Historical Events
Leading Cuba to Communism
Dec 2 Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist & will lead Cuba to Communism
- Dec 2 Wind Bell, journal of San Francisco Zen Center, begins publishing
- Dec 3 Dutchman Anton Geesink becomes 1st non-Japanese judo world champion
George Blanda
Dec 3 George Blanda of Houston Oilers kicks 55-yard field goal
- Dec 3 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Ernie Davis
Dec 4 1962 NFL Draft: Ernie Davis, University of Syracuse RB #1 pick by Washington Redskins
Patterson vs. McNeeley
Dec 4 Floyd Patterson KOs Tom McNeeley in 4 for heavyweight boxing title
MOMA's Upside Down Matisse
Dec 4 NY's Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's picture "Le Bateau" the right side up, after stock-broker Genevieve Habert notices it is displayed upside down, the first of 116,000 people in 47 days to notice [1]
- Dec 4 Smallest NY Knick, 49th St Madison Square Garden crowd-1,300 (snowstorm)
- Dec 4 Tanganyika becomes 104th member of UN
Contraceptive Pill
Dec 4 The female contraceptive 'pill' becomes available on the National Health Service in Britain
- Dec 4 WXGA TV channel 8 in Waycross, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Dec 6 27th Heisman Trophy Award: Ernie Davis, Syracuse RB; 1st African American to win)
- Dec 8 Antwerp Belgium diocese forms
- Dec 8 Larry Costello scores 32 consecutive pts without a miss (NBA rec)
Chamberlain's 78 Points
Dec 8 Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in 151-147 3OT defeat to LA Lakers at Philadelphia Civic Center; 2nd highest game total in the NBA history
- Dec 8 South Africa v NZ, Durban debuts for Eddie Barlow & Peter Pollock
- Dec 9 "From the Second City" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 87 performances
- Dec 9 "Let It Ride" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 68 performances
- Dec 9 Tanganyika gains independence from Britain, takes name Tanzania - with Ukuru (Freedom) Torch lit on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro
Cannon Rush/Receiving Record
Dec 10 Houston Oilers utility back Billy Cannon gains AFL record 373 yards combined rushing/receiving in 48-21 win over NY Titans at the Polo Grounds, NYC
Physics Nobel to Hofstadter, Mössbauer
Dec 10 Robert Hofstadter and Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer win the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering studies of electron scattering in atomic nuclei and discoveries concerning the structure of the nucleon
- Dec 10 US performs nuclear test at Carlsbad New Mexico (underground)
- Dec 10 USSR & Albania break diplomatic relations
Blue Hawaii
Dec 11 Elvis Presley's "Blue Hawaii" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 20 wks
US Military Aid
Dec 11 JFK provides US military helicopters & crews to South Vietnam
- Dec 11 Motown Records releases "Please, Mr. Postman" by the Marvelettes; it is the group and the label's 1st #1 pop song, topping the charts for 13 weeks
- Dec 12 Amateur radio satellite Oscar 1 launched with military Discoverer 36
Omar Sívori Wins
Dec 12 Ballon d'Or: Juventus' Argentine forward Omar Sívori wins award for best football player in Europe ahead of Spanish midfielder Luis Suárez and English forward Johnny Haynes
Adolf Eichmann Guilty
Dec 12 Nazi German army officer Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes in Israel
The Young Ones
Dec 13 "The Young Ones" directed by Sidney J. Furie, starring Cliff Richard, Robert Morley and Carole Gray premieres in London
Death Penalty Demand for Eichmann
Dec 13 Gideon Hausner in Jerusalem demands death penalty for Adolf Eichmann
Beatles Sign with Epstein
Dec 13 The Beatles sign a formal agreement to be managed by Brian Epstein
- Dec 14 Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" is 1st country song to get a gold record
- Dec 15 Court in Israel sentences Nazi party official Adolf Eichmann to death for war crimes for his participation in organizing the Holocaust
- Dec 15 Equal access rule, US political parties get TV broadcasting time
- Dec 15 L. J. Suenens appointed archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium
King Joins Jailed Albany Protesters
Dec 15 Martin Luther King Jr. joins over 500 civil rights demonstrators in jail, arrested for protesting in Albany, Georgia [1] [2]
- Dec 15 US President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy visit Puerto Rico - last official sitting presidential visit until Barack Obama in 2011
- Dec 16 "Evening with Yves Montand" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC after 55 performances
- Dec 17 India seizes Goa & 2 other Portuguese colonies
- Dec 17 Niteroi Circus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil catches fire; 323 die after disgruntled employee sets fire to the tent
Sports History
Dec 18 For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
- Dec 18 India annexes Portuguese colonies of Goa, Damao & Diu
- Dec 18 KAIL TV channel 53 in Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
Operation Trikora
Dec 19 Indonesian President Sukarno proclaims general mobilization for Operation Trikora in preparation for attempting to seize Netherlands New Guinea
J.F.K., MacMillan Meeting
