What Happened in December 1891

Historical Events

Dec 21 First game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith, played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts

Dec 1 Foppe G. Scheltema, Dutch lawyer (wreck laws) (d. 1939)
Dec 2 Charles H. Wesley, American author and historian (The History of Alpha Phi Alpha), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 1987)
Dec 5 Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), born In Buffalo, New York (d. 1937)
Dec 5 Alexander Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer, born in St Petersburg (d. 1956)
Dec 7 Fay Bainter, American actress (Jezebel, Our Town, State Fair), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1968)
Dec 9 Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet, born in Minsk, Minsk Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1917)

Dec 10 German-Swedish poet and playwright (O the Chimneys - Nobel Prize for Literature 1966), born in Berlin, Germany

Dec 12 Buck Jones [Charles F Gebhart], American Western actor (Just Pals, Forbidden Trails, War Horse), born in Vincennes, Indiana (d. 1942)
Dec 15 A. P. Carter, American country-folk and gospel singer-songwriter, and guitarist (The Carter Family), born in Maces Spring, Virginia (d. 1960)
Dec 17 Robertson Hare, English actor (All Gas and Gaiters. Our Girl Friday, Banana Ridge), born in London (d. 1979)
Dec 19 Edward Bernard Raczynski, Polish President-in-exile (1979-86), born in Austro-Hungary (d. 1993)
Dec 21 John W. McCormack, American politician (D) Speaker of House (1962-70), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1980)

Dec 23 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame left wing (NHL leading scorer 1923-24), born in Farran's Point, Ontario

Dec 25 Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricket spin bowler (37 Tests; 216 wickets @ 24.21; ICC Cricket Hall of Fame), born in Dunedin, New Zealand (d. 1980)
Dec 25 Earle Foxe, American actor (Dance Fools Dance), born in Oxford, Ohio (d. 1973)
Dec 25 Kenneth Anderson, British general (Operation Torch - North Africa), born in Madras, British India (d. 1959)

Dec 26 American author (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, Sexus), born in Manhattan, New York

Dec 30 Antoine Pinay, French politician (Prime Minister of France 1952, Minister of Foreign Affairs), born in Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, France (d. 1994)

Dec 5 Pedro II van Alcantara, Emperor of Brazil (1831-89), dies at 66
Dec 6 Émile Bayard, French artist and illustrator, dies at 54
Dec 11 Johan C. J. van Schagen, Dutch poet and writer (Narrenwijsheid), dies
Dec 17 Msiri, ruler of the Garanganze Kingdom, Congo (Katanga), dies in battle against Belgian funded expedition
Dec 17 Omer Bodson, Belgian captain, dies in battle against Msiri, ruler of Garanganze Kingdom in the Congo
Dec 18 Eduard Hille, German composer and conductor, dies at 69
Dec 23 Holger Simon Paulli, Danish conductor and composer, dies at 81
Dec 28 Alfred Cellier, British conductor (Glibert and Sullivan) and composer (Dorothy), dies at 47
Dec 29 Leopold Kronecker, German mathematician (Tensor of Kronecker), dies at 68