (Pres Eisenhower& amp; 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
Ran into this image of John Lennon, and just thought it was cool, as well as appropriate for the day, given that Paul McCartney was in town (Syracuse, New York, June 2022).
• 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
The flag of the People's Republic of China
• On this day in 1978, soon to be Republican presidential candidate and eventual nominee Ronald Reagan denounced President Jimmy Carter's recognition of the People's Republic of China.
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.
• Reverand Jean Betrand Aristide was elected President of Haiti on this day in 1990.
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
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
No comments:
Post a Comment