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DECEMBER 1
Louisiana History
1849- Baton Rouge becomes the state capital.
1859- The famous French Opera House of New Orleans opens with Guillaume Tell.
American History
1641- Massachusetts becomes the first colony to give statutory recognition to slavery
1969- The U.S. government holds its first draft lottery since WWII
1978- President Carter more than doubles the size of the national park system.
World History
1640- Portugal regains its independence after 60 years of Spanish rule.
1941- Emperor Hirohito of Japan signs declaration of war.
1989- East Germany drops communist monopoly from its constitution.
DECEMBER 2
Louisiana History
1804- The first legislature convenes in New Orleans.
American History
1823- President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine."
1941- U.S. Naval Intelligence ceases bugging the Japanese consul.
1954- The U.S. Senate censures Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
World History
1804- Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII.
1852- The Second French Empire is established- Louis Napoleon becomes emperor.
1908- Pu Yi (Hsuan T'ung) becomes China's last emperor at age 3.
DECEMBER 3
Louisiana History
1785- La Ville d'Archangel arrives in New Orleans with another group of Acadian refugees.
American History
1775- The first official U.S. flag raising (aboard the USS Alfred).
1868- The trial of Jefferson Davis begins- first blacks on U.S. trial jury
1953- Eisenhower criticizes Joseph McCarthy for declaring that communists are in the Republican Party.
World History
1621- Galileo invents the telescope.
1946- The U.S. government asks the UN to order Franco out of Spain.
1975- Laos falls to communist forces.
DECEMBER 4
Louisiana History
1804- Concordia Parish is created.
1919- The famous French Opera House in New Orleans, scene of Mardi Gras balls, burns.
American History
1619- America's first Thanksgiving day (in Virginia).
1945- The Senate approves U.S. participation in the United Nations.
1981- Reagan Executive Order on Intelligence (No 12333) allows the CIA to engage in domestic counter-intelligence.
World History
1829- The British abolish "suttee" in India (widow burning herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre).
1941- Nazi ordinance places Polish Jews outside of court protection.
1963- Pope Paul VI closes the second session of Vatican II Council.
DECEMBER 5
Louisiana History
1960- The Federal Court stops attempts by the State Legislature to replace the New Orleans Parish School Board during the desegregation crisis.
American History
1848- President Polk confirms the California gold discovery, triggering the gold rush of 1849.
1946- President Truman creates the Committee on Civil Rights with Executive Order #9808.
1955- Bus boycott begins in Montgomery Alabama by Rosa Parks.
World History
1349- 500 Jews of Nuremberg are massacred during Black Death riots.
1492- Columbus discovers Hispaniola.
1936- Armenian USSR, Azerbaijan USSR, Kajakh USSR, Georgian USSR, and Kirghiz USSR become constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
DECEMBER 6
Louisiana History
1889- Jefferson Davis dies at Judge Charles Fenner's residence in New Orleans.
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American History
1849- Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland.
1865- 13th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery.
1957- First U.S. attempt to launch a rocket fails- Vanguard rocket blows up.
World History
1240- The Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev.
1921- Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed; Ireland receives dominion status and the partition creates Northern Ireland.
1941- Dutch and British pilots see Japanese invasion force at Singapore.
DECEMBER 7
Louisiana History
1912- Louis Prima, singer ("That Old Black Magic"), is born in New Orleans.
American History
1787- Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the constitution.
1917- The U.S. becomes the 17th nation to declare war on Austria during WWI.
1941- "A day that will live in infamy-" the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
World History
1949- Chang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan.
1960- The Ivory Coast declares its independence from France.
1965- Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift mutual excommunications that led to the split between the two churches in 1054.
DECEMBER 10
Louisiana History
1697- The French propose the colonization of Louisiana.
1804- Governor C.C. Claiborne creates the Feliciana County.
American History
1817- Mississippi enters the Union as the 20th state.
1898- The Spanish-American War ends, granting Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam to the United States.
