Iowa is admitted into the United States Union becoming the 29th State.
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What Happened in December?
Victories, births, and treaties. Explore the significant historical events and milestones that occurred in December. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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An accidental fire in the Library on Christmas Eve destroys approximately 35,000 volumes, including nearly two-thirds of Jefferson's library. More
President Abraham Lincoln announces a grant of amnesty for Emilie Todd Helm, his wife Mary Lincoln’s half sister, widow of a Confederate general.
The pardon was one of the first given under Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, announced the week before as part of the president’s plan for the reintegration of the South into the Union. Amnesty was available to be granted to former Confederates, except the highest officials of the Confederacy if they took an oath to the United States. Lincoln's sister-in-law received the pardon, but never took the required oath.
The 13th amendment, abolishing Slavery becomes part of the U.S. Constitution as the State of Georgia became the 27th State to ratify it. More
The KKK is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, More
The Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange, was founded on December 4, 1867, in Washington, D.C. It was the first successful national farm organization. It was established by Oliver Kelley, Caroline Hall and five others to advance the social, economic, and educational needs of farmers and their families.
The organization experienced a significant surge in membership after the financial crisis of 1873. The Grange became a powerful force in politics, supporting reform movements like the Populist Party and playing a role in achieving initiatives such as the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 and Rural Free Delivery. More
The Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the Grange is founded by Oliver Hudson Kelley. The Grange went on to become and influential political force in the western U. S. States. More
The Mary Celeste, an American ship that mysteriously disappeared, is discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands on December 4, 1872. Neither the Captain, his family, or the crew of the vessel were ever found, and the reason for the abandonment of the Mary Celeste remains a mystery. More
A fire at the Brooklyn Theater began when a piece of scenery caught fire and fell on the stage. In about 10 minutes, the fire was out of control and the audience panicked. People clogged stairwells and trampled fellow patrons attempting to flee the spreading flames. It is estimated that at least 285 perished. More
Thomas Edison successfully demonstrates the phonograph for the first time. Although some believe it happened in mid August, most historians believe December 6 to be the correct date.
Edison filed for a patent for the phonograph on December 24, 1877 and the patent was issued on February 19, 1878. The original phonograph was invented and patented by Edouard-Leon Scott in 1857. He called his device the phonautograph . His invention made a recording of sound waves on a glass plate, but it was not able to play back the sounds. More
Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time by illuminating some 100 bulbs in and around his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Thomas Edison had achieved a successful test of his carbonized cotton filament light bulb on October 21, 1879, which lasted for over 13 hours. He patented the first commercially viable version on November 4, 1879, and publicly demonstrated his invention on December 31, 1879.
The First Anglo-Boer War begins as Boer forces invade British territories (Transvaal) on December 16, 1880. The war was a result of the Boers' desire to regain their independence after Britain had annexed the South African Republic (Transvaal) in 1877. The conflict is also known as the Transvaal Rebellion. More
The popular Ring Theater catches fire. The official casualty estimate was that 384 people perished in the fire, although other estimates were that up to one thousand could have been killed. More
The construction of the Washington Monument is completed with the placement of an 8.9 inch tall, 100-ounce pyramid of solid aluminum atop the capstone. Inscribed on the capstone is the Latin phrase “Laus Deo”, meaning “Praise be to God.”
The cornerstone had been laid 36 years earlier on July 4, 1848; the first stone was laid atop the unfinished stump on August 7, 1880; and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. it opened on October 9, 1888. When completed, the Washington Monument surpassed the Cologne Cathedral (515') to be the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5.125 inches. More
Jackson Lanier, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee takes place. Nearly three hundred Lakota people are massacred by soldiers of the United States Army. More
The First Basketball Game is played in Springfield, MA at the YMCA International Training School; which today is Springfield College. The game was created by Dr. James Naismith in response to a request to come up with a new game students could play indoors during the winter that would help keep track and field runners in shape and would be relatively safe to play and would have a small amount of physical contact so that the players would not get injured in this game. More
French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is convicted of treason in a highly controversial trial, sparking the Dreyfus Affair.
The world’s first commercial movie screening takes place at the Grand Cafe in Paris showing a series of short scenes from everyday French life and charged admission for the first time. The film was made by Louis and Auguste Lumiere, two French brothers who developed a camera-projector called the Cinematographe. They had unveiled their invention to the public in March 1895 with a brief film showing workers leaving the Lumiere factory. More
Philippine nationalist José Rizal is publicly executed by the Spanish Colonial government enraging and uniting Filipinos against Spain. Rizal came from a prosperous family, was educated in Manila and at the University of Madrid. A brilliant medical student, he became an ophthalmologist by profession, a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain, although he never advocated Philippine independence. The night before his execution he wrote “Último adiós” (“Last Farewell”), a masterpiece of 19th-century Spanish verse. More
The Treaty of Paris is signed by representatives of Spain and the United States, concluding the Spanish-American War.