From the end of the Cold War to the first recorded celebrations of Christmas, a number of significant historical events have happened during December.

Keep reading to discover some of the most famous historic events that happened this month…

21 historic events that happened in December

historic events that happened in December

1st December, 1135

King Henry I of England died at the age of 66 after falling ill seven days earlier.

As the youngest of William the Conqueror’s four sons, Henry had never expected to be king. He’d received a good education – likely because, as the youngest son, his parents may have expected him to become a bishop.

As a result, Henry earned the nickname ‘Beauclerc’, which means ‘fine scholar’. Interestingly, he was the first Norman king to be fluent in English and ruled for 35 years.

2nd December, 1697

Sir Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral opened in London.

The original cathedral had been severely damaged during the Great Fire of London in 1666. While some repairs had taken place and services continued in the ruins, it became clear in 1668, when the nave collapsed, that a permanent solution was necessary.

Construction of the new cathedral took 33 years and spanned the reigns of five different monarchs.

2nd December, 1891

A patent was granted for the toilet paper roll. This patent of over 100 years solves the popular ‘over versus under’ toilet roll debate. According to its inventor Joseph Gayetty, the toilet roll paper should go up and over.

3rd December, 1989

The Cold War – a 40-year conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union – came to an end.

Put simply, the Cold War was a struggle between capitalism in the West and communism in the East. There was no actual physical fighting between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War – rather, they antagonised each other using propaganda and political maneuvering, and provided arms and economic aid for opposing nations during proxy wars.

5th December, 1905

While work was being undertaken at Charing Cross Railway Station in London, a wrought iron tie rod snapped and caused a large section of the roof to collapse and a wall to fall onto the Avenue Theatre next door. Six people lost their lives.

The new station extended South Eastern Railway’s line from London Bridge over the River Thames, following the realisation that many passengers needed to continue their journeys into the City and the West End.

Charing Cross Railway Station in London

6th December, 1921

The Irish Free State, which was made up of four-fifths of Ireland, was declared. This brought a five-year Irish fight for independence from Britain to an end.

Like other free nations of the former British Empire, Ireland remained part of the British Commonwealth – which, symbolically, made it subject to the king.

However, the Irish Free State later cut its ties with Britain and was renamed Eire. Today, it’s called the Republic of Ireland.

7th December, 1941

Japan carried out a devastating, surprise attack on the U.S. naval base of Pearl Harbour, near Honolulu, Hawaii, just before 8am.

Over 2,400 Americans were killed during the attack, including civilians – and another 1,000 people were injured. The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered Congress to declare war on Japan.

8th December, 1980

Forty-year-old Beatles star John Lennon was shot and killed at the entrance of the Dakota Building in New York.

Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman, a 25-year-old security guard from Hawaii, who hated how Lennon’s expensive lifestyle contrasted with what he sang about.

10th December, 1901

The first Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Each award was worth $30,000.

The ceremony occurred on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other explosives. Nobel had left behind a huge fortune and specified in his will that the bulk of it should be divided and used for prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, physiology, literature, and peace to those who’d “conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”.

Nobel never explained why he created these prizes. But it’s widely believed that it was due to moral regret over the increasingly destructive and lethal uses of his inventions in war.

11th December, 1936

After ruling for less than one year, Britain’s King Edward VIII became the first English monarch to abdicate the throne.

He decided to abdicate after the British government, the public, and the Church of England condemned his decision to marry the twice-divorced American, Mrs. Wallis Simpson.

In his radio broadcast to the nation, Edward declared, “I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love.”

On 12th December, his younger brother, the Duke of York, was proclaimed King George VI.

16th December, 1653

Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland. This made him the first person who wasn’t a member of the Royal Family to be head of state in Britain.

After the execution of King Charles I in January 1649 following the English Civil War, England had been run by the remaining MPs from the House of Commons – now known by historians as the Rump Parliament.

Cromwell’s reign as Lord Protector proved the most stable since the Civil Wars. He served as Lord Protector until his death in September 1658.

