Historical Events
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Dec 1 Seminal rock band Buddy Holly & The Crickets make their "Ed Sullivan Show" debut, performing "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue"; singer Sam Cooke also performs after getting bumped due to time constraints on November 3rd - he sings "You Send Me" and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” [1] [2]
- Dec 2 1st US large scale nuclear power plant for peacetime use opens, Shippingport, Pennsylvania
- Dec 2 NFL Draft: Rice quarterback King Hill #1 pick by Chicago Cardinals
- Dec 2 Pacific Coast League franchises forced to relocate when Dodgers and Giants confirm their move to California for 1958 MLB season; Hollywood Stars move from LA to Salt Lake City; LA Angels move to Spokane, and San Francisco Seals transfer to Phoenix
- Dec 3 23rd Heisman Trophy Award: John Crow, Texas A&M (HB)
- Dec 4 2 commuter trains collide in heavy fog killing 92 (St John's, England)
- Dec 4 First edition of "Chase's Annual Events" published
- Dec 5 NYC is first US city to legislate against racial or religious discrimination in housing market (Fair Housing Practices Law)
Indonesia Expels Dutch
Dec 5 President Sukarno of Indonesia expels all Dutch people.
- Dec 5 William Inge's "Dark at the Top of the Stairs" premieres in NYC
- Dec 6 1st US attempt to launch a satellite fails-Vanguard rocket blows up
- Dec 6 AFL-CIO votes to expel Teamsters (readmitted in October 1987)
US vs. Philippines
Dec 6 Gardnar Mulloy becomes oldest American to win a Davis Cup tennis match at age 44 years, 14 days; teams with Vic Seixas to give US a match-clinching, 3-0 lead over the Philippines in the Inter Zone 1st round in Adelaide, Australia
- Dec 6 Indonesia begins nationalizing Dutch possessions
Sessions' 3rd Symphony
Dec 6 Roger Sessions' 3rd Symphony premieres in Boston with Charles Munch conducting the Boston Symphony
- Dec 7 Tony Kubek of the Yanks selected as AL Rookie of the Year
The Sound of Jazz
Dec 8 CBS broadcasts "The Sound of Jazz", live from NYC: an all-star program featuring swing era and contemporary jazz artists, including Count Basie, Red Allen, Ben Webster;, Thelonious Monk, and Gerry Mulligan; highlight is the final collaboration of Billie Holiday and Lester Young on "Fine and Mellow"
- Dec 9 1st Japanese ambassador to Israel
- Dec 10 Chinese physicists Chen Ning Yang and Tsung-Dao Lee awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their work on parity laws, which created a major breakthrough in particle research
- Dec 12 Maj Adrian Drew flies 1,943 kph in F-101 Voodoo
- Dec 12 US announces manufacture of Borazon (harder than diamond)
- Dec 12 Willem J. Kolff and his team at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic removed the heart from a dog and replaced it with a pneumatic pump which kept the dog alive for 90 minutes, proving the viability of the artificial heart
Peyton Place
Dec 13 "Peyton Place" film based on the novel by Grace Metalious, directed by Mark Robson and starring Lana Turner and Hope Lange is released
- Dec 14 "Rumple" musical closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 45 performances
The Most Happy Fella
Dec 14 Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella", based on Sidney Howard's 1924 stage drama "They Knew What They Wanted", closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 678 performances
- Dec 16 Sir Feroz Khan Noon replaces Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar as Prime Minister of Pakistan
Alfredo Di Stéfano Wins
Dec 17 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stéfano wins award for best football player in Europe ahead of Englishmen Billy Wright and Duncan Edwards
The Nat King Cole Show
Dec 17 Last episode of "The Nat King Cole Show" airs on NBC, cancelled due to lack of national sponsorship
- Dec 17 The largest trade in NHL history at the time in terms of quantity; Chicago Black Hawks move Nick Mickoski, Jack McIntyre, Bob Bailey & Hec Lalonde to Detroit Red Wings for Earl Reibel, Billy Dea, Bill Dineen & Lorne Ferguson
