December 31

On this day - 31st December 1904 - The first New Year's eve celebration is held in Times Square

About one million people are expected for the celebration in Times Square, New York, a tradition which have lasted for over one hundred years. The first celebration, that time with fireworks, was held at the area in 1904. The annual ball drop on Times Square, which the event is known for today, replaced fireworks in 1907. The ball is dropped on New Years Eve at 11.59, and the drop lasts for 60 seconds, thus ending just as the new year begins. The event was first organized by the paper, the New York Times, owner. The ball drop has been held annually ever since, with the exception of 1942 and 1943 due to the wartime blackout. The design has changed thought the years. The original design of the ball was of wood and iron, and light-bulbs were used to make it light up. Today the ball's light is created with LED lights and crystal panels.

Happy New Year to all our readers. We look forward to 2016 and hope you do the same!

Each year the ball have a different design. You can see some of the designes here

December 30th

On this day - 30 December 1977 - Ted Bundy escaped prison 

Theodore Robert Cowell better known as Ted Bundy was a American serial killer. The true count of his victims is not known but shortly before his execution he confessed to 30 homicides. Bundy played to his strengths and used his charm and handsome looks to win the trust of his female victims. Approaching his victims in public places, feigning injury or disability, or impersonating an authority figure, before leading his victims to a more secluded place and overpowering and assaulting them. Bundy was initially incarcerated in Utah in 1975 for kidnapping and assault but escaped. Facing murder charges in Colorado he engineered not one but two escapes with further murders and violence. On this day was his second escape he placed books in his bed to simulate a body. He proceeded to climb out of the crawlspace and broke trough to the ceiling into the apartment of the chief jailer who was out with his wife. He then changed to street clothes and walked out the front door. Bundy was not caught again until February 12th in Florida. When Bundy was arrested his arresting officer was unaware he had captured a FBI ten most wanted criminal and he herd him say
"I wished you had killed me"

Bundy at his trail 

December 29th

On this day - 29th December 1959 - The birth of  nanotechnology 

Richard Feynman held a lecture titled "There's plenty of  room at the bottom" in the American Physical Society in December 1959. This is considered to be the birth of  the field "Nanotechnology". Feynmans lecture did not create any huge attention at the time, and it wasn't until the 1980s that nanotechnology again was rediscovered and the 1990s before it became a research field. Feynman and his lecture is none the less considered the inspiration for nanotechnology. Feynman received the Noble price in Physics in 1964, although not for his ideas related to nanotechnology. Feynman died in 1988 at the age of 69 years old.

Feynman was also an author and he became known for his easier-to-read books on physics, but also for his more entertaining semi-biographies. 

 

December 28th

On this day - 28th December 1895 - The debut of Cinema

On this day was the first public screening of the films by the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis Jean Lumière. This was not the first screening of a film (which had been done earlier the same year), but the first public screening where admission was charged. It was not coincidental that the Lumière brothers started making films. Their father had run a photographic firm where the brothers worked as physicist and manager. After their father retired in 1892, the brothers started making the shift towards moving pictures. The original cinématographe was patented by Léon Bouly in 1892, but the brothers patented their own version in 1895. Their first footage was recorded on March 19, 1895, and it was of workers leaving the Lumière factory. This is often referer to as the first real motion picture ever made. It was on this day, 28th of December, in 1895 at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris that the brothers held their first public showing of their movies. In all, they showed ten short films including the first film "Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon" (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory). Each film was 17 meters long, that translates to approximately 50 seconds of film when hand cranked.  The brothers took their cinématographe in 1896 to Brussels, Bombay, London, Montreal, New York and Buenos Aires.

The worlds first film poster 

December 27th

On this day - 27th of December 1978 - Spain's fascist dictatorship came to its end

Spain's new constitution was signed by King Juan Carlos I on the 27th of December in 1978 and marked the completion of Spain's return to democracy. the countrys return to democracy started with the dictator Francisco Francos death in November 1975. He had come to power in the country after the Spanish Civil War in 1939 and ruled as a dictator until his death. It was Franco who had designed King Juan Carlos I as his successor, but he advocated a constitutional monarchy soon after Francos death. The first election was held in June 1977 and in December 1978 was the constitution approved in a referendum. With King Juan Carlos signing was the constitution official implemented and Spain became a democracy.

