Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Thomas Edison (1847–1931) was a prolific American inventor…
30 December 534
The second and final edition of the Code of Justinian comes into effect in the Byzantine Empire The Code of Justinian, or Codex Justinianus, was…
29 December 2003
The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct The Akkala Sami language, also known as Áhkkila Sámi, is one of the…
28 December 1879
Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75….
27 December 1845
Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in Jefferson, Georgia.
26 December 1898
Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium Marie and Pierre Curie were pioneering scientists whose groundbreaking work in radioactivity earned them global recognition…
25 December 1996
The body of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found in her family’s Boulder, Colorado, home. Her murder remains unsolved. The murder of JonBenét…
24 December 1974
Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia. Cyclone Tracy was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck Darwin, Australia, on December 24–25, 1974. It remains one of the…
23 December 1893
The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed. The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is a captivating fusion of fairy…
22 December 1971
The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders is founded by Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists in Paris, France. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans…