On December 9.1911 ; A mine explosion near Briceville, Tennessee, kills 84 miners despite rescue efforts led by the United States Bureau of Mines. source
On December 9.1911 ; A mine explosion near Briceville, Tennessee, kills 84 miners despite rescue efforts led by the United States Bureau of Mines.
On December 10.1864 ; American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army troops reach the outer Confederate defenses of Savannah, Georgia. source
On December 10.1864 ; American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union Army troops reach the outer Confederate defenses of Savannah, Georgia.
On December 12.1950 ; Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services. source
On December 12.1950 ; Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
On December 14.1940 ; Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California. source
On December 14.1940 ; Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
On December 14.2008 ; Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq. source
On December 14.2008 ; Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq.
On December 15.1791 ; The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly. source
On December 15.1791 ; The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
On December 16.1985 ; Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of New York's Gambino crime family. source
On December 16.1985 ; Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of New York's Gambino crime family.
On December 18.2002 ; California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier. source
On December 18.2002 ; California gubernatorial recall: Then Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier.
On December 20.1860 ; South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States. source
On December 20.1860 ; South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States.
On December 22.2008 ; An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal fly ash slurry. source
On December 22.2008 ; An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal fly ash slurry.
On December 24.1945 ; Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down. source
On December 24.1945 ; Five of nine children become missing after their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, is burned down.
On December 24.1966 ; A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129. source
On December 24.1966 ; A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
On December 25.1815 ; The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance. source
On December 25.1815 ; The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
On December 26.1862 ; Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship. source
On December 26.1862 ; Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
On December 27.2001 ; China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States. source
On December 27.2001 ; China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States.
On December 28.1835 ; Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army. source
On December 28.1835 ; Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.
On December 28.1846 ; Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state. source
On December 28.1846 ; Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.
On December 28.1912 ; The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco. source
On December 28.1912 ; The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.
On December 28.1973 ; The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States. source
On December 28.1973 ; The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States.
On December 29.1835 ; The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States. source
On December 29.1835 ; The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States.
On December 30.1702 ; Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine. source
On December 30.1702 ; Queen Anne's War: James Moore, Governor of the Province of Carolina, abandons the Siege of St. Augustine.
On December 30.1825 ; The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed. source
On December 30.1825 ; The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.
On December 30.1853 ; Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest. source
On December 30.1853 ; Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
Abraham Lincoln is the first president in American history to declare that the time had come to give voting rights to African-Americans, On April 11, 1865. source
Abraham Lincoln is the first president in American history to declare that the time had come to give voting rights to African-Americans, On April 11, 1865.