What Happened in December 1966

Historical Events

  • Dec 1 Ecuadorian national baseball team defends its title with a 4-3 win over Brazil in the South American Championship; last win for next 50 years; Eloy Guerrero drives in Ramón Sotomayor with the winning run
  • Dec 1 Georg Kiesinger elected West German chancellor
  • Dec 1 Radio time signal WWV moves from Greenbelt, Maryland to Boulder, Colorado
  • Dec 3 31st Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-0 in Birmingham
  • Dec 3 Television pop group "The Monkees" make their live concert debut at the Honolulu International Centre Arena, in Hawaii
  • Dec 3 US performs underground nuclear test at Hattiesburg, Mississippi
  • Dec 4 KETS TV channel 2 in Little Rock, AR (PBS) begins broadcasting
  • Dec 4 Military Working Dog "Nemo" saves the life of his handler Airman Robert A. Throneburg during the Vietnam War, surviving a gunshot wound to the nose

I Do! I Do!

Dec 5 Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' musical "I Do! I Do!", starring Robert Preston and Mary Martin, and directed by Gower Champion, opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 561 performances

  • Dec 7 A fire at an army barracks in Erzurum, Turkey kills 68 people.

Yankees' Terrible Trade

Dec 8 A terrible New York Yankee trade, Roger Maris for St' Louis Card's Charlie Smith

  • Dec 8 US and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space
  • Dec 10 Israeli Shmuel Yosef Agnon wins Nobel Prize for literature
  • Dec 10 Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Robert S. Mulliken
  • Dec 11 Al Nelson sets NFL record returning missed field goal, 100 yards

A Man for All Seasons

Dec 12 "A Man for All Seasons" based on the play by Robert Bolt, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Paul Scofield premieres in New York (Best Picture 1967)

  • Dec 12 US Supreme Courts votes 4-3 allowing Braves to move to Atlanta
  • Dec 13 1st battle for Bijlmer flats, Amsterdam
  • Dec 13 Test debut of Clive Lloyd, v India Bombay, 82 & 78
  • Dec 13 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Dec 15 Audouin Dollfus discovers 10th satellite of Saturn, Janus
  • Dec 15 John W. Mecom Jr becomes 1st owner of New Orlean Saints
  • Dec 15 Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau's musical "A Joyful Noise", starring John Raitt, opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 12 performances

Hey Joe

Dec 16 Jimi Hendrix Experience releases its 1st single, "Hey Joe" in the UK

  • Dec 16 The Beatles release "Everywhere it's Christmas" in UK

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Dec 18 Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" airs for 1st time on CBS; animated special directed by Chuck Jones, features voices of Boris Karloff, June Foray, and Thurl Ravenscroft, with songs by Albert Hague

  • Dec 18 Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker.
  • Dec 18 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
  • Dec 20 NBA awards Seattle Supersonics a franchise for 1967-68 season
  • Dec 20 Nuclear Planning Group forms in Brussels
  • Dec 20 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

"King of Hearts"

Dec 21 French-Italian comic-drama film "King of Hearts" (Le Roi de cœur) directed by Philippe de Broca, and starring Alan Bates premieres in France; achieves cult film status when it reaches US art houses in 1973

  • Dec 21 USSR launches Luna 13; soft-landed in Oceanus Procellarum
  • Dec 22 WCVW TV channel 57 in Richmond, VA (PBS) begins broadcasting
  • Dec 23 Britain's rock TV show "Ready Steady Go" last program
  • Dec 24 Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau's musical "A Joyful Noise", starring John Raitt, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 12 performances
  • Dec 24 Soviet spacecraft Luna 13 lands on Moon
  • Dec 24 USAF C144 military charter aircraft crashes near Binh Thai, Vietnam, killing 129
  • Dec 26 Jimi Hendrix writes the song "Purple Haze" backstage at the Upper Cut Club, London
  • Dec 26 Maulana Karenga establishes Kwanzaa (1st fruits of harvest) holiday
  • Dec 27 Ballon d'Or: Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton wins award for best European football player; claims award by a single point ahead of Benfica striker Eusébio
  • Dec 27 Flander and Swann's musical revue "At the Drop of Another Hat" opens at Booth Theater, NYC; runs for 105 performances
  • Dec 28 13 die in a train crash in Everett, Massachusetts

Australia Defeats India

Dec 28 55th Davis Cup, Melbourne: Australian Roy Emerson beats Ramanathan Krishnan of India 6-0, 6-2, 10-8 for an unassailable 3-1 lead; ends 4-1

  • Dec 28 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
  • Dec 29 Pirate Radio Phoenix, 1st transmission (Worcester, Massachusetts)
  • Dec 31 Pirate Radio 390 (Radio Invicata) off England, resumes transmitting
  • Dec 31 Test Cricket debut of Bishen Singh Bedi, India v WI Calcutta, 2-92

