Over 400 die when the Indonesian passenger ferry MV Senopati Nusantara sinks. The M/s Senopati Nusantara was an Indonesian ferry that sank in a storm…
29 December 1939
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator flies for the first time. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego,…
28 December 1065
Westminster Abbey is consecrated. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, now known as Westminster Abbey, is officially neither an abbey nor a cathedral….
27 December 1845
Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long. Crawford Long, a north Georgia physician, is credited with the discovery…
26 December 1963
The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” is released in the USA. This was the first Beatles song to catch on in America. In…
25 December 1559
Giovanni Angelo Medici is elected Pope Pius the IV. Pope Pius IV, born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church…
24 December 1865
The Ku Klux Klan is formed. On this day in history, six Confederate veterans from Pulaski, Tennessee created the original Ku Klux Klan. The name…
23 December 1972
The survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days. They reportedly survived by cannibalism. Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was a chartered…
22 December 1942
Adolf Hitler signs the order to begin development the V2 rocket as a weapon. Early in World War II, Hitler was not particularly enthusiastic about…
21 December 1995
The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control. On December 21, 1995, Israeli troops withdrew from Bethlehem, and three days later the city…