What Happened on December 15 in World History?
Early Centuries – December 15 Historic Events – Before 1700
1. December 15, 0533 – Army chief of Byzantine, Belisarius conquers the Vandals under King Gelimer at the War of Ticameron
2. December 15, 0687 – St Sergius I become the Catholic Pope replacing Conon
3. December 15, 1124 – appointment of Pope by Chancellor Haimeric (Lamberto becomes Honorius II)
4. December 15, 1167 – Sicilian chancellor Stephen de Perche orders shifting of the royal court to Messina to avoid a revolt
5. December 15, 1256 – seizure and destruction of Hashshashin control at Alamut, in present-day Iran, by Hulagu Khan, and part of the Mongol aggression on Islamic southwest Asia
6. December 15, 1467 – Defeat of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary at the hands of Stephen III of Moldavia; the former being wounded thrice at the Battle of Baia
7. December 15, 1488 – voyager, Bartolomeu Dias arrives in Portugal, after being recognized as the 1st European to go around the Cape of Good Hope
8. December 15, 1569 – Westmoreland exiles to Scotland
9. December 15, 1582 – appointment of Rembert Dodoens by Leidse University, as professor of botany and medicine
10. December 15, 1582 – the adoption of the Gregorian calendar by the Spanish Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway
11. December 15, 1586 – Laevinus Torrentius assumes charge as bishop of Antwerp
12. December 15, 1593 – copyright granted by the State of Holland for a windmill with a crankshaft
13. December 15, 1612 – German Astronomer Simon Marius discovers, through a telescope, the Andromeda galaxy for the first time
14. December 15, 1640 – installation of Duke of Braganca as King Johan IV of Portugal
15. December 15, 1664 – Connecticut becomes a colony of English
16. December 15, 1667 – Brandenburg assumes a nonaligned view in the Devolutie War
17. December 15, 1680 – rebellion in Terschelling against tax on cereal
18. December 15, 1688 – Lord Delamere supports King James II
18th Century – What Happened on December 15 – The 1700s
19. December 15, 1745 – Prussia defeats Saksen and Austria at the Batte of Kesseldorf
20. December 15, 1791 – founding of the 1st US law school at the University of Pennsylvania
21. December 15, 1791 – amendments 1-10 of the US Constitution; US Bill of Rights approved by Virginia
22. December 15, 1792 – issue of 1st life insurance policy in the US (Philadelphia)
23. December 15, 1794 – The Revolutionary Tribunal ended in France
19th Century – December 15 This Day That Year – The 1800s
24. December 15, 1810 – publication of the 1st Irish fortnightly, “Shamrock” in the US
25. December 15, 1815 – assignment for Giacchino Rossini for II Barbiere di Siviglia
26. December 15, 1820 – first print of General Pharmacopoeia in US, Boston
27. December 15, 1836 – inferno destroys Patent Office in Washington, DC
28. December 15, 1840 – French accords state funeral in Paris to Napoleon Bonaparte nearly 19 years of his demise
29. December 15, 1854 – use of the street-cleaning machine for the first time in the US in Philadelphia
30. December 15, 1859 – The chemical composition of the Sun explained by GR Kirchoff
31. December 15, 1863 – Battle at Bean’s Station, Tennessee (Knoxville Campaign)
32. December 15, 1863 – Mountain Railway in Romania, from Anina to Oravita inaugurated
33. December 15, 1864 – war of Nashville, Tennessee
34. December 15, 1864 – Attack on Stoneman
35. December 15, 1868 – establishment of Ezo Republic in Hokkaido by the protestors of Shogunate
36. December 15, 1874 – President Grant welcomes the 1st governing King of Hawaii, to the US
37. December 15, 1893 – debut show of “From the New World” by Dvorak at Carnegie Hall NYC
38. December 15, 1894 – Australia scores 586 runs on the 2nd day of the first test cricket match Vs England (Gregory 201); England 130 for 3
39. December 15, 1899 – war at Colenso, South Africa (Boers-British army)
20th Century – Important Events On This Day December 15 – The 1900s
40. December 15, 1902 – increase of taxes on agriculture in Germany
41. December 15, 1905 – The cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin has been well kept up in the Pushkin House founded in St. Petersburg
42. December 15, 1907 – Liberal Prime Minister Nasir ul-Mulk was detained by the Shah during a military rebellion in Persia. However, he was released and reinstated because of a well-liked revolt immediately