Franco in the 1960s. From the Duch National Archies

December 26th

On this day - 26th December 1996 - Six year old JonBenét Ramsey found murdered

Ramsey was a six year old American child pageant who was murdered on the 25th of December 1996. She was found in her parents basement on the 26th of December, 8 hours after she was reported missing. Her mum had reported her missing after finding a ransom letter in their staircase which asked for $118.000 in exchange for her return. This was the exact amount her dad had received as a bonus earlier the same year. The murder created lots of media attention due to Ramsey's participation in child pageants. Her parents were first suspected, but due to DNA evidence were they cleared in 2008 and the murder is still unsolved.

Investigators into the case and the parents have written books about the case, the investigation and the period after the murder.

 

December 25th

On this day – 25th of December 2003 – Mars landing of Beagle 2 

Beagle 2 is a British landing spacecraft that was part of ESA's (European Space Agency) 2003 Mars Express mission. Beagle 2 was named after the HMS Beagle. After a successful deployment from the Mars Express on the 19th Beagle 2 was supposed to land on Mars on December 25th. How ever the Beagle 2 lost contact and never contacted back to Earth. After numerous attempts to contact the craft was considered lost and the mission a failure in February 2004. The fate of Beagle 2 was not known until January 2015 when NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter located Beagle 2. The images from the NASA vehicle suggest that the solar panels failed to deploy and thereby blocking the communications antenna. 

December 24th

On this day – 24th of December 1865 – Ku Klux Clan was created 

The Ku Klux Clan, also known as KKK, is a reactionary group in the United Stated. It has existed in three different time periods. White supremacy, anti-immigration and with nationalism are some of the areas KKK has been involved in fighting for. Six confederate veterans created the original Ku Klux Clan on the 24th of December 1865. They were a violent group, which used public violence to intimidate their enemies. Houses were sat on fire and black people were killed, in order to sustain the white supremacy in the south. The clan members wore masks and capes to hide their identity, and they preferred to attack in the night. They were highly active during elections in the South, and over 2000 people were injured or killed during the election in 1868. They died down in the 1870s, only to be recreated in 1915. They still exists today and in 2012 had the group between 5000 and 8000 members.

On another note, Marry Christmas to everyone who celebrate it!

December 23

On this day - 23 December 1969 - Oil was found in Norway

No one had expected to find the amount of oil they did outside of Norway when Phillip Petroleum Company started looking for it in the 1960s.  In the 1950s had even the likelihood of finding oil this far north considered extremely unlikely. Phillip discover oil in an area which have been titled "Ekofisk" field in 1969. This is one of the largest oil-fields found in an ocean. Pre-production started in the area in 1971 and official production in 1974. Oil have since played an important part of almost all aspects of Norway and it is the most important source of income in Noway. In the year 2000, when Norwegian oil production was on top, were Norway the third largest oil- and gass exporter in the world. Oil is still being produced in the Ekosfisk field today.

December 22nd

On this day - 22nd of December 1992 - The Archives of Terror were found

On this day in 1992 Dr Martín Almada and judge José Augustín Fernández found the Archives of Terror. The archives were found in a police station in Asunción, capital of Paraguay. Fernández was looking for a prisoner, but instead he discovered an archive that described the fate of thousands of Latin Americans. Their fate was sealed by the security services of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, under the codename Condor. Under this codename an estimated 50,000 people were killed, 30,000 just disappeared and 400,000 were imprisoned.  General Pinochet court case was mostly based on evidence from the archive. Operation Condor was in effect from 1975 and the United States of America provided technical support and military aid until at least 1978. There were several political incidences where the goal was to change the leaders of countries. For the most part the targets were communist friendly people 

The headline reads Exterminated like mice and is about a group of leftwingers in Argentina