16th December, 1689

The English Parliament passed the Bill of Rights. The Bill established the principles of having free elections, regular parliaments, and freedom of speech within Parliament. Together, these ultimately gave Parliament power over the Crown.

Many historians regard the Bill of Rights as the main law that kickstarted the move towards a constitutional monarchy and democracy in England.

19th December, 1843

Charles Dickens’ classic work, A Christmas Carol, was published.

Dickens produced this iconic work in a six-week flurry of writing that began in October 1843 and finished on 19th December. By December 24th, the first edition of 6,000 copies had sold out and by 2nd January 1844, a second edition of 3,000 copies had also been sold.

A Christmas Carol

19th December, 1848

Emily Bronte, an English author who wrote Wuthering Heights, died of tuberculosis aged only 30.

Emily’s sisters, Charlotte and Anne, also wrote poetry and romantic fiction. As women, all three wrote under fictional names. Emily was Ellis Bell, Charlotte was Currer Bell, and Anne was Acton Bell.

Today, Wuthering Heights remains popular; it’s been read by millions and turned into various films.

20th December, 1803

The United States doubled in size after acquiring 827,000 square miles of land from France for $15 million in what was known as The Louisiana Purchase.

The Louisiana Territory stretched from the Canadian border in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south; and from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.

Fifteen American states were eventually created from The Louisiana Purchase and the deal is considered one of the most important achievements of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency.

21st December, 1968

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts James Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders on board.

A few days later, on Christmas Eve, the crew entered into orbit around the moon – making history as the first manned spacecraft to do so. During Apollo 8’s 10 orbits around the moon, incredible images were taken of the moon and Earth from the spacecraft and sent back home.

Apollo 8 landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on 27th December. On 20th July 1969, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, astronauts of Apollo 11, became the first men to walk on the moon.

Apollo 8

25th December, 336

The first recorded celebration of Christmas took place under the first Christian emperor, Constantine I.

The date coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, where, paying tribute to Saturn, the Romans would take time off work, exchange gifts, and light candles. The traditions and celebrations of Saturnalia were upheld when the Roman Empire began to embrace Christianity.

25th December, 800

Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. This made him the first recognised emperor to rule Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire around three centuries earlier.

As a result of his achievements in uniting European territories, Charlemagne is often referred to as the father of Europe.

25th December, 1914

During the First World War, when British soldiers heard German troops in the trenches opposite singing carols on Christmas Eve, a World War I Christmas truce was reached.

British and German soldiers met in no man’s land; they exchanged gifts, took photographs, and played impromptu football games. Both sides also took time to bury casualties and repair trenches.

The truce wasn’t observed everywhere along the Western Front, and in some areas, the fighting continued. This was largely because officers feared that a truce would undermine the fighting spirit.

After Boxing Day, the friendly meetings in no man’s land ended and the war continued.

To learn more about the First World War, you might be interested in signing up for the series running on Rest Less Events. You’ll join host, Dr Simon Gregor, to explore the causes and consequences of the Great War, and try to get behind some of the myths to examine the reality of warfare.

28th December, 1918

The results of the first General Election in Britain in which women were allowed to vote, resulted in David Lloyd George becoming Prime Minister.

After years of campaigning, 8.5 million women had become eligible to vote. However, this was still only about 40% of the British female population.

29th December, 1170

Four knights of King Henry II murdered Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in Canterbury Cathedral.

When Henry II became King of England in 1154, he appointed his good friend Becket to be Chancellor – later promoting him to the position of Archbishop of Canterbury as well.

However, a disagreement between the friends arose after Becket insisted that the Church was above the law, rather than the other way around. Henry is said to have uttered the words, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”, which four of his knights took as an order to take action.

The Christian world was shocked by Becket’s death, and in 1173 he was made a saint. In 1220, Becket’s bones were transported to Trinity Chapel at the east end of Canterbury Cathedral, which became a religious pilgrimage site.

Final thoughts…

From the first manned mission to the moon to the brutal murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, December has witnessed a lot of significant, and turbulent, history.

For further reading, head over to the history section of our website. Or, why not browse the history talks running on Rest Less Events?

What are your favourite historic events from December? Which period of history do you find the most interesting? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.