43. December 15, 1909 – appointment of Thomas J Lynch as president of baseball’s National League
44. December 15, 1913 – The Buenos Aires Copyright agreement has been authorized by Nicaragua among others
45. December 15, 1914 – Russian Forces withdraw and move toward Moscow ending the War of Lodz
46. December 15, 1914 – The British forgo its option to defeat the German forces in the North Sea
47. December 15, 1914 – Belgrade in Austria-Hungary recaptured by the Serbian Army
48. December 15, 1916 – The German forces were attacked aggressively by the French after a six-day armaments bombing during the Battle of Verdun
49. December 15, 1917 – Russia grants freedom to Moldavian Republic
50. December 15, 1917 – the new Russian Bolshevik administration and the Central Powers agree on a ceasefire during WWI
51. December 15, 1918 – The first assembly of the American Jewish Congress
52. December 15, 1919 – debut show of “Aria da Capo” by Edna St Vincent Millay in NYC
53. December 15, 1919 – pronouncement of its’ freedom by Fiume (Rijeka)
54. December 15, 1922 – founding of IV (association) peace congress on war forms in Hague
55. December 15, 1925 – play of hockey for the first time at Madison Square Garden; Montreal Canadiens 3, NY Americans 1
56. December 15, 1925 – the inauguration of the 1st road, lower than the normal surface, thrown open to commuters in Texas
57. December 15, 1926 – Fascist national representation hoisted in Italy
58. December 15, 1927 – abduction and later murder of the 12-year-old Marion Parker by William Edward Hickman in Los Angeles
59. December 15, 1929 – The flight over Mt. Kilimanjaro by the Swiss pilot Water Mittrllholzer was the first flight over the mountains
60. December 15, 1929 – Green Bay Packers were victorious (12-0-1) at the National Football League
61. December 15, 1930 – Don Bradman achieves the 1st test cricket wicket (Ivan Barrow, WI, lbw)
62. December 15, 1933 – Two teams playing successively on Sunday on the same pitch was prohibited until after June 15 by the Baseball owners
63. December 15, 1934 – The flight of the Fokker F 18 Snip to the Dutch West Indies
64. December 15, 1935 – Detroit Lions defeat the New York Giants, 26-7, at the National Football League Championship, University of Detroit Stadium to achieve their first championship
65. December 15, 1935 – Max Euwe defeats Alexander Alekhine to achieve the world chess championship
66. December 15, 1936 – the nomenclature of KVL-AM in Seattle Washington modified to KEEN (now KING)
67. December 15, 1938 – inauguration for the construction of Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC
68. December 15, 1939 – the first show of the play movie “Gone With the Wind” guided by Victor Flemming and featuring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in Atlanta (Best Picture 1940 and the highest-grossing film of all time)
69. December 15, 1939 – manufacture of nylon on a commercial scale in Seaford, Delaware for the first time
70. December 15, 1939 – first flight of Snip to Paramaribo and Curacao
71. December 15, 1941 – controlled use of Gas/electrical power in Holland
72. December 15, 1941 – submerging of underwater German ship U-127
73. December 15, 1941 – about 100 Czech inhabitants were shifted by Nazis; Heinrich Himmler becomes unconscious and falls to the ground
74. December 15, 1941 – USS Swordfish, a US submarine was the first to submerge a Japanese ship
75. December 15, 1941 – implementation of a no-strike decision in war industries by the American Federation of Labor
76. December 15, 1942 – 1st issue of YS vehicular license plate flaps in Massachusetts
77. December 15, 1944 – Major Glenn Miller, Bandleader, reported missing in the English Channel
78. December 15, 1944 – founding of Hizbu’allah (Arm forces for Allah)
79. December 15, 1944 – presentation of 5th star by US Congress to General Eisenhower
80. December 15, 1944 – US defense arrives in Mindoro
81. December 15, 1945 – appointment of John J “Cardinal” O’Connor as priest
82. December 15, 1946 – Chicago Bears defeat New York Giants, 24-24, and a maximum number of fans about 58,346 watch the NFL championship play at Polo Grounds
83. December 15, 1946 – suspension of Giants Filchock & Hapes by NFL for not reporting the enticement effort
84. December 15, 1948 – an ex-officer of the State Department, Alger Hiss accused of falsehood