Dec 21 US President John F. Kennedy and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan meet in Bermuda
- Dec 22 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Dec 23 Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62M worth of food & medical supplies
- Dec 23 KICU TV channel 43 in Visalia-Fresno, CA (IND) begins broadcasting
- Dec 23 Train accident in Italy, 70 die
- Dec 24 AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium, San Diego: Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3; Billy Cannon scores game's only TD
- Dec 27 Belgium & Congo resume diplomatic relations
"Subways Are For Sleeping"
Dec 27 Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's musical "Subways Are For Sleeping" premieres at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 205 performances
- Dec 28 50th Davis Cup: Australia beats Italy in Melbourne (5-0)
"Night of the Iguana"
Dec 28 Tennessee Williams' play "Night of the Iguana" premieres in NYC
Shostakovich's 4th Symphony
Dec 30 Premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's 4th Symphony in Moscow (completed 1936)
- Dec 31 Failed coup by Syrian group in Lebanon
- Dec 31 Marguerite Monnot and Alexandre Breffort's musical "lrma La Douce" closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 527 performances
- Dec 31 Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than $12 billion
Packers Defeat Giants
Dec 31 National Football League Championship, City Stadium, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0; first of 5 NFL titles won in 7-season span by Packers and head coach, Vince Lombardi
- Dec 31 The Beach Boys play their debut gig under that name
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 1 Armin Meiwes, German murder known as "the Rotenburg Cannibal", born in Essen, West Germany
- Dec 1 Barb Mucha, American golfer (5 LPGA titles), born in Parma Heights, Ohio
- Dec 1 Jeremy Northam, English actor (Emma, The Crown), born in Cambridge, England
- Dec 1 Safra Catz, American billionaire technology executive (CEO Oracle), born in Holon, Israel
- Dec 3 Adal Ramones, Mexican comedian and television host, born in Monterrey, Mexico
- Dec 4 Frank Reich, American NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills) and coach (Indianapolis Colts 2018-20), born in Freeport, New York
- Dec 4 Kevin Hern, American politician (Rep-R-Oklahoma 2018-), born in Belton, Missouri
- Dec 6 David Lovering, American drummer (Pixies), born in Burlington, Massachusetts
- Dec 8 Ann Coulter, American author, political commentator, and attorney
- Dec 8 Mikey Robins, Australian comedian
- Dec 9 David Anthony Higgins, American actor (Malcolm in the Middle), born in Des Moines, Iowa
- Dec 9 Joe Lando, American actor (Byron Sully-Dr Quinn), born in Los Angeles, California
- Dec 10 Mark McKoy, Canadian track star (world record 50m indoor, Olympic gold 1992), born in Georgetown, British Guiana
- Dec 10 Nia Peeples, American dancer and host (Fame; Party Machine), born in Hollywood, California
- Dec 11 Darryl Jones, American bass player (Sting; Rolling Stones, 1993-present), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Dec 11 Macky Sall, Senegalese politician (President of Senegal 2012-), born in Fatick, Senegal
- Dec 11 Marco Pierre White, English chef and restaurateur (youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars), born in Leeds, England
- Dec 11 Mike Henneman, American baseball pitcher (Texas Rangers), born in Saint Charles, Missouri
- Dec 12 Dale Sanderson, Canadian CFL guard (Hamilton Tiger Cats), born in Hamilton, Ontario
- Dec 12 Daniel O'Donnell, Irish singer and television presenter, born in Donegal, Ireland
- Dec 12 Julie Giroux, American classical composer (My Soul to Keep; Bookmarks from Japan), born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
- Dec 13 Gary Zimmerman, American NFL tackle (Denver Broncos - Super Bowl XXXII), born in Fullerton, California
- Dec 13 Harry Gregson-Williams, English composer, born in Chichester, England
- Dec 13 Irene Sáez, Venezuelan beauty queen crowned Miss Universe 1981 and politician, born in Chacao, Miranda, Venezuela
- Dec 14 Jeff Robinson, American baseball pitcher, 1987-92 (Detroit Tigers; Baltimore Orioles; and 2 other teams), born in Ventura, California, (d. 2014)
- Dec 15 Annie Pujol, French TV hostess (Roue de la Fortune), born in Perpignan, France
- Dec 15 Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist, TV and radio host, and politician (European Parliament, 2004-09), born in Vienna, Austria
- Dec 15 Reginald Hudlin, American director (House Party), born in Centreville, Illinois
- Dec 16 Bill Hicks, American stand-up comedian and social critic, born in Valdosta, Georgia (d. 1994)
- Dec 16 LaChanze [Rhonda LaChanze Sapp], American Broadway actress (The Color Purple), born in St. Augustine, Florida
- Dec 17 Sara Dallin, British musician (Bananarama), born in Bristol, England
- Dec 18 Brian Orser, Canadian figure skater (Olympic silver 1988)
- Dec 18 Ken Foreman, English rock singer and guitarist (Thrashing Doves - "Reprobate's Hymn"), and record producer, born in London, England
- Dec 18 Lalchand Rajput, Indian cricketer and coach (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86), born in Bombay, India
- Dec 18 Thomas Strittmatter, writer
