December 17
Near Kitty Hawk, N.C., Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. Orville piloted the gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, which stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet on its inaugural flight. – 1903.
December 18
The British ship Mayflower docks at modern-day Plymouth, Mass., and its passengers prepare to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony. – 1620.
Japanese troops land in British crown colony Hong Kong, China. The Japanese troops are given the order “Take no prisoners” and a slaughter ensues. -1941.
December 19
An explosion in the Darr Mine in Westmoreland County, Pa., kills 239 coal-miners. Seventy-one of the dead share a common grave in Olive Branch Cemetery. December 1907 was the worst month in U.S. coal-mining history, with more than 3,000 deaths. – 1907.
After nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against president Bill Clinton and charges him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton, the second president in American history to be impeached, vows to finish his term. – 1998.
December 20
More than two years after the Berlin Wall was constructed by East Germany to prevent its citizens from fleeing its communist regime, nearly 4,000 West Berliners are allowed to cross into East Berlin to visit relatives. Under an agreement reached between East Berlin and West Berlin, more than 170,000 passes eventually were issued to West Berlin citizens. – 1963.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) takes effect today. – 1970.
December 21
Powered by children seven years-old to 12 years-old who worked dawn to dusk, Samuel Slater’s thread-spinning factory goes into production in Pawtucket, R.I., which launches the Industrial Revolution in the United States. By 1830, 55% of the mill workers in the State were youngsters, many working for less than $1 per week. – 1790.
An undersea earthquake sets off a powerful tsunami that devastates Honshu, Japan. About 2,000 persons perished and one-half million were left homeless. It was particularly devastating to a community that was already reeling from the horrors of World War II. – 1946.
Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, and kills all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player was detonated in the cargo area when the plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet. The disaster, which became the subject of Britain’s largest criminal investigation, was believed to be an attack against the United States because 189 of the victims were Americans. – 1988.
December 22
The Romanian army defects to the cause of anti-communist demonstrators, and the government of Nicolae Ceausescu is overthrown. The end of 42 years of communist rule in Romania came three days after Ceausescu’s security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Timisoara. After the army’s defection, Ceausescu and his wife fled, but were captured, convicted of mass murder, and executed by a firing squad. – 1989.
New York City transit strike ends after 60 hours with a 37-month settlement. Transport Workers Union Local 100 president Roger Toussaint is sentenced to 10 days in jail for the illegal walkout and the union is fined $2.5 Million. – 2005.
December 23
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear. During his lifetime, he was a poster boy for tortured, starving, artists, and sold only one painting. – 1888.
In Tokyo, Japan, Hideki Tojo, former Japanese premier and chief of the Kwantung Army, is executed along with six other top Japanese leaders for their war crimes during World War II. Seven of the defendants were found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, especially in regard to their systematic genocide of the Chinese people. – 1948.
Walmart Stores, Inc., the Nation’s largest employer, with 1.4 Million so-called associates, agrees to settle 63 wage and hour suits across the U.S., for a grand total of between $352 Million and $640 Million. It was accused of failure to pay overtime, requiring off-the-clock work, and failure to provide required meal and rest breaks. – 2008.