85. December 15, 1949 – the first show of the play, “The Just Assassins” (Les Justes) by Albert Camus in Paris
86. December 15, 1950 – inauguration of Port Authority for NYC
87. December 15, 1952 – premiere of “Two’s Company” at Alvin Theater NYC for 90 presentations
88. December 15, 1952 – The first known surgical procedure in America for sex change on Christine Jorgenson
89. December 15, 1952 – Commencement of TV transmission channel 2 in Honolulu, HI on NBC
90. December 15, 1952 – publication of the circular memo by Pope Pius XII on Orientales Ecclesias
91. December 15, 1953 – commencement of TV transmission channel 7 in Panama City, FL on NBC/ABC
92. December 15, 1954 – The football team at Fordham University was abandoned for financial crisis
93. December 15, 1954 – Netherlands Antilles becomes equal to the Kingdom of Netherlands (co-equal to the Netherlands)
94. December 15, 1955 – The musical, “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash announced (Billboard Song of the Year 1968)
95. December 15, 1956 – Emergency declared in North Ireland after IRA protests
96. December 15, 1956 – commencement of TV transmission Channel 8 in Portland, OR on NBC
97. December 15, 1956 – commencement of TV transmission channel 5 in Raleigh-Durham, NC on CBS
98. December 15, 1959 – documentation of “Let It Be Me” by Everly Brothers
99. December 15, 1959 – award of title as Best Football Player in Europe for the second time to Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stefano ahead of his teammate Raymond Kopa and Juventus’ Welsh utility John Charles – Ballon d’Or
100. December 15, 1961 – political groups allotted TV broadcasting time under the Equal access rule
101. December 15, 1961 – JFK arrives in Puerto Rico
102. December 15, 1961 – appointment of L J Suenens as archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels
103. December 15, 1962 – The collection of music, “1st Family” by Vaughn Meader attains the #1 position and retains #1 for 12 weeks
104. December 15, 1964 – four people sent to space for the first time
105. December 15, 1964 – red “Maple Leaf Flag” approved by the House of Commons in Canada, 163-78
106. December 15, 1965 – 15000 people killed due to 3rd typhoon at the mouth of the Ganges River in Bangladesh
107. December 15, 1965 – the musical “Charlie Girl” by D Heneker & J Taylor debuts in London
108. December 15, 1965 – spacecraft Gemini 6 sent to space; meets in space with Gemini 7
109. December 15, 1965 – the inauguration of the Zeeland Bridge by Queen Juliana to Oosterschelde
110. December 15, 1965 – appointment of William Eckert as the 4th Commissioner of Baseball to succeed Ford Frick
111. December 15, 1966 – premiere of “Joyful Noise” at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC to give 12 shows
112. December 15, 1966 – the discovery of the 10th satellite of Saturn, Janus by Audouin Dollfus
113. December 15, 1966 – The first possessor of New Orlean Saints was John W Mecom Jr
114. December 15, 1967 – The musical “Christmas Time is Here Again” announced by the Beatles
115. December 15, 1967 – Joe Garagiola accepts assignment on ‘Today’ show panel
116. December 15, 1967 – breakdown of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River in the US killing 46 people
117. December 15, 1969 – The only musical performance by the Plastic Ono Band at Lyceum Ballroom in London
118. December 15, 1969 – the leather helmets were changed with plastic helmets by the San Francisco Fire Department
119. December 15, 1970 – 308 people were killed when a South Korean commercial boat, Namyong-Ho sank in the Strait of Korea
120. December 15, 1970 – Spacecraft Soviet Venera 7 landed on another planet (Venus) and was the 1st spacecraft to land on another planet
121. December 15, 1970 – The Illinois State Constitution approved at a special meeting
122. December 15, 1970 – at the opening season-ending, ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis ratings in Tokyo, Japan, Stan Smith, and Rod Laver achieve 4-1 ratings; Smith defeats Laver 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
123. December 15, 1971 – Atomic test by USSR at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
124. December 15, 1973 – homosexuality is not a mental disease as declared by the American Psychiatric Association
125. December 15, 1973 – the inauguration of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland
126. December 15, 1973 – Sandy Hawley wins 500 races in a year and becomes the 1st jockey to achieve this distinction
127. December 15, 1973 – Tennessee defeats Temple, 11-6 at the NCAA basketball play
128. December 15, 1973 – John Paul Getty III was taken hostage by Americans and released after the payment was made by his grandfather, John Paul Getty, oil magnate
129. December 15, 1974 – free agentship granted to A’s Catfish Hunter (later enters into a contract with Yankees)
130. December 15, 1974 – Guillermo Vilas of Argentina defeats the reigning title-holder Iie Nastase 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 to achieve his first and only one ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis final in Melbourne, Australia
131. December 15, 1976 – Was 7.6 m million gallons of fuel oil spillage known as the largest oil spill at sea, occurred when an Oil tanker Argo Merchant grounded on the Nantucket Scolas
132. December 15, 1976 – Prime Minister Manley of Jamaica was voted to power
133. December 15, 1976 – UN admits Samoa as its member
134. December 15, 1978 – founding of Saint Maarten Patriotic Movement (SPM) under the guidance of W James
135. December 15, 1978 – Malcolm Marshall plays his first Test Cricket match against India at Bangalore
136. December 15, 1979 – The Shah of Iran exiles to Panama in the US after losing power
137. December 15, 1979 – World Court in Hague instructs Iran that it must release all US prisoners
138. December 15, 1979 – creation of the board play Trivial Pursuit by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott
139. December 15, 1980 – Dave Winfield of the NY Yankees enters into a 10-year contract for $15M and becomes the highest-paid player
140. December 15, 1980 – The Army of Premier Queddei captured Chad’s capital N’djamena
141. December 15, 1980 – The ZBZ Sangha was registered in Warsaw after many admirative troubles
142. December 15, 1981 – Intelsat V, 500, spacecraft sent into space by NASA
143. December 15, 1982 – appointment of Bill Parcells as the 12th head coach of the NY Giants
144. December 15, 1982 – punishment for Roy Williams, Teamsters president along with four others for corruption
145. December 15, 1982 – the constitution of Sao Tome and Principe approved
146. December 15, 1982 – the reopening of the border between Spain and Gibraltar
147. December 15, 1983 – Columbia shifted to Kennedy Space Center via El Paso, Kelly AFB
148. December 15, 1983 – The last 80 US soldiers in Grenada return to the US
149. December 15, 1983 – debut performance of “Isn’t It Romantic” by Wendy Wasserstein in NYC
150. December 15, 1984 – Spacecraft Vega 1 sent to space by the USSR to Halle’s Comet
151. December 15, 1986 – ethnic demonstration erupts in Karachi killing 150 people
152. December 15, 1986 –uncontrolled electrical disturbance in brain strikes William J. Casey, CIA director
153. December 15, 1986 – $50 million was sent for a facelift for Carnegie Hall and inaugurated
154. December 15, 1987 – “Les Misérables” commenced at Shubert Theatre, Boston as a part of the National US Tour
155. December 15, 1988 – Mike Tyson faces sexual misconduct case for clutching the buttocks of Lori Davis of Long Island
156. December 15, 1991 – last show of “Nick & Nora” after 9 shows at Marquis Theater NYC
157. December 15, 1992 – Arthur Ashe achieved the distinction of Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
158. December 15, 1992 – Radio station WNew AM is substituted by WBBR
159. December 15, 1993 – In an accident involving C-230 military aircraft in the hilly regions of the Philippines, 16 lost their life
160. December 15, 1993 – stepping down of Robert Malval, Prime Minister of Haitian
161. December 15, 1993 – The last presence of John Williams as a performer of Boston Pops
162. December 15, 1993 – Lee Aspen steps down as secretary of defense
163. December 15, 1993 – In an accident involving a Y-12 aircraft at Phonesavanh, Laos, 18 people were killed
164. December 15, 1993 – Downing Street Declaration regarding Northern Ireland’s self-determination was authorized by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Prime Minister Reynolds
165. December 15, 1994 – premiere of “A Tuna Christmas” at Booth Theater NYC to give 20 presentations
166. December 15, 1994 – nomination of John Bruton as Prime Minister of Ireland
167. December 15, 1994 – Liberia’s armed force murder 48 residents of Monrovia