- Dec 19 Abigail Johnson, American billionaire businesswoman (CEO Fidelity Investments), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Reggie White (1961-2004)
Dec 19 American College-Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl XXXI Green Bay Packers; 8 × First-team All-Pro; 13 x Pro Bowl; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1987, 98), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Dec 20 Gale Gilbert, NFL quarterback (San Diego Chargers), born in Red Bluff, California
- Dec 20 Mohammad Fouad, Arab singer and actor, born in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt
- Dec 20 Nate Newton, NFL guard (Dallas Cowboys), born in Orlando, Florida
- Dec 21 Francis Ng, Hong Kong actor (Internal Affairs), born in British Hong Kong
- Dec 21 Ryuji Sasai, Japanese video game composer, born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Dec 21 Trevor Bayliss, Australian cricketer (NSW batsman) and coach (England), born in Goulburn, Australia
- Dec 22 Andrew Fastow, US convicted criminal and businessman (former CFO of Enron), born in Washington, D.C., United States
- Dec 22 Yuri Ivanovich Malinchenko, Russian cosmonaut (1st person to marry in space), born in Khrushchev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
- Dec 23 Carol Smillie, British television personality, born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Dec 24 Darren Wharton, British musician (Dare; Thin Lizzy), born in Failsworth, DEngland
- Dec 24 Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan Republic, born in Baku, Azerbaijan
- Dec 24 Jay Wright, American basketball coach, born in Churchville, Pennsylvania
- Dec 24 Mary Barra, American CEO of General Motors (1st woman to head a global automotive company), born in Waterford, Michigan
- Dec 25 Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite and convicted sex offender, born in Maisons-Laffitte, France
- Dec 25 Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator
- Dec 26 John Lynch, Irish actor, born in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
- Dec 26 Tahnee Welch [La Tahn Renee Welch], American actress (Cocoon), born in San Diego, California
- Dec 28 Kent Nielsen, Danish soccer defender (54 caps; Brønshøj 230 games, Brøndby, Aston Villa, AGF) and coach (Horsens, Brøndby, AaB, OB, Silkeborg), born in Frederiksberg, Denmark
- Dec 29 Jim Reid, Scottish rock singer-songwriter (The Jesus and Mary Chain; Freeheat), born in East Kilbride, Scotland
- Dec 29 Robert Tewdwr Moss, British journalist, born in Congleton, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
- Dec 30 Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete (Olympic 100m gold 1988-disqualified), born in Falmouth, Jamaica
- Dec 30 Bill English, New Zealand politician and Prime Minister (National: 2016-17), born in Lumsden, New Zealand
- Dec 30 Douglas Coupland, Canadian author
- Dec 31 Joanna Johnson, American actress (Caroline-Bold & Beautiful), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- Dec 31 Rick Aguilera, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1991, 92, 93; World Series 1986 NY Mets, 1991 Minnesota Twins), born in San Gabriel, California
Famous Weddings
- Dec 10 Dr Ruth marries Fred Westheimer
Martin Sheen
Dec 23 Actor Martin Sheen (21) weds Janet Templeton
Billy Rose
Dec 29 Billy Rose remarries Joyce Mathews
Famous Deaths
- Dec 3 Jēkabs Graubiņš, Latvian composer, dies at 75
- Dec 3 Mary Charleson, Irish-American silent film actress (Upstairs And Down), dies at 71
- Dec 3 Pat O'Hara Wood, Australian tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1920, 23), dies at 70
- Dec 6 Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher (The Wretched of the Earth), dies of leukemia at 36
- Dec 8 William Beatton Moonie, Scottish composer (The Weird of Colbar; Echoes of Perthshire), dies at 71
- Dec 12 Daiun Sogaku Harada, Zen founder of Sanbo Kyodan lineage, dies at 91
Grandma Moses (1860-1961)
Dec 13 American primitive painter (Old Oaken Bucket), dies at 101
- Dec 15 William "Dummy" Hoy, American baseball outfielder (most accomplished deaf player in MLB history; NL stolen base leader 1888; Washington Senators, Cincinnati Reds), dies at 99
- Dec 16 Boris Semyonovich Shekhter, Russian composer and teacher, dies at 61
- Dec 16 Cato Engelen-Sewing, Dutch soprano singer, prima donna, dies at 93
- Dec 17 Marion Perkins, sculptor (Man of Sorrow), dies at 53
- Dec 20 Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1880)
- Dec 20 Luis Abraham Delgadillo, Nicaraguan composer, conductor, and educator, dies at 75
Moss Hart (1904-1961)
Dec 20 American playwright (You Can't Take it With You, Act 1), dies of a heart attack at 57
- Dec 23 Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
- Dec 24 Guy de Lioncourt, French composer, dies at 76
- Dec 25 Otto Loewi, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1873)
- Dec 25 Owen Brewster, U.S. Senator from Maine (b. 1888)
- Dec 25 Rheinhold Rudenberg, inventor of electron microscope, dies
- Dec 26 Charlie Frank, cricketer (S Af Test centurion v Aust 1921-22), dies
- Dec 28 Edith Wilson, American 1st lady (1915-21) second wife of Woodrow Wilson, dies at 89
- Dec 30 Jacobus "Ko" van den Bosch, Dutch actor (Amsterdamned)/dir, dies at 53