- Dec 17 US successfully test-fires Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile
- Dec 18 World's first full scale nuclear power plant, for peacetime use only, begins to generate electricity at the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania
- Dec 19 Meredith Willson's musical "The Music Man", starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 1375 performances, wins 5 Tony and a Grammy Award
Elvis Receives Draft Notice
Dec 20 Elvis Presley receives his draft notice to join the US Army for national service
Cricket Debut
Dec 23 Test cricket debut for all-time great Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout and future captain and coach Bobby Simpson, 1st Test v South Africa in Johannesburg
Ringo's First Drum Set
Dec 25 Liverpudlian teenager Richard Starkey (later better known as Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set aged 17
"Christmas Show of Stars"
Dec 26 Alan Freed's "Christmas Show of Stars", featuring the Everly Brothers, Paul Anka; Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis, opens at the Paramount Theatre, NYC; runs for 14 performances
"Wild Strawberries"
Dec 26 Swedish film "Wild Strawberries" is released, written and directed by legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, considered one of his best
- Dec 28 46th Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Melbourne (3-2)
- Dec 28 CBS states it won't broadcast baseball where minor league games are on
- Dec 28 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
- Dec 29 National Football League Championship, Briggs Stadium, Detroit: Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns, 50-14; Lions score 2 touchdowns in each quarter
Ben-Gurion Resigns
Dec 30 Israeli government of Ben-Gurion, resigns
- Dec 31 AAU awards Bobby Morrow, James Sullivan Memorial Trophy
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 2 Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian politician (leader of the Christian Democratic Party 2004–2011), born in Oslo, Norway
- Dec 4 Eric S. Raymond, American open source advocate, born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Dec 4 Lee Smith, American Baseball HOF pitcher (7 × MLB All-Star; 4 x saves leader; Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees, Baltimore Orioles), born in Jamestown, Louisiana
- Dec 4 Raul Boesel, Brazilian auto racer (World Sportscar C'ship 1987; 24 Hours of Daytona 1988; 30 F1 GP), born in Curitiba, Brazil
- Dec 5 Art Monk, American College-Pro Football HOF wide receiver (Syracuse University; Super Bowl 1982, 87, 91; First-team All-Pro 1984; 3 × Pro Bowl; Washington Redskins), born in White Plains, New York
- Dec 5 Marcelino Sánchez, Puerto Rican actor (The Warriors), born in Cayey, Puerto Rico (d. 1986)
Andrew Cuomo (66 years old)
Dec 6 American politician and Governor of New York (2011-21), born in New York City
- Dec 6 Luis Delís, Cuban discus thrower (Olympic bronze 1980), born in Guantánamo, Cuba
- Dec 7 Geoff "Henry" Lawson, Australian cricket fast bowler (46 Tests, 180 wickets, BB 8/112; NSWCA, Lancashire) and coach (Pakistan 2007-08), born in Wagga Wagga, Australia
- Dec 7 John Lee, Hong Kong politician (Police Chief and Chief Executive of Hong Kong 2022-), born in British Hong Kong
- Dec 7 Rohan Jayasekera, Sri Lankan cricket batsman (1 Test; 2 ODIs; for Canada 4 x ICC Trophy), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Dec 7 Tom Winsor, British lawyer and economic regulator, born in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland
- Dec 8 Phil Collen, English heavy-metal guitarist (Def Leppard - "Love Bites"), born in London, England
- Dec 9 Donny Osmond, American singer (Osmond Brothers, Donnie & Marie), born in Ogden, Utah
- Dec 10 Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor (The Green Mile), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
- Dec 10 Paul Hardcastle, British composer and musician ("19"; "Don't Waste My Time"), born in Kensington, London