#1 in the Charts

Dec 31 The Monkees single "I'm a Believer", written by Neil Diamond, hits #1 and stays there for 7 weeks

  • Dec 31 Toboggan Chutes begin operation in Cleveland Metroparks
1966 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Dec 1 António Pacheco, Portuguese soccer winger who played 6 internationals; Benfica 162 games; and manager Atlético, Portimonense SC, born in Portimão, Portugal (d. 2024)
  • Dec 1 Katherine LaNasa, American actress, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Dec 1 Larry Walker, Canadian Baseball HOF right fielder (NL MVP 1997; NL batting champion 1998, 99, 2001; 5 x MLB All Star; 7 x Gold Glove; Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies), born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia
  • Dec 1 Matthew Laborteaux, American actor (Killing Stone, Deadly Friend), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Dec 1 Steve Walsh, American football quarterback (NCAA C'ship 1987 University of Miami; NO Saints + 5 other NFL teams), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Dec 2 Clive Eksteen, South African cricket spin bowler (7 Tests; ex-commercial manager Cricket SA), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Dec 2 Jinsei Shinzaki, Japanese pro wrestler (Michinoku Pro Wrestling; WWF, "Hakushi"), born in Tokushima, Japan
  • Dec 2 Kelly Buchberger, Canadian NHL right wing and coach (World C'ship gold 1994; Stanley Cup 1987, 90; Edmonton Oilers), born in Langenburg, Saskatchewan
  • Dec 3 Flemming Povlsen, Danish soccer forward and broadcaster (62 caps; Borussia Dortmund), born in Brabrand, Denmark
  • Dec 4 Fereydun "Fred" Armisen, American comedian (Saturday Night Live), actor, writer (Portlandia), and musician (8G Band), born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
  • Dec 4 Masta Ace [Duval Clear], American rapper ("Born To Roll"), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Dec 4 Suzanne Malveaux, American television news journalist, born in Lansing, Michigan
  • Dec 5 Joseph Barbara, American actor (Joe Carlino-Another World), born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida
  • Dec 5 Niege Dias, Brazilian tennis star, born in Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil
  • Dec 5 Patricia Kaas, French pop singer (Mademoiselle Chant), born in Forbach, Lorraine, France
  • Dec 6 Armin Kircher, Austrian organist, composer, and conductor, born in Kufstein, Austria (d. 2015)
  • Dec 6 Natascha Badmann, Swiss triathlete (6-time winner of the Ironman World Championships), born in Basel, Switzerland
  • Dec 7 C. Thomas Howell, American actor (Red Dawn, Tank, Soul Man), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Dec 7 Louise Post, American rock guitarist and singer (Veruca Salt - "Volcano Girls"), born in St. Louis, Missouri
  • Dec 7 Shinichi Ito, Japanese motorcycle racer (Japanese Superbike C'ship x 3; Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race x 3), born in Kakuda, Japan
  • Dec 8 Jeff Tremaine, American television and film director, born in Rockville, Maryland
  • Dec 8 Joe Staysniak, American NFL guard (Indianapolis Colts), born in Elyria, Ohio
  • Dec 8 Les Ferdinand, English footballer who scored 149 goals in the Premier League for various clubs, born in Acton, London
  • Dec 8 Matthew Laborteaux, American actor (Albert-Little House on Prairie), born in Los Angeles, California

Sinead O'Connor (1966-2023)

Dec 8 Irish singer-songwriter (Nothing Compares 2 U), born in Glenageary, Ireland

