On This Day

On Jan. 2, 1929, Canada and the United States agreed to divert the Niagara River to protect the world famous falls.

On Jan. 1, 1959, Cuban President Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba as Fidel Castro’s guerrilla forces seized control of the country.

On Dec. 31, 1972, Roberto Clemente, all-star outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was killed en route to deliver assistance to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His humanitarian legacy survives to this day.

On Dec. 30, 1922, Russia and three other republics formed the constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

On Dec. 29, 1890, U.S. soldiers killed 200-300 unarmed Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, S.D., in what is considered the final significant battle of the Indian Wars.

On Dec. 28, 1908, the most destructive earthquake in European history struck northern Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy, destroying the city of Messina and killing more than 100,000 people in Italy.

On Dec. 27, 1900, prohibitionist Carrie Nation smashed $400 of property in the Carey Hotel bar in Witchita, Kan.; she dubbed her militant campaign against drinking “hatchetation.”

On Dec. 26, 1941, less than three weeks after the United States entered World War II, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of Congress. 

On Dec. 25, 1914, five months into World War I, British and German troops on the Western Front stopped fighting in a spontaneous ceasefire; soldiers from opposing nations put their weapons aside to enjoy carols and a game of soccer together.

Many significant events have taken place on Dec. 25, including the rise of famous leaders, the fall of others, and the end of war for a single day.

On Dec. 24, 1992, President George H.W. Bush granted contentious pardons for six former members of his administration facing prosecution in the Iran-Contra investigation.

On Dec. 20, 1989, the U.S. launched an invasion of Panama to remove Gen. Manuel Noriega from power.

On Dec. 19, 1918, Robert Ripley’s cartoon panel of odd sports accomplishments was published in the New York Globe, the first of his famous “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” series.

On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright took turns at the helm of their revolutionary aircraft in the first of four sustained manned flights, an event that launched the aviation era.

On Dec. 11, 1936, King Edward VIII gave up the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American. Years later, the FBI investigated the couple’s links to Germany’s Nazi regime.

On Dec. 8, 1991, the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the death of the Soviet Union and formed a Commonwealth of Independent States.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched an aerial attack on a U.S. Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing over 2,000 Americans. The following day, the U.S. declared war on Japan, beginning its involvement in World War II.

On Dec. 6, 1969, concertgoer Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by a Hells Angel biker as he approached the stage with a gun. Three others at the Altamont Free Concert were killed in accidents.

On Dec. 5, 1848, President James K. Polk confirmed in his State of the Union address that large quantities of gold had been discovered in California.

On Dec. 4, 1875, William “Boss” Tweed, the disgraced leader of New York’s Tammany Hall, escaped from authorities while on a sojourn from prison. He was recaptured in Spain and returned to prison.

On Dec. 4, 1991, journalist Terry Anderson gained his freedom after being held captive for more than six years by Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon.

On Dec. 3, 1984, a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, leaked tons of toxic gas into the air, killing thousands of residents in one of the worst-ever industrial disasters.

On Dec. 2, 2001, Enron filed for Chapter 11 protection, prompting a government investigation whose findings would have far-reaching implications for all of corporate America.

On Nov. 30, 1886, the revue “Place au Jeunes,” a mix of comedy and scantily clad dancing girls, opened to a rapturous reception at the Folies-Bergère.

On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations approved a proposal to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. The partition allowed for the creation of the nation of Israel six months later.

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, a speech that redefined the meaning of the Civil War.

On Nov. 17, 1558, Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England, succeeding her half-sister Mary.

On Nov. 16, 1988, Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party was the winner of Pakistan’s national elections, clearing the way for Bhutto to become the first female leader of a Muslim-majority nation.

On Nov. 13, 1956, the Supreme Court affirmed a ruling that found the segregated bus laws in Montgomery, Ala., to be unconstitutional.

On Nov. 13, 1985, a massive mudslide devastated entire towns and killed thousands in Colombia following the volcanic eruption of Nevado del Ruiz.