December 23
484 –
Huneric dies and is succeeded by his nephew
Gunthamund, who becomes king of the
Vandals. During his reign Christians are protected from persecution.
562 –
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople reopened with a rebuilt dome after a series of earthquakes caused the original to collapse.
1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees from England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
1688 – As part of the
Glorious Revolution,
King James II of England flees from England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew,
William of Orange and his daughter
Mary.
1783 –
George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the
Continental Army.
1893 – The opera
Hansel and Gretel by
Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
1913 – The
Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President
Woodrow Wilson, creating the
Federal Reserve System.
1919 –
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom.
1941 – World War II: After
15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies
Wake Island.
1947 – The
transistor is first demonstrated at
Bell Laboratories.
1954 – First successful
kidney transplant is performed by
J. Hartwell Harrison and
Joseph Murray.
1968 – The 82 sailors from the
USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
1970 – The North Tower of the
World Trade Center in New York, New York is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
1972 – The 16 survivors of the
Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having reportedly survived by cannibalism.
1986 –
Voyager, piloted by
Dick Rutan and
Jeana Yeager, lands at
Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
2002 – A U.S.
MQ-1 Predator is
shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25 in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft.
Births
1805 – Joseph Smith; 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker; 1911 – James Gregory; 1918 – Helmut Schmidt; 1935 – Paul Hornung; 1943 – Harry Shearer; 1944 – Wesley Clark; 1945 – Ron Bushy; 1946 – Susan Lucci; 1949 – Reinhold Weege; 1956 – Dave Murray; 1958 – Joan Severance; 1964 – Eddie Vedder; 1967 – Carla Bruni; 1969 – Greg Biffle
Deaths
679 – Dagobert II; 1884 – John Chisum; 1939 – Anthony Fokker; 1972 – Andrei Tupolev; 1973 – Charles Atlas; 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim; 1982 – Jack Webb; 2000 – Billy Barty; 2000 – Victor Borge