From the end of the Cold War to the first recorded celebrations of Christmas, a number of significant historical events have happened during the month of December.
Keep reading to discover what other historic events happened this month…
21 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 became 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 was 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 to take place 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 world superpowers 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 eachother using propaganda and political maneuvering, and providing 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 as well as a wall to fall onto the Avenue Theatre next door. Six people lost their lives.
Charing Cross Railway station opened in January 1864 after Parliament authorised it in August 1859.
The new station extended South Eastern Railway’s line from London Bridge over the River Thames, following the company’s realisation that many of its passengers needed to continue their journeys into the City and the West End.
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 into five parts and used for prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, physiology, literature and peace to those who had “conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”.
Nobel never explained the reason why he created these prizes. But it’s widely believed that he did so as the result of 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.
The King 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 – known now by historians as the Rump Parliament.
Cromwell’s reign as Lord Protector proved to be 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 been sold.
19th December, 1848
Emily Bronte, English author who wrote Wuthering Heights, died of tuberculosis aged only 30.
Emily’s sisters, Charlotte and Anne, also wrote poetry and romantic fiction. Publishing was highly challenging for any new writers at the time, however, fearing to reveal that they were also female, all three sisters wrote under fictional names. Emily was Ellis Bell, Charlotte was Currer Bell, and Anne was Acton Bell.
Today, Wuthering Heights remains popular; read by millions, and turned into various films.
20th December, 1803
The United States doubled in size after acquiring approximately 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.
Part or all of 15 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 ever manned spacecraft to do so. During Apollo 8’s 10 orbits around the moon, incredible images were taken of the moon and of Earth from the spacecraft and sent back home.
Apollo 8 landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on 27th December. On 20th July of the following year, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, astronauts of Apollo 11, became the first men to walk on the moon.
25th December, 336
The first recorded celebration of Christmas on 25th December 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. These traditions and celebrations of Saturnalia were upheld when the Roman empire began to embrace Christianity.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas as a Christian festival today, the Roman calendar continues to determine how many of us spend our December.
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
After hearing German troops in the trenches opposite singing carols the night before, a World War I Christmas truce was reached.
British and German soldiers met in no man’s land; exchanging gifts, taking photographs, and in some cases, playing impromptu football games. Time was also provided for both sides 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 the truce would undermine fighting spirit.
After Boxing Day, the friendly meetings in no man’s land began to fade out and the war continued.
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 later became a highly popular 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 art and culture section of our website. Here you’ll find everything from other monthly history guides to unmissable history books and films and information on exploring your family tree.