Did You Know? 10 Historical Events that Happened in December

It can be quite interesting to look back on the events of the past which occurred on the current date in history. While it is important to remember when certain important historical events happened, it can also be fun to learn about how long ago other things transpired that you may not have ever thought about before. In case you were wondering, here are ten historical events that happened in December.

December 7th, 1941

December 7th, 1941 marks the grim anniversary of the day that 200 Japanese warplanes would attack the US Naval base known as Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack lasted just over an hour and took the lives of nearly 3,000 American lives, and it was the catalyst which sent the United States into World War II.

December 14th, 1779

Late at night on December 14, 1779, General George Washington, the first President of the United States, passed away at the age of 67. He succumbed to what has since been called “acute laryngitis”.

December 17th, 1903

December 17, 1903 was a day that would launch the world into the future all thanks to two brothers. Orville and Wilbur Wright, known as the Wright Brothers, took the first ever successful flight in a man-powered airplane.

December 15th, 1939

On December 15th, 1939 in Atlanta Georgia, the classic film Gone With the Wind made its incredible debut at the Loew’s Grand Theater, with the two biggest stars of the film. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in attendance along with director David O. Selznick.

December 23rd, 1888

December 23, 1888 was the day that the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, now known for his works like The Starry Night and the Van Gogh self portrait, cut off his own left ear in a fit of depression. Though he only sold one painting while he was alive, he is now considered one of the most influential artists of all time and ironically, he produced his most famous work while he was admitted to a mental hospital.

December 25th, 1066

William the Conqueror was crowned King of England on December 25, 1066. His crowning occurred after he had invaded England from France.

On Christmas Day, December 25th in the year of 1642, Sir Isaac Newton was born. He would go on to make tremendous scientific discoveries which would shape the field of science as we know it today, and he is considered to be one of the most influential scientists of all time. If you read about Isaac Newton now, however, you may find his birthday listed at January 4th instead of December 25th. The reason for this is that we now use a different calendar than was used back them.

December 25th, 1977

Also on Christmas Day in the year of 1977 comedic legend and film star Charlie Chaplin passed away at the age of 88. He was a pioneer of the film industry and is now considered to be an icon of his era of Hollywood.

December 26th, 2004

Sadly on December 26, 2004 over 200,000 people were killed and another 1.5 million were left homeless when a 9.3 magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean caused huge tsunami waves that would hit the shorelines of a dozen countries including Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.

December 31st, 1879

Finally on December 31, 1879 Thomas Edison would provide his first public demonstration of his electric incandescent lamp at his laboratory. Though there is some differing of opinions about the validity of his claim to discovery, the event itself was memorable and should be remembered for bringing the future into the light. Literally.

Although some events may not seem of great importance when they occur, there will come a time when someone, somewhere will need or want to know exactly when something happened. Thank goodness for our generation, the events of history are now just a click away.