1927- The Grand Ole Opry makes its first radio broadcast in Nashville.
World History
1520- Martin Luther publicly burns the papal edict which demands that he recants.
1941- Japanese troops overrun Guam.
1954- Albert Schweitzer receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
DECEMBER 11
Louisiana History
1872- The first black governor of the U.S., Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, takes office in Louisiana.
1955- The Baton Rouge City-Parish Council accepts a record budget of $7.25 million.
American History
1620- 103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock.
1961- JFK supplies South Vietnam with military helicopters and crews.
World History
1792- King Louis XVI of France goes on trial for treason.
1917- German occupied Lithuania declares its independence from Russia.
1936- King Edward VIII of England marries Mrs. Wallis Simpson and abdicates the throne.
DECEMBER 12
Louisiana History
1818- Paul Hebert (State Engineer, Army Officer, Governor 1853-1856, and Confederate General) is born in Iberville Parish.
1910- President Taft appoints Edward Douglas White of Lafourche Parish Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
American History
1800- Washington, D.C. is established as the capital of the U.S.
1953- Chuck Yeager reaches Mach 2.43 in Bell X-1A jet plane.
1961-Martin Luther King, Jr. and 700 demonstrators are arrested in Albany, Georgia.
World History
1474- Isabella crowns herself Queen of Castille and Aragon.
1792- In Vienna, Ludwig von Beethoven receives his first instruction in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn.
DECEMBER 13
Louisiana History
1804- The first English language newspaper in New Orleans, The Union, begins publication.
1935- The Bonnet Carre Spillway, part of the Mississippi Flood Control Project, is dedicated, costing more than $13 million.
American History
1862- The Battle of Fredericksburg begins in Virginia.
1944- A Japanese kamikaze pilot crashes into the U.S. cruiser Nashville.
World History
1920- The League of Nations opens the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
1990- President De Klerk of South Africa meets with Nelson Mandela to talk of ending apartheid.
1991- Both Koreas sign an accord calling for reconciliation.
DECEMBER 14
Louisiana History
1814- The Battle of Lake Borgne is fought near New Orleans between English and American troops.
1980- The New Orleans Saints end their 14 game losing streak by defeating the New York Jets 21-20.
American History
1962- Mariner 2 makes the 1st U.S. fly-by of another planet (Venus).
1988- The U.S. agrees to talk to the Palestine Liberation Organization (1st time in 13 years).
World History
1825- Decembrists revolts against Tsar Nicholas II of Russia begin.
1939- The Soviet Unions attacks Finland; The USSR is dropped from the League of Nations.
1981- Israel annexes the Golan Heights (seized from Syria in 1967).
DECEMBER 15
American History
1791- The Bill of Rights is ratified when Virginia gives its approval.
1874- The first reigning king (of Hawaii) to visit the U.S. is received by President Grant.
1941- The U.S.S. Swordfish becomes the first U.S. submarine to sink a Japanese ship.
1944- Band leader, Major Glenn Miller, is lost over the English Channel.
World History
1916- The Battle of Verdun- the French defeat the Germans.
1926- The Fascist national symbol is elevated in Italy.
1961- Adolf Eichmann is convicted of crimes against humanity in Israel.
1964- Canada adopts the Maple leaf flag.
DECEMBER 16
Louisiana History
1935- The Huey P. Long Bridge at New Orleans, costing more than $13 million, is dedicated.
American History
1913- Charlie Chaplin begins his film career at Keystone for $150 a week.
1950- President Truman declares a state of emergency due to "Communist imperialism."
1978- Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of China.
World History
1431- King Henry VI of England is crowned king of France.
1631- Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts, destroying 6 villages and killing 4,000 people.
1944- The Battle of the Bulge begins in Belgium.
DECEMBER 17
Louisiana History
1803- American troops arrive in New Orleans.
1816- Jacques Philippe Villere (Governor 1816-1820) is inaugurated and gives the shortest inauguration speech on record.
1862- Baton Rouge is reoccupied by Federal troops.
