List of December 21st Major News Events

1948 China -- Economy

In northern China communist encroachment and the collapse of the anti-communist government of Chaing Kai-shek sent shock waves to the U.S. and the international economy. The market for American goods was diminished.

1956 U.S.A. -- Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the first passengers of the new integrated bus system in Georgia where blacks and whites rode together

1957 India -- Prime Minister Nehru

Prime Minister Nehru of India gave a speech in which he said that India wanted friendly relations with the U.S. . However, Nehru and his son Krishna Menon have often blasted the U.S. and tried to play them off against the communists.

1958 France -- General Charles de Gaulle

General Charles de Gaulle is elected President of France with a large majority.

1962 England -- Polaris Missiles

1962 : Britain is to buy a number of Polaris missiles from the United States as part of Btitains nuclear deterrent , it is designed to be fired from a submarine and will carry a nuclear warhead .

1966 Zambia -- President

1966 : Dr. Kenneth Katunda, President of Zambia, addressed the United Nations and said, "About twenty-four months ago, I stood on this rostrum representing the youngest of the family of independent and free nations." Katunda said that Zambia had enjoyed being independent.

1970 U.S.A. -- Elvis Presley

President Richard M. Nixon enlists the help of Elvis Presley in his fight against drugs and invites him to the Oval Office.

1977 Soviet Union -- Political Dissidents

Political dissidents in the Soviet Union were punished with exile and some found homes in the West. However, some exiled Soviets found it difficult adapting to life in the West and discovered that their political protests were not as effective as when they were confronting the KGB.

1985 Lebanon -- Terry Waite

1985 : Terry Waite, representing the Anglican Church, negotiated with Moslem kidnappers to try freeing their American captives for Christmas. He said that he would like to keep a low profile while the negotiations proceeded.

1991 Russia -- Commonwealth of Independent States

The birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States consisting of eleven former Soviet Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

1993 U.S.A. -- Wellcome Plc

Two major drug companies - Warner-Lambert Co. and Wellcome Plc. were merging their over-the-counter medication industries to try capturing the worldwide market. Branches in Europe, Australia, and Canada were to open up and sales were projected at over $1.6 billion.

1995 Palestine -- Bethlehem

Bethlehem became one of the areas under the full control of the Palestinian National Authority in conformance with the Oslo Accords.

2006 Greece -- Esphigmenou

Esphigmenou, a 1,000 year old monastery seen to be the seat of Orthodox Christianity, was defended by monks brandishing crowbars and sledge hammers. Rebel monks lived in the monastery and refused to reconcile with the Vatican.

2006 North Korea -- North Korea nuclear talks end without agreement

Talks on North Korea's nuclear program today have ended with Pyongyang refusing to drop its demands for the US to lift financial restrictions. The six-party talks, held in Beijing, concluded without agreeement on the implementation of a 2005 accord, in which North Korea would be disarming in exchange for aid. The United States, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea had resumed talking after a thirteen month boycott by the North.

2007 South Africa -- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has emerged as the top candidate in the vote for the National Executive Committee (N.E.C.) of South Africa's governing party. When the African National Congress (A.N.C.) announced the election of its National Executive Committee on December 21, 2007, Mandela was given first place. The ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela was endorsed by 2,845 of the 3,605 delegates in the conference, which took place in the northern town of Polokwane. She had not been active in the A.N.C. since 2003 (when she was convicted of fraud).

2007 England -- Tony Blair

2007 : Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic. His wife and children were already Catholic, and there had been some speculation that he would convert after leaving office. Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O'Connor, who led the service to welcome Blair, said he was 'very glad' to do so, but ex-Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, herself a Catholic convert, has said that Blair's voting record as an M.P. had often 'gone against church teaching.' Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy, had said in 2006 that he had prayed to God when deciding whether or not to send U.K. troops into Iraq. There is some controversy on whether Blair’s conversion was in pursuit of the presidency of the European Union, and on how deep his belief is.

2008 Iran -- Police raid Iranian human rights group in Tehran

Iranian police have raided the office of a human rights group led by the Nobel laureate, Shirin Ebadi. The group has also been closed down. Judiciary officials have said that the center was acting as an illegal political party, and had contacts with local and foreign organisations. The raid came shortly before the center was to host a celebration for the sixtieth anniversary of Human Rights Day.

2011 United States -- US Navy Sees First Gay Kiss at Traditional Dockside Event

2011 : Two female US sailors became the first same-sex couple to share the traditional dockside kiss after the US ended the ban on gays in the military. One of the women won the raffle for the right to be the first to kiss her partner after getting to shore.

2012 Worldwide -- Observers Celebrate Mayan Calendar End

People gathered in Central America and around the world to mark what some believed was the "end of the world" predicted by the end of the Mayan calendar. An actual apocalypse never manifested.

2013 Australia -- Fishermen Saved by Cooler

Two Australian fishermen were saved off the coast of New South Wales after their boat capsized. The two men were forced to hang on to a floating cooler for nearly fifteen hours before they were rescued.