- Dec 10 Prem Rawat "Guru Maharajji and Maharaji", American-Indian spiritual leader and speaker, born in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
- Dec 11 Mike Mesaros, American bassist (The Smithereens, 1980-2005 & 2016-present - "Only A Memory"), born in New Jersey
- Dec 12 Cy Curnin, British rock vocalist (The Fixx - "One Thing Leads To Another"; "Saved By Zero"), born in Wimbledon, England
- Dec 12 Robert Lepage, French Canadian playwright, born in Quebec, Canada
- Dec 12 Sheila E.[scovedo], American singer, drummer and percussionist (Krush Grove, Holly Rock), born in Oakland, California
- Dec 13 Gary Davies, British radio disc jockey and television presenter, born in Manchester, England
- Dec 13 Jean-Marie Messier, French businessman, born in Grenoble, France
- Dec 13 Morris Day, American funk-R&B singer (The Time), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Steve Buscemi (66 years old)
Dec 13 American actor and filmmaker (Fargo; Boardwalk Empire; 30 Rock), born in New York City
- Dec 15 Chō [Yuuichi Nagashima], Japanese voice actor, born in Kōnosu, Japan
- Dec 15 Mike McAlary, American journalist (d. 1998)
- Dec 15 Tim Reynolds, German guitarist (Dave Matthews Band), born in Wiesbaden, Germany
- Dec 15 Vinx [Parrette], American rock and world music percussionist and singer-songwriter (Sting; Jungle Funk), born in Fairfield, California
- Dec 17 Bob Ojeda, pitcher (NY Mets)
- Dec 17 Masako Natsume [Odate], Japanese actress and model (Tripitaka in "Monkey"), born in Roppongi, Tokyo d. 1985)
- Dec 18 John Webster, Canadian session and touring rock keyboardist (Red Rider - "Big League"), and film score composer, born in Canada
- Dec 19 Cyril Collard, French film director (d. 1993)
- Dec 19 Doug Johnson, Canadian rock keyboardist (Loverboy - "Working For The Weekend"), born in Surrey, British Columbia
- Dec 19 John Gulager, American film director and actor (He Was a Quiet Man), born in New York City
- Dec 19 Kevin McHale, American Basketball HOF forward (NBA C'ship 1981, 84, 86; 7 × NBA All-Star; Boston Celtics) and coach (Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets), born in Hibbing, Minnesota
- Dec 20 Anna Vissi, Greek-Cypriot singer, born in Pyla, Cyprus
- Dec 20 Arturs Maskats, Latvian classical composer and music director (Dailes Theatre; Latvian National Opera, 1996-2013), born in Valmiera, Latvia
- Dec 20 Billy Bragg, English folk-rock singer-songwriter ("Greetings To The New Brunette"; "Sexuality"; "California Stars"), born in Barking, Essex, England
- Dec 20 Joyce Hyser, American actress, born in New York City
- Dec 20 Mike Watt, American rock bassist (Firehose), born in Portsmouth, Virginia
- Dec 20 Pat Fish [Huntrods], British guitarist (The Jazz Butcher), born in London, England (d. 2021)
- Dec 21 John Geddert, American gymnastics coach (US head coach London Olympic Team 2012), born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan (d. 2021)
- Dec 21 Lisa Gerritsen [Leisa Orszag], American actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show & Phyllis - "Bess"), born in Los Angeles, California
Ray Romano (66 years old)
Dec 21 American stand-up comic and actor (Everybody Loves Raymond; Ice Age), born in Queens, New York
- Dec 21 Tom Henke, American baseball relief pitcher (World Series 1992; MLB All-Star 1987, 95; NL Rolaids Relief Man Award 1995; Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Dec 21 Tony Lewis, British rock singer-songwriter and bass player (The Outfield - "Your Love"), born in London, England (d. 2020)
- Dec 22 Carole James, Canadian politician, born in Dukinfield, United Kingdom
- Dec 22 Richard "Ricky" Ross, Scottish rock vocalist (Deacon Blue), born in Dundee, Scotland
- Dec 22 Susan Powter, Australian-born American motivational speaker, nutritionist, personal trainer, and author (The Susan Powter Show), born in Sydney, Australia
- Dec 23 Dan Bigras, Canadian rock singer, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Dec 23 Trisha Goddard, English television presenter and actress, born in London
- Dec 24 Diane Tell, Canadian pop-jazz singer-songwriter, born in Québec City, Quebec