168. December 15, 1994 – UN admits Palau as a Member of the UN
169. December 15, 1995 – The Playboy which had been prohibited in Ireland for 36 years is again back on sale
170. December 15, 1995 – The Court of Justice for the European Communities delivers its “Bosman ruling” permitting EU football players the authority for a free transfer after the expiry of their license with an understanding they are shifted from one UEFA alliance to another
171. December 15, 1997 – Retirement of Joe Montana’s # 16 jersey by SF 49ers
172. December 15, 1997 – the first show of the film, “Spice World” guided by Bob Spiers and featuring a group of Girls, Spice Girls, in the UK
21st Century – December 15 This Day In History – The 2000s
173. December 15, 2001 – $27,000,000 was spent to reinforce the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which was reopened after 11 years without fixing its famous lean
174. December 15, 2002 – Carson Palmer, USC (QB) was awarded the 68th Heisman Trophy Award
175. December 15, 2004 – premiere of the movie, “Million Dollar Baby” guided by Clint Eastwood and featuring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman (Best Picture 2005)
176. December 15, 2005 – The constitution of Latvia was revised to abolish the marriage of same-sex couples
177. December 15, 2005 – President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner declares that its external debt to the IMF would be paid shortly
178. December 15, 2005 – induction of fighter Aircraft, F-22 Raptor into USAF
179. December 15, 2005 -introduction of the 2005 power cut
180. December 15, 2006 – inaugural flying of the F-35 Lightning II
181. December 15, 2006 – President George W Bus awards BB King the Presidential Medal of Freedom
182. December 15, 2008 – Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (QB) awarded the 74th Heisman Trophy Award
183. December 15, 2009 – first flight of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner from Seattle, Washington
184. December 15, 2011 – conviction of Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice from a grand jury presence in 2003 – 30 days house arrest, with a probation of 2 years and a community service for 250 hours
185. December 15, 2011 – award of TV rights through 2023-24 to 24 NCAA competitions for various sports for a contract worth $500m
186. December 15, 2011 – Jacques Chirac, ex-president of France was found guilty of misusing public funds and was awarded a two-year suspended prison
187. December 15, 2012 – 18 persons asking for Asylum were drowned in the Aegean Sea traveling from Turkey to Greece
188. December 15, 2013 – Michelle Bachelet nominated as President of Chile for the second term
189. December 15, 2013 – A spacecraft launched by China soft-landed on the moon
190. December 15, 2015 – closure of 1,000 schools in Los Angeles as a precautionary measure after receiving a dangerous e-mail from an Islamist
191. December 15, 2015 – 2015 – Emergency declared by the Mayor of Flint, Michigan over polluted water distribution and protests for a criminal inquiry
192. December 15, 2015 – deliberation by Fifth Republican presidential in Las Vegas, Nevada
193. December 15, 2016 – To facilitate being expatriate from the last rebel-occupied area, fighting was temporarily stopped in Aleppo
194. December 15, 2016 – Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, was convicted for killing during Charleston Church Massacre
195. December 15, 2017 – appointment of Anita Hill to head the Hollywood Commission on sexual misconduct campaigned by Kathleen Kennedy
196. December 15, 2017 – detention of Pakistani teenager Ahed Tamimi for hitting Israel officials during a protest march and filmed
197. December 15, 2018 – agreement to apply the UN Paris Climate Agreement in Katowice, Poland by the delegates from 200 countries
198. December 15, 2018 – Discovery of the 4400-year-old grave of the Fifty Dynasty minister in the Saqqara pyramid complex in the neighborhood of Cairo by Archaeologists from Egypt
199. December 15, 2018 – creation of an Independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, breaking from Russian Orthodox, reported by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
200. December 15, 2018 – The federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, decided that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was not constitutional
See Also: