| 1862 |
|
Nathan Bedford Forrest crosses the
Tennessee River at Clifton with 2,500 men to raid the communications
around Vicksburg, Mississippi. |
| 1862 |
|
In New Orleans, Louisiana, Union Major
General Benjamin F. Butler turns his command over to Nathaniel Banks.
The citizens of New Orleans hold farewell parties for Butler, "The
Beast" – but only after he leaves. |
| 1864 |
|
The battle at Nashville begins. |
| 1890 |
|
As U.S. Army soldiers attempt to arrest
Sitting Bull at his cabin in Standing Rock, South Dakota, shooting
breaks out and Lt. Bullhead shoots the great Sioux leader. |
| 1903 |
|
The British parliament places a 15-year ban on whale hunting in Norway. |
| 1920 |
|
China wins a place on the League Council; Austria is admitted. |
| 1924 |
|
The Soviet Union warns the United States against repeated entry of ships into Soviet territorial waters. |
| 1938 |
|
Washington sends its fourth note to Berlin demanding amnesty for Jews. |
| 1944 |
|
The battle for Luzon begins. |
| 1946 |
|
Vietnam leader Ho Chi Minh sends a note to the new French Premier, Leon Blum, asking for peace talks. |
| 1961 |
|
Adolf Eichmann, the former German Gestapo
official accused of a major role in the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews,
is sentenced by a Jerusalem court to be hanged. |
| 1965 |
|
The United States drops 12 tons of bombs on an industrial center near Haiphong Harbor, North Vietnam. |
| 1967 |
|
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the meat bill in the presence of Upton Sinclair, the author of the controversial book The Jungle. |
| 1972 |
|
The Commonwealth of Australia orders equal pay for women. |
| 1973 |
|
The American Psychiatric Association votes 130 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders. |
| 1976 |
|
The oil tanker MV Argo Merchant causes one of the worst marine oil spills in history when it runs aground near Nantucket, Massachusetts. |
| 1978 |
|
US President Jimmy Carter announces the
United States will recognize the People’s Republic of China and will
sever all relations with Taiwan. |
| 1981 |
|
In what is often called the first modern
suicide bombing, a suicide car bomb kills 61 people at the Iraqi embassy
in Beirut, Lebanon; Iraq’s ambassador to Lebanon is among the
casualties. |
| 1993 |
|
The Downing Street Declaration, issued
jointly by UK and the Republic of Ireland, affirms the UK would transfer
Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland only if a majority of
Northern Ireland’s people approved. |
| 2001 |
|
The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after an 11-year, $27 million project to fortify it without eliminating its famed lean. |
| 2005 |
|
F-22 Raptor Stealth fighter enters active service with the US Air Force. |
|
Born on December 15 |
| 37 |
|
Nero Claudius Caesar, emperor of Rome, blamed for the great fire of Rome. |
| 1832 |
|
Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, designer of the famous tower in Paris. |
| 1883 |
|
William A. Hinton, developer of the "Hinton Test" for diagnosing syphilis. |
| 1892 |
|
J. Paul Getty, American oilman and art collector.. |
| 1907 |
|
Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect who designed the Uited Nations Headquarters building. |
| 1911 |
|
Nicholas P. Dallis, a psychiatrist turner comic strip writer who created the long-running strips Rex Morgan, M.D., Judge Parker, and Apartment 3-G. |
| 1916 |
|
Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-English physicist and molecular biologist; received Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1962). |
| 1919 |
|
Max Yasgur, whose New York farm became the site of the Woodstock music festival in August 1969. |
| 1923 |
|
Uziel Gal, German-Israeli firearm designer, best known for designing the Uzi submachine gun. |
| 1933 |
|
Tim Conway, actor, screenwriter, producer, known for his comedic roles in TV and film that he frequently improvised (The Carol Burnett Show TV series). |
| 1942 |
|
Dave Clark, singer, songwriter, drummer, producer; lead singer of The Dave Clark Five. |
| 1979 |
|
Adam Brody, actor (Gilmore Girls and The O.C. TV series). |