December 21st

On this day - 21st of December in 1937 - The premiere of Snow White 

Snow White and the seven dwarfs is the first full length animated feature film. The movie is based on the fairy tale by the German brothers Grimm and the movie was made by Disney. The movie was awarded an honorary Oscar and nominated for Best musical score. Disney's take on the fairy tale was such a success that it was turned into a broadway musical, theme park attractions and even a video game. The initial budget was 250,000 USD. It is easy to see now that making the movie was a good idea, but both Walt Disney's wife and brother tried to convince him not to make the movie. Hollywood wrote the movie off and described it as "Disney's folly" when it was in production. Walt Disney had to take out a mortgage on his house to finance the movie which eventually had a cost of 1,488,422 USD. This was a massive amount for movies in 1937 and almost six times the budget. So it was with great anticipation when the movie was released and it was a major box-office success. The initial run ended up with 7,846,000 USD in ticket sales and a 380,000 USD profit. With numerous re-releases Snow White is considered a massive money maker, the lifetime gross is estimated to 418,2 million USD. Snow White paved the way for Disney to invest in a 4,5 million dollar studio. The success led to more classic movies such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, and Peter Pan. 

December 20th

On this day - 20th December 1946 - The premier of "It's a Wonderful life"

The  movie about George Bailey who contemplates suicide and meet his guardian angel has become a traditional Christmas viewing for many people today. The guardian angel, Clarence, shows George Bailey (James Stewart) how life would have been without him for the many people he had touched during his life so far. The movie is based on the book "The greatest Gift" and directed by Frank Capra. The movie was initially not a great success and it never came close to achieving its break even point during its initial release. It was nominated for Academy Award for best movie, but did not win.

I, however, think it is the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Which movie do you think is the best? Please vote!

December 19th

On this day –19^th December 1956 – John Bodkin Adams was arrested

Irish born Adams was an accused serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, over 160 of his patient died in suspect circumstances such as through receiving “special injections” while the nurses were asked to leave the room. Out of his patients who died this was, left at least 132 people money or other items in their will for Adams. The first inheritance he got was 7,385 pounds from a patient in 1935. The will was contested, but upheld in court. The police started investigating Adams in the summer of 1956 after receiving an anonymous phone call. The court was not able to convict Adams and he was not found guilty for the murders, although it has been suspected that higher political forces played a role in the courts decision. He was, however, found guilty in a later trial for prescription fraud, lying on cremation forms and obstructing police investigation. He was removed from the medical register in 1957, but re-instated in 1971.

When Adams was arrested on December 19^th he said “Murder... murder... Can you prove it was murder? [...] I didn't think you could prove it was murder. She was dying in any event.”

December 18th

On this day - 18th December 1958 - The launch of the worlds first communication satellite (SCORE)

SCORE stands for Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment. It was lunched aboard an american rocket (Atlas) in 1958. It gained international fame for its broadcast of a Christmas message by President Eisenhower through short waves radio. The launched of the Satellite was a part of the Cold War conflict and an american response to the Soviets Sputnik1 and Sputnik2. The project had been conducted in a secrecy so that  only 88 people knew of its existence. Out of the 88 were 53 told that the project was canceled, so that by the time of the launch only 35 people knew of the mission.

The aim of SCORE was to prove that an Atlas missile could be put into orbit and to demonstrate the possible of transmitting messages through the upper atmosphere from station to station.

The first message transmitted from space to earth was

"This is the President of the United States speaking. Through the marvels of scientific advance, my voice is coming to you from a satellite circling in outer space. My message is a simple one: Through this unique means I convey to you and to all mankind, America's wish for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men everywhere"

December 17th

On this day - 17th December 1903 - The first heavier-than-air and controlled human flight flight

The American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, are credited with having the first controlled and sustained heavier-than-air flight. Their work was based on extensive "Glider" research and their airplane was basically a glider with a motor on. The first powered flight had the name "Wright Flyer I" and was built of mostly lightweight wood. A shop mechanic, Charlie Taylor, built the engine in just 6 weeks and in close cooperation with the Wright brothers. The Wright Flyer I had a weight of 274kg (605lb), a wingspan of 12.3m (40.3ft), 12 horsepower and had cost les than 1000 dollar to build. Wilbur was the first to try the plane on December 14th in an unsuccessful attempt. After repairs were the brothers ready to try again on the 17th December. Orville's first flight lasted for 12 seconds and reached a high of 37 meters, bu the brothers next flights reached 53 and 61 meters and lasted for almost a minute.