  • Dec 9 Dana Murzyn, NHL defenseman (Vancouver Canucks), born in Calgary, Alberta
  • Dec 9 Glenn Youngkin, American politician (Republican Governor of Virginia 2022-), born in Richmond, Viginia
  • Dec 9 Kirsten Gillibrand, American attorney and politician (Senator (D) NY 2009-), born in Albany, New York
  • Dec 9 Toby Huss, American actor (The Adventures of Pete & Pete), born in Marshalltown, Iowa
  • Dec 10 Mel Rojas, MLB pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Haina, Dominican Republic
  • Dec 10 Norberto Martin, baseball infielder (Chicago White Sox), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • Dec 11 Gary Dourdan, American actor (CSI), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Dec 11 Leon Lai, Chinese-born Hong Kong actor and singer, born in Beijing, China
  • Dec 11 Martin Blunt, British rock bassist (The Charlatans - "The Only One I Know"), born in West Midlands, England
  • Dec 11 Terry Sharpe, Irish rocker (The Adventures, Starjets-Starjets), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Dec 12 Jim Sandlak, NHL right wing (Vancouver Canucks), born in Kitchener, Ontario
  • Dec 12 Kouichi Nagano, Japanese voice actor, born in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
  • Dec 12 Royce Gracie, Brazilian martial artist, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Dec 13 Don Roff, American writer and filmmaker, born in Walla Walla, Washington
  • Dec 13 Gavin Andresen, American computer programmer and cryptocurrency entrepreneur who founded the Bitcoin Foundation, born in the United States [1]
  • Dec 13 Ross Burden, New Zealand celebrity chef, born in Napier, New Zealand (d. 2014)
  • Dec 14 Anthony Mason, American NBA forward, 1989-2003 (NY Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, and 4 other teams), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2015)
  • Dec 14 Bill Ranford, Canadian NHL goalie, 1985-2000 (Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and 2 other teams, Team Canada), and goaltending coach (Los Angeles Kings), born in Brandon, Manitoba
  • Dec 14 Carl Herrera, Trinidadian-born Venezuelan NBA forward, 1991-99 (San Antonio Spurs, and 2 other teams), born in Trinidad and Tobago
  • Dec 14 Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian racecar driver, born in Sassuolo, Italy
  • Dec 14 Lucrecia Martel, Argentine film director (La Ciénaga), born in Salta, Argentina
  • Dec 14 Tim Sköld, Swedish-American hard rock bass guitarist, accordion player, and producer (Shotgun Messiah; Skold; Marilyn Manson, 2002-08), born in Skövde, Sweden
  • Dec 15 Carl Hooper, West Indian cricket all-rounder (102 Tests, 13 x 100s, HS 233, 114 wickets; Demerara, Guyana, Kent CCC, Lancashire CCC), born in Georgetown, Guyana
  • Dec 15 Manos Papayiannis, Greek fashion model and actor, born in Servia, Greece
  • Dec 16 Clifford Robinson, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1994; 6th Man of Year Award 1993; Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2020)
  • Dec 16 Dennis Wise, English footballer
  • Dec 17 Christopher A. Wray, American lawyer, F.B.I. Director (2017-), born in New York City
  • Dec 17 Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician
  • Dec 17 Valeri Liukin, Soviet gymnast
  • Dec 18 (Miland) "Mille" Petrozza, German heavy metal guitarist and singer (Kreator), born in Essen, Germany
  • Dec 18 Gianluca Pagliuca, Italian actress (Ugly Dirty & Bad)
  • Dec 18 Makiko Esumi, Japanese actress
  • Dec 18 Patricia Neder, American team handball right wing (Olympics 1992 & 1996), born in Waukesha, Wisconsin
  • Dec 18 Steve Dullaghan, British bass guitarist (The Primitives - "Crash"), born in Leamington, England (d. 2009)
  • Dec 18 Terry Phelps, American tennis player, born in Larchmont, New York
  • Dec 18 Tracy Byrd, American country singer ("Holdin' Heaven"), born in Vidor, Texas
  • Dec 19 Alberto Tomba, Italian alpine skier (Olympic gold Slalom 1988, Giant slalom 1988, 1992; silver Slalom 1992, 94), born in San Lazzaro di Savena, Bologna, Italy
  • Dec 19 Rajesh Chauhan, Indian cricket spin bowler (21 Tests; 47 wickets; 35 ODIs; Madhya Pradesh), born in Ranchi, India
  • Dec 19 Robert MacNaughton, American actor (ET), born in New York City
  • Dec 20 Chris Robinson, American rock singer (Black Crowes - "Hard To Handle"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Dec 20 Ed de Goey, Dutch soccer goalie (Feyenoord), born in Gouda, South Holland
  • Dec 20 Matt Neal, British motor racing driver, born in Stourbridge, United Kingdom
  • Dec 20 Myrra Malmberg, Swedish pop singer, actress, and photographer, born in Farsta, Stockholm
  • Dec 20 Paul Ritter [Simon Paul Adams], British actor (Friday Night Dinner; Chernobyl; Quantum of Solace), born in Gravesend, Kent, England (d. 2021)
  • Dec 20 Tim Hauck, NFL safety and coach (Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks), born in Butte, Montana
  • Dec 21 Karri Turner, American actress, born in Fort Worth, Texas
  • Dec 21 Kiefer Sutherland, American actor (Lost Boys, 24), born in London, England
  • Dec 21 William Ruto, Kenyan politician (President of Kenya 2022-, Deputy President 2013-2022), born in Kamagut, Kenya
  • Dec 22 Dmitry Bilozerchev, Soviet/Russian gymnast, born in Moscow, Russia
  • Dec 22 Schmier [Marcel Schirmer], German heavy metal singer and bass player (Destruction), born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
  • Dec 23 Hans van Arum, Dutch soccer player (Vitesse, Willem II), born in Amersfoort, Netherlands
  • Dec 23 Stephen Layton, English conductor and music director (Trinity College Cambridge, 2006-23; City of London Sinfonia, 2010-16), born in Derby, England
  • Dec 24 Deidrich Bader, American actor (Drew Carey Show), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Dec 25 Javier Frana, Argentine tennis player (French Open mixed doubles 1996 [Patricia Tarabini]; Wimbledon doubles 1991 runner-up; 3 x ATP singles titles, 7 doubles), born in Rafaela, Argentina
  • Dec 25 Sandy Corn, model/Penthouse Pet (March, 1991)
  • Dec 26 Rickey Dixon, American College Football Hall of Fame cornerback (Jim Thorpe Award 1987; Oklahoma Sooners; Cincinnati Bengals, LA Raiders), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2020)
  • Dec 26 Tim Legler, NBA guard (Washington Wizards/Bullets), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Dec 27 Bill Goldberg, American football player and professional wrestler
  • Dec 27 Eva LaRue, American actress
  • Dec 27 Fabian Núñez, American politician
  • Dec 27 Wendy Coakley-Thompson, American writer
  • Dec 29 Jason Gould, American actor and singer, son of actor Elliott Gould and singer and actress Barbra Streisand, born in New York City
  • Dec 29 Martin Offiah MBE, English rugby league winger (33 Tests GB, 5 England; 3rd on all-time try scoring list), born in London, England
  • Dec 29 Stefano Eranio, Italian footballer, born in Genoa, Italy
  • Dec 31 Paula Barbieri, American model and actress (Dangerous), born in Panama City, Florida
Born in 1966

