Historical Events
- Dec 1 1st drive-up gasoline station opens in Pittsburgh
- Dec 1 Flag of Greece officially raised at Firka Fortress, Chania Crete symbolising the union of Crete and Greece
- Dec 2 French Government of Louis Barthou falls due to overtime conscription
- Dec 2 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua created in Nicaragua
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Dec 2 Vladimir Mayakovsky's self titled tragedy "Vladimir Mayakovsky" premieres at Saint Petersburg's Luna Park theatre
Johnson vs. Johnson
Dec 9 Heavyweight fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Johnson ends with no decision in Paris
- Dec 9 John K. Tener becomes president of baseball's National League
- Dec 10 Belgium head of the International Peace Bureau Henri La Fontaine becomes the first Socialist to win the Nobel Peace Prize
Tagore Nobel Prize for Literature
Dec 10 Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore becomes the first non-European to be presented with the Nobel Prize for Literature for "Gitanjali"
Southern Albania Divided
Dec 13 British Foreign Secretary Edward Grey proposes that southern Albania be divided between Greece and Albania with compensation to Greece in the Aegean islands
Chaplin Starts at Keystone
Dec 16 Charlie Chaplin begins his film career at Keystone for $150 a week
- Dec 18 The Indian Inquiry Commission, also known as the Solomon Commission, commences its sittings in Pretoria
- Dec 19 Jack Johnson fights fellow African-American Jim Johnson to a draw in 10 rounds for the vacant world heavyweight boxing title in Paris, 1st time two black fighters compete for the title
- Dec 21 1st crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed in NY World
Federal Reserve Act
Dec 23 US President Woodrow Wilson signs Federal Reserve Act into law - creates the central banking Federal Reserve System
Ambrose Bierce’s Last Communication
Dec 26 Ambrose Bierce’s last known communication, a letter to his close friend Blanche Partington from Mexico - one of the most famous literary disappearances
Famous Birthdays
Mary Martin (1913-1990)
Dec 1 American actress (Peter Pan) and Larry Hagman's mom, born in Weatherford, Texas
- Dec 3 Omer Vanaudenhoven, Flemish politician and resistance fighter, born in Diest, Belgium (d. 1994)
- Dec 4 Robert Adler, Austrian-American inventor (remote control for television), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2007)
- Dec 6 Eleanor Holm, American 100m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1932), born in New York City (d. 2004)
- Dec 6 John Mikaelsson, Swedish race walker (Olympic gold 10k 1948, 52), born in Kristinehamn, Sweden (d. 1987)
- Dec 8 Delmore Schwartz, American poet, short story writer and critic (Shenandoah), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1966)
- Dec 8 Paul Félix, Flemish architect (Sun Song), born in Ostend, Belgium (d. 1981)
- Dec 10 Harry Locke, British actor (Passport to Pimlico, Town on Trial), born in London, England (d. 1987)
Morton Gould (1913-1996)
Dec 10 American pianist, conductor and theatrical, screen and concert composer (Pulitzer Prize, 1956 - Stringmusic), born in Richmond Hill, New York
- Dec 11 Jean Marais, French actor (Donkey Skin, Orpheus), born in Cherbourg, Manche, France (d. 1998)
- Dec 12 Eve Lister, British film and television actress (No Limit, Hyde Park), born in Brighton, Sussex, England (d. 1997)
- Dec 12 Ferenc Csik, Hungarian swimmer (Olympics gold medal 100m freestyle 1936), born in Kaposvár, Hungary (d. 1945)
- Dec 12 Hal Dickinson, American singer (Modernaires), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1970)
- Dec 12 Stanley Bate, English composer, born in Plymouth, England (d. 1959)
Archie Moore (1913-1998)
Dec 13 American light-heavyweight boxing champion (1952-60), born in Benoit, Mississippi,
- Dec 13 Jimmy Carroll, American pianist (Most Important People), born in New York City (d. 1972)
- Dec 13 John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy, English art historian and director of British Museum (1974-76), born in London (d. 1994)
- Dec 15 Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (The Book of the Dead), born in New York City (d. 1980)
- Dec 15 Rik Jacobs, Flemish stage manager, born in Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium (d. 1985)
- Dec 18 Alfred Bester, American sci-fi author (Deceivers, Starlight), born in New York City (d. 1987)
- Dec 18 Donald Phillips, British pianist and composer (Spanish Fiesta, Concerto In Jazz), born in Dalston, London (d. 1994)
- Dec 18 Lynn Bari [Margaret Schuyler Fisher], American actress (Shock, Nocturne, 6 Gun Law), born in Roanoke, Virginia (d. 1989)
- Dec 18 Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (d. 2006)
- Dec 18 Saburo Takata, Japanese composer, born in Nagoya (d. 2000)
Willy Brandt (1913-1992)
Dec 18 German statesman, leader of the SPD party (1964-1987) and Chancellor of West Germany (1969-74, Nobel 1971), born in Lübeck, Germany
- Dec 20 Jozef Kresánek, Slovak composer and musicologist, born in Čičmany, Kongdom of Hungary (now Slovakia) (d. 1986)
- Dec 21 Raich Carter, English soccer forward (13 caps; Sunderland, Derby County, Hull C) and manager (Hull C, Leeds, Mansfield Town, Middlesborough), born in Sunderland, England (d. 1994)
- Dec 22 Anthony Barber Doncaster, English bookseller, born in Sheffield, England (d. 1995)
- Dec 23 Hans Henkemans, Dutch composer and teacher, born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1995)
- Dec 23 Leo Ketelaars, Dutch violinist and baritone oratorio vocalist, born in Maasniel, Netherlands (d. 1992)
- Dec 24 Karl Michael Komma, German composer and music publicist, born in Aš, Czech Republic (d. 2012)
- Dec 25 Henri Nannen, German journalist (Der Stern), born in Emden, Germany (d. 1996)
- Dec 25 Jonathan "Candy" Candido, American actor and radio performer (Peter Pan; The Great Mouse Detective), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1999)
- Dec 25 Tony Martin [Alvin Morris], American singer ("It's a Blue World; "To Each His Own"), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2012)
- Dec 26 Frank Swift, English soccer goalkeeper and journalist (19 caps; Manchester City 376 games; died Munich air disaster), born in Blackpool, Lancashire (d. 1958)
Elizabeth Smart (1913-1986)
Dec 27 Canadian author (By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- Dec 28 Lou Jacobi, Canadian actor and comedian (Irma la Douce, The Dean Martin Show), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2009) [1]
- Dec 29 Laurence Gower, English lawyer and academic, born in Forest Gate, London (d. 1997)
- Dec 30 Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (d. 2002)
- Dec 30 Svend Simon Schultz, Danish composer and choral director (Danish Radio Choir, 1949-79), born in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark (d. 1998)
Famous Deaths
Menelik II (1844-1913)
Dec 12 Emperor of Ethiopia (1889-1913) and Negus/King of Shewa (1866–89), dies at 69