The brothers continued the work on airplanes after this first flight, and between 1905 and 1907 built the two brothers the first practical fixed-wing airplane. They also developed the "three-axis control" in 1902 (Up-down, Side-to-side and lateral), a system for steering which is still in use today.

December 16th

On this day – 16^th  December 1773 – The most famous Tea Party 

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest against the "Tea Act of May 10th" the same year. The protest was arranged by the Sons of Liberty, a colonist secret organization who worked to protect what they saw as the rights of the colonists. Some of the protesters were disguised as native Americans when they accessed a docked ship in Boston and threw an the entire shipment of tea overboard. The famous quote "no taxation without representation" was to be associated with this event, because the problem the protesters wanted to adresse was the way the British taxation was forced upon the colonies without their input. The Tea Act which they were protesting was an act to rescue the East India Company, which gave them enormous advantages which others had to pay for through increased prices on tea. Tea parties in other harbors soon followed, but Boston was the first one and thereby they received the hardest reactions afterwards, and also the most fame.

This act of protest and the harsh reaction by the British afterwards escalated into the American Revolution, which eventually led to USA's independence from England. The tea party movement from 2010 is basing its political ideas from this event. 

December 15th

On this day – 15^th  December 1939 – Gone with the Wind premiered

Gone with the wind is based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel with the same name from 1936. The movie is set in 19^th century Southern USA and is based around the love-life of Scarlett O’Hara, her pursuit of Ashley Wilkes and her marriage to Rhett Butler. Vivien Leigh played Scarlett and Clark Gable played Rhett Butler, after a strong wish from the producer, Selznick. The movie was actually postponed for two years, only so Selznick could hire Clark Gable. Victor Fleming directed the movie, which is something that won him an academy award. Leigh also won for best actor and Hattie McDaniel won for best supporting role, making her the first African-American to win an academy award. In total, it won 10 academy awards, including for best movie. It became the highest earning movie up to that point, and the movie kept this position for over a quarter of a century.

The movie premiered on December 15^th in Atlanta, USA. Over 300.000 people showed up for the premier and the three days festivities that followed.

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” – Rhett Butler 

We love Gone with the Wind. Haven't seen it? You can buy it here: 

December 14th

On this day –  14^th December 1911 – Roald Amundsen became the first to reach the South Pole

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who became the first to reach the South Pole in an expedition that lasted from 1910 to 1912. Amundsen’s original plans were to reach the North Pole, but the plans were changed in 1909, because other explorers had reached it already. Amundsen kept the new plans a secret due to founding issues, and even his crew believed, at the beginning of the expedition, that they were heading for the North Pole.

In October 1911 left Amundsen and his crew of four people their base “Framheim” on their way to the Pole. They reached it five weeks before the British explorer Robert Scott and the Terra Nova Expedition. The Norwegian explorer planted the Norwegian flag and started their return trip. Scott’s crew reached the South Pole, but the whole crew sadly died during the return trip.  

Amundsen died in 1928 when the plane he was in disappeared in a rescue mission in the Arctic.  

December 13th

On this day – 13^th  December 1937 – The start of the Nanking massacre

The Nanking (Nanjing) massacre, also known as the rape of Nanking, was a mass-murder and mass-rape conducted by the Japanese troops during the second Sino-Japanese war. It started on the 13^th of December after the fall of Nanking, and lasted until January. Somewhere between 40.000 and 300.000 Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were killed in the six weeks the mass-murders lasted. Widespread rape and looting was also common among the Japanese soldiers, thereby naming the events the Rape of Nanking. It is estimated that around 20.000 women were raped, and several of them systematically where the soldier would go from door to door to look for females to rape. The inaccuracy of the number of victims during the six weeks is due to most of the Japanese records being destroyed after the war. The events are still creating political controversies and Japanese nationalist argues that the event have been exaggerated or even fabricated and the events still affect the relationship between Japan and its surrounding countries. The Japanese government and several veterans have, however, admitted to the killings of large amounts of people.    

A war criminal tribunal was held in 1946. Prince Asaka, the commander for the troops and the officer who allergically provided official sanctions for the crimes, escaped execution because he signed an agreement with the allied forces. Four other Japanese officers were executed, including the two officers who had a contest to be the first one to kill 100 people with a sword.  

