TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON: DEC 16
755 An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during Chinese Tang Dynasty
1431 Henry VI of England is crowned King of France.
1598 Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – in the final battle of the war Korean navy decisively defeats the Japanese
1631 Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages & kills 4,000
1653 Oliver Cromwell takes on dictatorial powers with the title of “Lord Protector.”
1707 Last eruption of Mount Fuji
1773 Boston tea party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston harbour in protest against British imposed Tea Act
1835 A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants’ Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch Church.
1850 The first immigrant ship, the Charlotte Jane, arrived at Lyttleton, New Zealand.
1905 “Variety”, covering all phases of show business, 1st published
1916 Grigori Rasputin assassinated by a group of noble Russian conspirators.
1939 The National Women’s Party urges immediate congressional action on equal rights.
1944 Germany mounts a major offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. As the center of the Allied line falls back, it creates a bulge, leading to the name–the Battle of the Bulge.
1950 President Harry Truman declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea.
1972 The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season. The Dolphins went on to defeat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
1976 Government halts swine flu vaccination program following reports of paralysis
1981 The U.S. Congress restored the $122 minimum monthly social security benefit for current recipients.
1983 Riverside CA judge denies cerebral palsy victim Elizabeth Bouviato request to starve herself to death in a county hospital
1991 Kazakhstan independence. The Central Asian country was the last Soviet republic to declare its independence.
1992 Israel orders deportation of 415 Palestinians after escalating terrorist activity
1995 Many U.S. government functions were again closed as a temporary finance provision expired and the budget dispute between President Clinton and Republicans in Congress continued.
1998 The United States launches a missile attack on Iraq for failing to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors.
1998 Eric Michelman filed the earliest patent for a scroll wheel for a computer mouse.
2001 In Tora Bora, Afghanistan, tribal fighters announced that they had taken the last al-Quaida positions. More than 200 fighters were killed and 25 captured. They also announced that they had found no sign of Osama bin Laden.
2001 A British newspaper, The Observer, reported that a notebook had been found at an al-Quaida training camp in southern Afghanistan. The notebook contained a “blue print” for a bomb attack on London’s financial district.
2003 President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which establishes the United States’ first national standards regarding email and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the act.
2010 Last episode of Larry King Live aired
REFERENCES: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeoplehistory.com, timeandate.com, factmonster.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com
