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

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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.