811 – Charles The Younger, King the of Franks, son of the Emperor Charlemagne, dies at about 39
1110 – Syrian harbor city Saida (Sidon) surrenders to Crusaders
1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.
1619 – Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group’s charter proclaims that the day “be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”
1665 – Jean Racine’s “Alexandre le Grand” premieres in Paris
1674 – Father Jacques Marquette founds a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek. (The mission would later grow into the city of Chicago, Illinois.)
1680 – Hen in Rome lays an egg imprinted with comet not seen until Dec 16th
1691 – Emperor Leopold I takes control of Transsylvania
1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world’s first Sunday newspaper, is published.
1816 – James Monroe (VA), elected 5th pres, defeating Federalist Rufus King
1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets suttee in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide.
1833 – American Anti-Slavery Society formed by Arthur Tappan in Philadelphia
1836 – Whig party holds its first national convention, Harrisburg, Pa
1840 – Crazy Horse [Tashunka Witko], Fort Robinson Nebraska, Oglala Sioux chief (Battle of the Little Bighorn) Born
1844 – James Knox Polk elected 11th US President
1851 – Pres Louis Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces crush an attempted coup d’etat in France
1864 – American Civil War: Sherman’s March to the Sea – At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman’s campaign destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Atlantic Ocean from Atlanta, Georgia.
1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange).
1872 – The crewless American ship Mary Celeste is found by the British brig Dei Gratia. The ship had been abandoned by her crew in the Atlantic Ocean for nine days, but was only slightly damaged.
1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison. He will later be recaptured in Spain.
1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.
1893 – John Tyndall, Irish physicist who demonstrated why the sky is blue and proved that the Earth’s atmosphere has a greenhouse effect, dies at 73
1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland.
1902 – Charles Dow, American journalist and publisher, co-founded the Dow Jones & Company (b. 1851) died.
1909 – In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6.
1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association.
1915 – Ku Klux Klan receives charter from Fulton County, Ga
1915 – Henry Ford’s peace ship, Oscar II, sails for Europe ‘to get the boys out of the trenches by Christmas’
1918 – US President Woodrow Wilson sails for Versailles Peace Conference in France, 1st President to travel outside US while in office
1920 – 1st Pro football playoff game Buffalo-7, Canton-3 at Polo Grounds
1921 – The first Virginia Rappe manslaughter trial against Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle ends in a hung jury.
1927 – Duke Ellington opens at Cotton Club in Harlem
1930 – Vatican approves rhythm method for birth control
1933 – FDR creates Federal Alcohol Control Administration
1934 – In Turkey all uniforms were forbidden – even Boy Scout uniforms from other countries. Also prohibited were Nazi brown uniforms and Fascist black military dress
1943 – Commissioner Landis announces any baseball club may sign “Negroes”
1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.
1943 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States.
1944 – Chris Hillman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Byrds, The Hillmen, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Manassas) was born.
1944 – Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, producer, and drummer (The Beach Boys) (d. 1983) was born.
1945 – By a vote of 65 to 7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.)
1947 – Terry Woods, Irish guitarist (The Pogues, Steeleye Span, Sweeney’s Men, The Bucks, and Dr. Strangely Strange) was born
1948 – Southside Johnny, American singer-songwriter (Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes) was born.
1949 – Jeff Bridges, American actor, singer, and producer was born.
1951 – Gary Rossington, rocker (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington-Collins Band) Born
1952 – A deadly smog created by the smoke soot and sulfur dioxide from the factories, cars and coal fires in local homes begins to hover over London, England, which continues for four days, leading to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. (Killer fogs begin in London, England; “Smog” becomes a word)
1953 – Canadian-U.S. relations were at a low point, even though the two countries boasted the longest undefended border in the world. The source of the animosity was over Igor Gouzenko who had information on Soviet espionage. The Royal Commission in Canada had used Gouzenko’s testimony to create the most comprehensive document on Soviet spying ever. However, Canadians felt that the U.S. was blackmailing Minister of External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, by suggesting that he leaked information to Soviet spies.
1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida.
1954 – Tony Todd, American actor and producer was born.
1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studios for the first and last time.
1956 – Bernard King, basketball player (NY Knicks, NJ Nets) Born
1961 – Museum of Modern Art hangs Matisse’s Le Bateau upside down for 47 days
1964 – Baseball approves a free-agent draft
1964 – Marisa Tomei, Brooklyn New York, American actress (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler) Born
1966 – Andy Hess, American bass player (Gov’t Mule and The Black Crowes) was born.
1966 – Fred Armisen, American actor and musician Born
1967 – Vietnam War: U.S. and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta.
1968 – Following a civil rights march in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, there is a violent clash between Loyalists and those who are taking part in the march
1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed in their sleep during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
1969 – Terry Glenn, wide receiver (New England Patriots) Born
1969 – Jay-Z, American rapper, producer, and actor, co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records was birthed.
1971 – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen teacher, founder of SF Zen Center, dies
1971 – The United Nations Security Council calls an emergency session to consider the deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan.
1971 – The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi.
1971 – The Montreux Casino in Switzerland is set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert; the incident would be noted in the Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water”.
1971 – “The Troubles”: The Ulster Volunteer Force bombs a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast, killing 15 civilians and wounding 17. It was the city’s highest death toll from a single incident during the conflict.
1972 – Ted Johnson, NFL inside linebacker (NE Patriots) Born
1973 – Tyra Banks, Inglewood, California, model/actress (Higher Learning, Fresh Prince of Bel Air) Born
1974 – Jean-Paul Sartre visits Red Army Faction leader Andreas Baader in prison
1976 – Tommy Bolin, rock guitarist (Deep Purple), dies of heroin overdose
1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco’s first female mayor. (She will serve until January 8, 1988.) Cui Bono?
1980 – 2 months after death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin breaks up
1981 – Reagan Executive Order on Intelligence (No 12333) that allows CIA to engage in domestic counter-intelligence
1988 – Actor Gary Busey critically injured in motorcycle crash
1991 – Journalist Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.
1991 – Pan American World Airways ceased operations
1991 – Patricia Bowman testifies that William Kennedy Smith raped her
1992 – The United States froze the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to the terrorist group Hamas including the Texas-based Islamic foundation that calls itself a charity, saying the organization acts as a front to finance the militant wing of the Palestinian group Hamas
1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 US troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa.
1993 – Frank Sturgis, watergate burglar, dies at 68
1993 – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1940) died.
2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
2009 – Umaga, Samoan-American wrestler (b. 1973) died.