December 12th

On this day – 12^th December 1963 – British East Africa (Kenya) becomes independent

Today, British East Africa is known as Kenya, but from 1885 and until 1963 was the area under foreign rule. In 1885, Germany established a protectorate over the sultan of Zanzibar. The British East-Africa company arrived in 1888 and in 1890 Germany handed its coastal holdings to Great Britain. Britain started working on the Kenya-Uganda railway, but met resistance most notably by the Nandi. The Nandi became the first ethnicity to be put in a native reserve to stop them from disrupting the work on the railroad. The railroad was still being built and 2498 workers died in the effort. In 1920 the East Africa protectorate was turned into a colony and renamed Kenya for the highest mountain. In 1952 to 1959 Kenya was in a state of emergency for the Mau Mau rebellion. During this rebellion Kenya held its first election for native Kenyans in 1957. It was the Kenyan African National Union (KANU) led by Jomo Kenyatta who won the election. In 1963 on this day the Kenyan protectorate and colony came to an end and Kenya led by Kenyatta.  

December 11th

On this day – 11^th December 1972 – The last Apollo mission landed on the moon

Apollo 17 left earth on December 7^th and landed on the moon for a three day stay on the 11^th December 1972. This was the last of the Apollo missions and also the last manned moon expedition. It was also the longest moon stay for any of the Apollo missions. No human being have been to the moon, or to the low earth orbit, ever since. Apollo 11 was the first to land on the moon in 1969, thereafter followed Apollo 12 (1969), Apollo 14 (1971), Apollo 15 (1971) and Apollo 16 (1972). A total of 24 U.S astronauts have been to the moon, and 12 of those have walked on it.

The Apollo 17 expedition crew consisted of three members, Cernan, Evans and Schmitt, who returned safely to the earth on December 19^th. Evans conducted a 1 hour and 7 minutes spacewalk on their return trip, but the return went without any significant happenings. On December 7th, took the crew the famous "Blue Marble" picture of the earth (see below). The crew landed in the Pacific Ocean, only 6.4 km (4.0 miles) from the rescue boat, and a helicopter picked them up shortly after. And with that, the history of the US moon-missions came to its end. 

The "Blue marble" picture from the mission

December 10th

On this day – 10^th December 1968 – The biggest unsolved robbery in Japan

The “300 million Yen robbery” was the largest heist in history in Japan. The robbery happened in the morning on the 10^th when four bank employees transported 294,307,500 Yen (about 817,520 US dollar at the time). A uniformed officer who claimed their bank officer’s house had been blown up stopped their car and told them he had to look for dynamite under the car. The employees believed him due to the bank previous experiences with threats and exited the car. The officer crawled underneath to look for the dynamite. Moments later, smoke and flames erode from under the car and the police officer shouted at the employees that the car was about to explode. While they moved as far away as they could get, the officer got into the driver’s seat and stole the whole car and all its money.

The fire under the car turned out to have only been from a warning flare the thief had ignited himself. He changed his car, and the police was not able to trace him. 120 pieces of evidence was left behind by the robbery, but most of them were left on purpose just to confuse the police. A seven-year investigation was conducted, but never led anywhere. The robber can, however, probably count himself as one of Japans most successful robbers of all time. No one was hurt, the robber happened I broad daylight and he got away with 300 million yen, and his identity is still not known. 

December 9th

On this day – 9^th December 1979 – First human disease driven to extinction 

On this day it was certified that the Smallpox virus was eradicated. It is one of just two infectious diseases that has been eradicated, the other being Rinderpest. Smallpox has been tracked as far back as Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt but is believed to have existed in 10 000 BC.  It came in two viruses Variola minor and Variola major. The minor version would be lethal in around 1% of the cases while the major one would kill in 30-35% of the cases. The first makings of an vaccine for the virus was made by Edward Jenner in 1796. The breakthrough he discovered was that inoculating with cowpox lesion could result in immunity to smallpox. During the 18th century smallpox killed an estimated 400 000 Europeans annually including five reigning monarks. In the 20th century it is estimated that smallpox was the source of 300-500 million deaths. Smallpox has been used as a weapon as early as 1754 in the French and Indian wars and the Soviet Union had an outbreak of weaponized smallpox on an island in 1971. Smallpox is considered an extinct disease but there are still stock of it left, the remaining stock is used for research. 