Famous Weddings

Strother Martin

Dec 18 American actor Strother Martin (47) weds Helen Meisels (56), until his death in 1980

Famous Deaths

  • Dec 2 Bertus Brouwers, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (founder of modern topology), dies at 85
  • Dec 5 Sylvère Maes, Belgian cyclist (Tour de France 1936, 39), dies of cancer at 57
  • Dec 6 Hermann Heiss, German composer, dies at 69
  • Dec 8 Ward Morehouse, American theater critic and newspaper columnist (b. 1899)
  • Dec 9 Yury Alexandrovich Shaporin, Russian-Ukrainian Soviet composer, dies at 79
  • Dec 10 Boris Koutzen, Russian violinist, composer and educator, dies at 65
  • Dec 13 Charles Watts, actor (Lone Ranger & Lost City of Gold), dies of cancer
  • Dec 14 Emma Dunn, British-American stage, silent and sound film actress (Dr. Monica; Dr. Kildare (films); Hideaway), dies at 91
  • Dec 14 Richard Whorf, American actor (Yankee Doodle Dandy; Keeper of Flame), and director (It Happened In Brooklyn), dies from a heart attack at 60
  • Dec 14 Verna Felton, American actress (Hilda-December Bride), dies at 76

Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Dec 15 American animator (Mickey Mouse), producer and co-founder of Walt Disney Co., dies of lung cancer at 65

  • Dec 17 Gustaf Paulson, Swedish organist and composer (The Resurrection Symphony), dies at 68
  • Dec 18 Gene Gauntier [Liggett], American silent film screenwriter and actress. dies at 81
  • Dec 19 Ehm Welk [Thomas Trimm], German writer, dies at 82
  • Dec 20 Lloyd Spooner, American sports shooter (4 x Olympic gold, 1 x silver, 2 x bronze 1920), dies at 82

Lucy Burns (1879-1966)

Dec 22 American suffragist (National Woman's Party) and women's rights advocate, dies at 87

  • Dec 22 Robert Keith [Rolland Keith Richey], American character actor (Guys and Dolls; The Wild One; Battle Circus; Branded), dies at 68
  • Dec 23 Heimito von Doderer, Austrian writer, dies at 70
  • Dec 24 Gaspar Cassadó, Spanish cellist and composer, dies at 69
  • Dec 26 Klaziena "Ina" Boudier-Bakker, Dutch playwright and author (Poverty), dies at 91
  • Dec 26 Noel Gallon, French composer, dies at 75
  • Dec 27 Ernest Burgess, American urban sociologist (ecological school), dies at 80
  • Dec 27 Frankie Genaro, American boxer (World flyweight champion 1928-31; Olympic gold flyweight 1920), dies at 65
  • Dec 27 Guillermo Stábile, Argentine footballer (b. 1906)
  • Dec 30 Christian Herter, American Republican politician, 59th Governor of Massachusetts (1953-57) and US Secretary of State (1959-61), dies at 71
  • Dec 31 Nipo T. Strongheart, Native American activist, lecturer and film consultant (Pony Soldier), dies at 75
  • Dec 31 Pieter Geyl, Dutch historian (History of the Dutch Race), dies at 79