American History
1777- France recognizes the independence of English colonies in America.
1944- Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps.
1969- The USAF closes Operation Blue Book, concluding that there is no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
World History
1538- Pope Paul III excommunicates England's King Henry VIII.
DECEMBER 18
Louisiana History
1948 - WDSU TV Channel 6 in New Orleans begins broadcasting.
1985 - A mistrial is declared in the Edwards trial.
American History
1799 - George Washington's body is interred at Mount Vernon.
World History
1956 - The Israeli flag is raised over Mount Sinai.
DECEMBER 19
Louisiana History
1881- An act approved in 1881 authorizes $126,302 for the restoration of the Old State Capitol which was razed by fire in 1862.
American History
1776- Thomas Paine publishes his first "Common Sense" essays in which he declares "these are the times that try men's souls." 1842 - The United States recognizes the independence of Hawaii. 1957 - Walter Williams, claimed to be the last survivor of Civil War, dies at 117.
World History
1941 - Hitler takes complete command of the German army. 1950 - Dalai Lama flees Chinese invasion of Tibet. 1984 - The United Kingdom signs an agreement with China to return Hong Kong in 1997.
DECEMBER 20
Louisiana History
1803- United States Commissioners W.C.C. Claiborne and General James Wilkinson accepted Louisiana from France in the name of the United States.
1953- The formal transfer of Louisiana from France to the United States was re-enacted at the Cabildo in New Orleans.
American History
1919 - The House of Representatives restricts immigration.
1989 - US troops invade Panama and oust Manuel Noriega but does not capture him.
World History
1699 - Peter the Great orders the Russian New Year changed from September 1 to January 1.
1812 - Sacagawea, Shoshone interpreter for Lewis and Clark, dies.
1963 - The Berlin Wall opens for the first time to West Berliners.
DECEMBER 21
Louisiana History
1890- James A. Noe (Governor 1936) is born near West Point, Kentucky.
1921- P.B.S. Pinchback (Governor 1872-1873) dies in Washington, D.C.
1924 - (Irving) Lee Dorsey, New Orleans vocalist ("Working In a Coal Mine") is born.
American History
1784 - John Jay become the first US Secretary of State (foreign affairs).
1968 - Apollo 8 becomes the first manned Moon voyage.
World History
1948 - The State of Eire (formerly Irish Free State) declares its independence.
1989 - Romania's dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, gives his final speech. He is executed December 25.
DECEMBER 22
Louisiana History
1814- British forces under Col. William Thorton land at Pea Island and begin advancing to encounter American forces near New Orleans.
American History
1807 - Congress passes the Embargo Act, to force peace between Britain and France.
1882 - The first string of Christmas tree lights is created by Thomas Edison.
World History
1440 - Bluebeard the pirate is executed.
1894 - French officer Alfred Dreyfus is court-martialed for treason, which triggers worldwide charges of anti- Semitism (Dreyfus is later vindicated).
1990 - Iraq declares that it will never give up Kuwait.
DECEMBER 23
Louisiana History
1794- The New Orleans Church of St. Louis, which had been rebuilt after being destroyed in the fire of 1788, was dedicated as a cathedral.
1813- Act of legislature provides for a public seal "with such device as the governor may direct" and the secretary of state is named keeper of the seal.
American History
1941 - American forces on Wake Island surrender to Japanese.
World History
1690 - John Flamsteed observes Uranus without realizing that it is undiscovered.
1973 - Six Persian Gulf nations double their oil prices.
1990 - Slovenians vote to secede from Yugoslavia.
DECEMBER 24
Louisiana History
1910- At an international aviation tournament held in New Orleans a record for a mile was made at 57 seconds and at a record height of 7,125 feet. In a series of automobile-airplane races, a Packard car consistently defeated the airplane piloted by John Moisant.
1960- New Orleans teachers discuss a strike to protest the loss of December checks because of the desegregation crisis.