December 8th

On this day – 8^th December 1980 – John Lennon from the Beatles died

John Lennon was an English singer and songwriter who were, without doubt, best known for his co-founding of the band “the Beatles”. He continued his career after the band was dissolved as a solo artist and as an political activist. His most famous solo songs include “Imagine” and “Working Class Hero”.

John Lennon only mad it to 40 years old. On this day, in 1980, he was murdered in New York City where he lived at the time. He was shot by Mark David Chapman, a former the Beatles fan, but a Christian fanatic at the time of the shooting. He shot at Lennon five times and hit him with four of the shots. John Lennon was pronounced dead at the arrival at the hospital. Chapman, who stayed at the murder scene and was caught, plead guilty and was sentenced to prison where he still is today.

John Lennon’s death lead to a worldwide mourning unlike anything that had been experienced before. At least three the Beatles fans committed suicide after his death. Lennon left behind two children and his wife and a musical legacy that not many other musicians have managed to recreate.  

Just hours before he was murdered signed John Lennon a copy of Double fantasy for Chapman, his murderer.
Copyright wikipedia 

"You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

Ant the world will be as one"

December 7th

On this day – 7^th December 1941 – Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor was an American navy base in Hawaii.  The Japanese forces attacked in an effort to keep the US to stay out of Japanese expansion in Asian territories. 2403 Americans were killed in the attack and only 64 Japanese died. The Japanese attack on Perl Harbor was a significant event during the Second World War. This attack led the US to declare war on Japan and thereby they got involved in World War II. Germany declared war on the US on December 11^th, a declaration that the US shortly after reciprocated. The attack removed all American support non-intervention in the war. The involvement of the US helped the allied forces to win the war in 1945. The attack of Japan on American soil also got dire consequences for Japan, who are still the only country to have experienced the impact of nuclear bombs, when two of them were dropped over major Japanese cities in an American effort to end the war.  

Several fictional movies and stories have been made about the events at Perl Harbor. 

Pearl Harbor from 2011 is probably the most famous

.

December 6th

On this day – 6^th December 1917 – The adoption of Finish independence

The parliament of Finland adopted the declaration of independence from Russia in 1917. They had declared their independence on the 15^th of November, and the declaration was adopted in Finland on the 6^th of December. The background for the declaration was the February and October revolution in Russia and it was recognised by Russia a short time after Finland’s declaration. The independence did, however, contribute to a three-month long civil war in Finland starting in January 1918. It also led to an unstable relationship between the two countries, and in 1939 tried the Soviet Union to occupy Finland. The war ended with the Moscow Peace treaty in 1940 where Finland had to give away parts of their land to the Soviet Union.

Finland was only one of many countries to sought independence at the time. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also sought independence from Russia at the time, but they were re-occupied by soviet Union just a few years after. The 6^th of December is celebrated as the finish national day today.

Russia accepts Finlands independence

“The people of Finland have by this step taken their fate in their own hands; a step both justified and demanded by present conditions. The people of Finland feel deeply that they cannot fulfil their national and international duty without complete sovereignty. The century-old desire for freedom awaits fulfilment now; Finland's people step forward as a free nation among the other nations in the world”.

 

– The declaration on November 15^th. 

December 5th

On this day – 5^th December 1952 – The Great Smog over London

The Great Smog was an air-pollution over London, which lasted from the 5th to the 9th of December. It was caused by cold, windless weather, which collected and kept air-pollution in place. The cold weather also led to people using more coal, which further spurred the air-pollution. The pollution sept underneath doors, and even ambulances had to stand still due to low visibility. It was not considered significant at the time, but medical results soon showed the impact of the smog on Londoners health. It was estimated that around 4000 people died prematurely due to the smog, and another 100.000 were made ill. More modern research have, however, argued that 12.000 people died as a result of the smog. It is the worst air-pollution experienced in the UK and it led to major policy regulation and environmental interest. London have struggled with pollution and Smog since then, but no event have been as bad as the one in 1952. UK is, however, not the only city to have struggled with pollution and air problems. The air in Beijing are, for example, known for its pollution.  