Hamid Karzai (66 years old)
Dec 24 President of Afghanistan (2001-14), born in Kandahar, Afghanistan
- Dec 24 Ian Burden, English rock keyboard player and bassist (Human League - "Don't You Want Me"), born in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
- Dec 25 Chris Kamara, English soccer midfielder (Swindon Town FC, Brentford FC) and commentator (Sky Sports), born in Middlesbrough, England
- Dec 25 Jan Rot, Dutch composer (Wrong Nights; St. Matthew's Passion), born in Makassar, Indonesia
- Dec 25 Jillie Mack, American actress (Magnum P.I.), and wife of Tom Selleck, born in the USA
- Dec 25 Shane MacGowan, British-Irish punk rock musician (Pogues - "Fairytale of New York", "Red Roses For Me"), born in Pembury, Kent, England (d. 2023) [1]
- Dec 26 Dermot Murnaghan, British broadcaster, born in Barnstaple, United Kingdom
- Dec 26 Guy Barker, British jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger (The Amadeus Project), born in Chiswick, London, England
- Dec 27 Daniel Levitin, American-Canadian cognitive psychologist, writer (This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession), record producer, and mnusician, born in San Francisco, California
- Dec 27 James Sanford, US runner (world record 50m indoor)
- Dec 28 Anne Sargeant, Australian netballer
- Dec 29 Brad Grey, American film and TV producer, Chairman of Paramount Pictures, born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2017)
- Dec 29 Paul Rudnick, American screenwriter and playwright, born in Piscataway, New Jersey
- Dec 30 Matt Lauer, American TV host (Today Show 1997-2017), born in New York City
Famous Weddings
Jerry Lee Lewis
Dec 12 American piano playing singer Jerry Lee Lewis (21) weds his cousin Myra Gale Brown (13) while still married to his 2nd wife Jane Mitcham; legalize marriage in 1958; divorce in 1970
Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood
Dec 28 "Rebel Without A Cause" actress Natalie Wood (19) weds American actor Robert Wagner (27) at Scottsdale United Methodist Church in Scottsdale, Arizona; divorce in 1962;, and remarry in 1972
- Dec 29 American singing duo Steve Lawrence (22) and Eydie Gormé (29) wed at the home of casino owner Beldon Katleman in Las Vegas, Nevada, until her death in 2013
Famous Deaths
- Dec 2 Harrison Ford, American silent screen actor (Rubber Tires), dies at 73
- Dec 2 Leslie Henson, English comedian and actor (Lady Luck, Funny Face, Harvey), dies at 66
- Dec 2 Manfred Sakel, Polish neurophysiologist and psychiatrist, dies at 57
- Dec 3 Frank Gannett, American newspaper publisher (Gannett), dies at 81
- Dec 6 Robert Esnault-Pelterie, French engineer and aviation pioneer who contributed to early heavier-than-air flight in Europe, dies at 76
- Dec 8 Reginald Sheffield, British actor (Suspicion; Of Human Bondage; Second Chance), dies at 56
- Dec 9 Carswell Adams, sportscaster (Your Sports Special), dies
Maurice McLoughlin (1890-1957)
Dec 10 American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1912-13), dies at 67
John Van Druten (1901-1957)
Dec 19 English playwright (I Remember Mama, I am a Camera) and theater director, dies at 56
- Dec 20 Walter Page, American jazz double bassist, baritone saxophonist, tuba player, and bandleader (Blue Devils; Count Basie Orchestra), dies at 57
- Dec 21 Eric Coates, English viola palyer and composer, dies at 71
- Dec 24 Norma Talmadge, American silent screen actress (Within the Law, Sign on Bay), dies at 64
- Dec 25 Frederick Law Olmsted Jr, American landscape architect and advocate for wildlife conservation, dies at 87
- Dec 26 Artur Malawski, Polish violinist, conductor, composer (Mountaineers Triptych), and pedagogue, dies at 53
- Dec 26 Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (Pathé Brothers, 1896), dies at 93
- Dec 27 Alan Bridge, actor (Hail the Conquering Hero), dies at 66
- Dec 28 Ernie Henry, American jazz saxophonist (Fats Navarro; Dizzy Gillespie; Illinois Jacquet), dies of a heroin overdose at 31
- Dec 29 Tom Richmond, cricketer (Notts leg-spinner took 2-86 in Eng Test), dies at 67