American History
1851 - US Library of Congress is devastated by fire- destroys 35,000 volumes. 1943 - Franklin Roosevelt appoints General Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces.
World History
1941 - The first ships of Admiral Nagumo's Pearl Harbor fleet return to Japan. 1991- Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of Soviet Union.
DECEMBER 25
Louisiana History
1831 - Louisiana and Arkansas are the first states to observe Christmas as a holiday.
American History
1868 - Despite bitter opposition, President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to al persons involved in Southern rebellion (Civil War).
World History
1818 - The first known Christmas carol, "Silent Night," is sung (in Austria).
1950 - The Coronation Stone, taken from Scone in Scotland by King Edward I of England in 1296, is stolen from Westminster Abbey and smuggled back to Scotland.
1959 - Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set.
DECEMBER 26
Louisiana History
1960- The Morning Advocate states that Governor Davis seeks television time to sell his $28 million package to fund private school education.
American History
1799 - George Washington is eulogized by Colonel Henry Lee as "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
1941 - Winston Churchill become the first British Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, warning that the Axis would "stop at nothing."
1955 - RKO is the first Hollywood studio to announce the sale of its film library to television.
1982 - Time Magazine's Man of the Year is a computer.
World History
1890 - Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist who discovered Troy, dies at 86.
DECEMBER 27
Louisiana History
1741 - Jean Etienne Bore (politician, planter and father of the sugar cane industry in Louisiana) is born in Kaskaskia, Illinois country.
American History
1985 - President Reagan blames Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for the terrorist activities which kill 20 and wound 110 by attacking El Al at Rome and Vienna airports.
World History
1831 - Charles Darwin begins his voyage on board the HMS Beagle, which departs England for South America.
1927 - Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, and Leon Trotsky is expelled from the country.
1983 - Pope John Paul II pardons the man who shot him (Mehmet Ali Agca).
DECEMBER 28
Louisiana History
1814- American troops near New Orleans, assisted by Jean Lafitte, are attacked by British soldiers under the command of General Edward Pakenham.
American History
1832 - John Calhoun becomes the first Vice-President to resign (over differences with President Andrew Jackson).
1924 - Rod Serling, writer/host of "Twilight Zone," is born in Syracuse, New York.
1981 - Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test tube baby, is born.
World History
1836 - Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico.
DECEMBER 29
Louisiana History
1898- A monument to public school benefactor John McDonogh was dedicated in New Orleans. Funds for this monument came exclusively from New Orleans schoolchildren.
1960- The Morning Advocate reports that Governor Davis will study the conduct of members of his administration to determine any misconduct.
American History
1930 - Fred P. Newton completes the longest swim ever (1826 miles) when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam, Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana.
World History
1940 - Germany begins dropping incendiary bombs on London during WWII.
1997 - Hong Kong begins slaughtering all of its chickens to prevent a bird flu.
DECEMBER 30
Louisiana History
1963- The United States Justice Department ruled that states were to have possession of tidelands formed after they had been admitted to the Union. In Louisiana, some of the affected land had producing oil and gas wells on it.
American History
1972 - President Nixon halts the bombing of North Vietnam and announces peace talks.
World History
1865 - Rudyard Kipling, author of Jungle Book, is born in Bombay.
1965 - Ferdinand Marcos is inaugurated as president of the Philippines.
1993 - The Vatican recognized Israel.
DECEMBER 31
Louisiana History
1963 - The US government ruled that states were to have possession of tidelands formed after they had been admitted to the Union. In Louisiana some of the affected land had producing oil and gas wells on it.
American History
1783 - The import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states.
1862 - President Lincoln signs an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
1907 - For the first time a ball drops at Times Square to signal a New Year.
1946 - President Truman officially declares the end of WWII.
World History
1857 - Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as the capital of Canada.
1991 - The USSR's last day of existence.
SOURCES:
"Daily Almanac" by Michael J. Maggio
The Louisiana Governors ed. Joseph G. Dawson III
A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography ed. Glenn R. Conrad
Louisiana Almanac: 1997-98 Edition