Military & Politics
- 1783: George Washington resigns his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the American Revolutionary Army.
- 1807: U.S. Congress passes the Embargo Act.
- 1989: Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown in a popular uprising, ending communist rule.
- 2001: Hamid Karzai is sworn in as the head of Afghanistan’s interim government.
- 2010: President Obama signs the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
- 2018: A partial U.S. federal government shutdown begins.
Arts & Culture
- 1808: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony premieres in Vienna.
- 1882: The first Christmas tree lit by electric lights is displayed in New York City.
- 1965: The movie Doctor Zhivago premieres.
- 2020: Lionel Messi breaks Pelé’s record for most goals for a single club.
Other Notable Events
- 1849: Fyodor Dostoevsky experiences a mock execution before his reprieve.
- 1894: Captain Alfred Dreyfus is convicted of treason in France.
- 1949: Robin and Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees) are born.
- 1972: Survivors of the Uruguayan Andes plane crash are rescued.
- 2010: The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin reopens, symbolizing German reunification.
- 2022: NASA announces the end of the Mars InSight lander mission.
