Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese in Cronulla, New South Wales;…
10 December 1799
France adopts the metre as its official unit of length. The metric system is an internationally adopted decimal-based system of measurement used widely in science,…
9 December 1851
The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal. The YMCA, or the Young Men’s Christian Association, is a global organization founded in 1844…
8 December 1980
John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City. On December 8, 1980, John Lennon, a founding…
7 December 1703
The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, makes landfall. Winds gust up to 120 mph,…
6 December 1967
Adrian Kantrowitz performs the first human heart transplant in the United States. A human heart transplant is a surgical procedure performed to replace a failing…
5 December 1848
In a message to the United States Congress, U.S. President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California. The…
4 December 1881
The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published. The Los Angeles Times is a prominent American daily newspaper based in Los Angeles, California,…
3 December 1854
Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences. The…
2 December 1823
Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not…