You literally could not see your hand in front of your face. My partner of today tells me that he remembers the smog in that he brushed against what he thought was a human being and asked it for a light for his cigarette - and the human being turned out to be lamppost.”

Barbara Fewster recalls the Great Smog at news.bbc.uk

The Great Fogg from museumoflondonimages.com

December 4th

On this day – 4 December 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha was founded

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first African American, inter college Greek lettered fraternity. The first chapter was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Their names were Henry A. Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert H. Ogle, Vertner Woodson Tandy, and Eugene Kinckle Jones. The aims of the fraternity were "manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind" and it was founded as a study and suport group for minority students who faced racial prejudice. In 1945 Alpha Phi Alpha was opened for men of all races and the first non-black member was Bernard Levin who joined in 1946.

Alpha Phi Alpha spread to other american universities soon after its founding at Cornell University. There are 290,000 members and 730 active chapters today. Some famous members includes Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King Jr., the former president of Jamaica, Norman Manley, the first African American supreme court judge, Marshall Thurgood, musician Duke Ellington and singer  Lionel Richie. Member W. DuBois started The Crisis, the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1933 member Belford Lawson Jr started the New Negro Alliance (NNA) that fought a landmark case against discriminatory hiring practices (New Negro Alliance vs Sanitary Grocery Co). Alpha Phi Alpha have clearly contributed to a more equal society in the US and to giving black people in the US a voice. 

Delegates of the fourth annual convention 

December 3rd

On this day – 3 December 1967 – The first human-to human heart transplant

The first heart transplant from a human to another human was conducted by the South African Surgeon Christian Barnard. This was not the first heart transplant to a human, but the first human to human heart transplant. Three years earlier had Dr. James Hardy performed a heart transplant from a chimpanzee to a human, but the patient had died only 90 minutes later. Barnard’s surgery in 1967 was more successful and his patient managed to self sustains the new heart. The patient, Louis Washkansky, sadly died of pneumonia 18 days after the surgery.  

The surgery was at the time highly experimental. Barnard had practiced on animals previously, but this was the first human to human heart transplant. The operation had taken a total on 9 hours and it was a 25 year old car crash victim which was the donor. It took only three days from the first heart transplant were conducted to a new one was tried, this time a pediatric heart transplant in the US. Although this was not a successful transplant either continued surgeons to build on the work. Today is heart transplant considered a fairly common surgery, and around 3000 are done each year.

We would like to urge everyone to sign up as a donor so that more people can be saved. 

Christian Barnard, the first doctor to do a human heart to heart transplant 

December 2

On this day – 2 December 1971 – The creation of the United Arab Emirates 

The United Arab Emirates, also known as UAE or the Emirates, were established as a coalition between seven emirates. The seven were Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. UAE was established after the area became independent from the UK earlier the same year. Dubai and Abu Dhabi were the first to create a union, and it was after they had drafted a constitution that the other emirates were invited to join in. Quatar and Bahrain refused, while Ras al-Khaimah only joined later. The constitution between the six founding emirates was signed on 2 December in 1971. The first president in UAE was Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi. He held this position until his death in 2004. The vice president (and prime minister) today is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. He is also one of the founders of emirates airlines.

Each of the seven emirates in the UEA today is led by absolute monarchs and one of the seven monarchs is elected as the president of the country. Abu Dhabi functions as the capital. UEA have the seventh largest oil reserve in the world. Their official language is arabic, but English is spoken in most areas as well.

December 1st

On this day – 1^st December 1955 – Rosa Parks got arrested for refusing to give up her seat

Rosa Parks got arrested because she refused to give up her bus seat in the coloured section of the bus, to a white man. There were separate sections in the busses for white and coloured, but if the white-only seats were taken, were the coloured bus riders required to give up their seat. This is what Parks refused to do in 1955. She was arrested for civil disobedience and for breaking the segregation laws in Montgomery. She hadn’t been the first to defy the segregation laws in the US, but she became one of the most important symbols for the civil rights movement in the US. December 1^st is celebrated as Rosa Parks day in the US.

"When that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination to cover my body like a quilt on a winter night." -Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks wrote an autobigraphy about the events in 1999. The book is called "My Story".