Libya becomes independent. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya Idris I, born in 1889, led the Senussi Order, a Sufi Islamic movement, and played…
History
23 December 1793
The Battle of Savenay: A decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendée during the French Revolution. The Battle of Savenay took…
22 December 1942
Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon. The V-2 rocket, also known as the A-4, was the world’s first…
21 December 1913
Arthur Wynne’s “word-cross”, the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World. The crossword puzzle has a fascinating history that dates back to…
20 December 2007
The Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, and O Lavrador de Café by Brazilian modernist painter Cândido Portinari, are stolen…
19 December 1932
BBC World Service begins broadcasting as the BBC Empire Service. The BBC World Service is the international broadcasting service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)….
18 December 1958
Project SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched. Launched on December 18, 1958, Project SCORE was a joint effort between the United States Army…
17 December 1892
First issue of Vogue is published. Vogue is a highly influential and globally recognized fashion and lifestyle magazine. It has become synonymous with high fashion,…
16 December 1850
The Charlotte Jane and the Randolph bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton, New Zealand. The Charlotte Jane and the Randolph were two…
15 December 1970
Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully lands on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet. Venera 7 was a Soviet spacecraft that…