News and Events From December 23rd

Egypt 1956 Egypt British French Troops Withdraw From Suez Canal December 23rd, 1956 : British and French troops withdraw from the Suez Canal this follows pressure from the United Nations to end the armed occupation of the Suez Canal.

Turkey 1901 Turkey Americans Must Revoke Their Naturalization December 23rd, 1901 : In Syria officials demanded that all Americans must revoke their naturalization or be thrown out of Turkey. American charge d’affairs Spenser Eddy launched a protest on behalf of the Americans.

China 1927 China Conflict With Russia December 23rd, 1927 : Russia and China were in conflict following China’s foreign minister Tehecherin’s comment that he “could not tolerate the beastly slaughter of its officials, citizens, and sympathizers in Canton.” Soviet ships were commanded to return to Russia and Soviet citizens fled to avoid being killed by the Chinese.

Denmark 1930 Greenland Britain Wants To Purchase December 23rd, 1930 : The New York Times claimed that there was a possibility that Great Britain wanted to purchase Greenland from Denmark. However, Canada had stakes in obtaining Greenland as well.

Greece 1944 Greece Greek statue from 510 B.C. found December 23rd, 1944 : A six foot Greek statue from 510 B.C. was found in good condition by a farmer who was ploughing. It was hidden from German soldiers by putting it in an Athens museum.

Greece 1947 USA Transistor Radio December 23rd, 1947 : Bell Labs demonstrates the worlds first Transistor Radio, Bell had also created the first transistor just a few months earlier. Many companies have claimed and are attribeted as the worlds first including Texas Instruments, Sony and the German firm Intermetall but it depends on how you view the quality of the radios , so I will leave that to others to judge.

Japan 1957 Japan Leftist Opposition December 23rd, 1957 : The government of Japan was blasted by leftists in a specially convened session of parliament. Conflict erupted over the acceptance of American “sidewinders” air-to-air missiles for the Japanese air force.

Vietnam 1967 North Vietnam US Prisoners December 23rd, 1967 : The North Vietnam Postal system sent back 231 Christmas presents mailed by spouses and parents of U.S. soldiers to their relatives held captive by North Vietnam.

Nicaragua 1972 Nicaragua Earthquake December 23rd, 1972 : Ten thousand people are feared dead after a two-hour earthquake wiped out as an estimated 80% of buildings in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.

U.S. 1975 U.S.A. To Much Time Spent On TV For US Kids December 23rd, 1975 : Jim Winters, writing in The Capital Times , pointed out that the typical American child who had reached the age of 18 spent 25,000 hours watching television and had seen 350,000 advertisements.

U.S. 1978 U.S.A. Drinking Age Raised December 23rd, 1978 : Michigan becomes one of the first states to raise its drinking age to 21 over concerns about high school students drinking and driving.

U.S. 1986 U.S.A. Voyager Non Stop World Flight December 23rd, 1986 : The experimental airplane Voyager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California

Germany 1987 Germany Porsche December 23rd, 1987 : The luxury car company that made Porsches lost its president, 57 year old Peter W. Schulz, on December 31 and replaced him with Heinz Branitzki. Sales of Porsches declined precipitously and drastic reductions in production of the cars were made. Sixty per cent of Porches were sold to the U.S. which evoked criticism within Porsche circles.

India 1995 India Fire December 23rd, 1995 : A fire in Dabwali, India, kills 540 people, including 170 children .

Russia 1997 Russia Space Program Funding December 23rd, 1997 : Russian scientists who were the brains behind Russia’s military and space programs were not being funded anymore by their country. However, Western companies eager for their knowledge were supporting them financially.

U.S. 2003 U.S.A. BSE Confirmed US December 23rd, 2003 : The first confirmed case of BSE is found in the United States, Only 3 cases are confirmed currently in the US compared with 180,000 in the United Kingdom

China 2005 South East Asia Earthquake December 23rd, 2005 : An earthquake killed 87,000 people and left millions without homes. This was followed by an outbreak of bird flu and a spill of benzene and other chemicals in China’s Songhue River which poisoned the water supply of millions
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United Nations 2006 United Nations The U.N. sanctions on Iran December 23rd, 2006 : The United Nations Security Council has unanimously imposed sanctions against Iran over its failure to halt uranium enrichment with Resolution 1737. The sanctions ban the supply of nuclear-related technology and materials, and impose an asset freeze on key individuals and companies. The U.S. representative warned that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons would make it less, not more, secure. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, and has vowed to continue.

U.S.A. 2006 U.S.A. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a skiing accident December 23rd, 2006 : Arnold Schwarzenegger has broken his leg while skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho. The California Governor was taken to a local hospital for X-rays, which revealed he had fractured his femur. An Austrian, Mr Schwarzenegger is an experienced skier and frequent visitor to Sun Valley, where a piste has been named Arnold's Run after him. Three days later, in Santa Monica, he underwent surgery to repair the break.

Iraq 2007 Iraq Turkish planes bomb Iraq again December 23rd, 2007 : Turkish warplanes have again bombed Kurdish rebels along the border of northern Iraq. Jabbar Yawer, a spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdish security forces has said that the raid lasted more than three hours, but that 'there was no damage or loss of life.' Turkey has now carried out three air strikes on northern Iraq in the past week, as well as a small ground incursion. The P.K.K., which is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US, and the E.U. is thought to have about three thousand rebels based in Iraq. The Turkish government says that many of the rebels are holed up in the Qandil mountains.

U.S.A. 2009 U.S.A. Hoax Balloon Boy’s parents given jail sentences December 23rd, 2009 : The man who triggered a major alert by falsely claiming that his son was adrift in a helium balloon has been sentenced to ninety days in jail, and his wife to twenty. Richard Heene, and his wife Mayumi, said in October that their son had been carried off by the balloon. The boy was eventually found hiding at home. Heene apologised to rescue workers and the community in the Colorado courtroom. The judge ordered four years of supervised probation for the couple and banned them from receiving any form of financial benefit from the case.

China 2011 China Chinese Writer Jailed for "Subversive" Writing 23rd December, 2011 : Chen Wei, a Chinese writer, was sentenced to nine years in jail after being convicted of "inciting subversion of state power". Chen Wei wrote many online essays in which he called for freedom of speech and a reform to the one-party system in China.