List of December 22nd Major News Events

1942 Italy -- German Supplies

Although Italy was politically and economically unstable and somewhat of a liability for Germany as a war ally, the Germans supplied Italy with coal, iron, and fuel in return for tanks, planes, weapons, and food.

1952 U.S.A. -- First Corvette

The first Corvette, a production-ready prototype, is completed, it is shipped to New York where it made its public debut at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 17

more info at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/library-archives/timeline/1951.shtml

1956 U.S.A. -- Baby Gorilla Born

A baby gorilla named Colo enters the world at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, becoming the first-ever gorilla born in captivity

1959 Denmark -- Members Of Communist Party Sent To Jail

1959 : In Denmark seven Danish citizens were convicted and sent to jail for being members of the Communist Party and spying for East Germany. Their sentences were from 18 months to 5 years.

1968 Canada -- Voting Age

Canada and the U.S. were the only countries in the world where the voting ages differ according to which province or state you live in. Quebec and Saskatchewan allowed teenagers 18 years old to vote, whereas British Columbia allowed 19 year olds to vote.

1972 Argentina -- Plane Crash Andes

December 22nd, 1972 : 14 survivors from a plane that crashed in the Argentine Andes over two months earlier, two of the survivors reached civilization yesterday after a 10 day trek to get help. The survivors had lived on chocolate bars, sweets and light food they found in luggage.

1977 U.S.A. -- President Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter had his first year as president. His White House staff was inexperienced, however Carter got strip-mine control legislation through Congress -- a matter which had stumped Republicans for years.

1984 U.S.A. -- Subway Vigilante

Bernhard Goetz shoots four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him. He is dubbed the "Subway Vigilante" by the New York press and becomes a symbol of New Yorkers' frustrations with a high crime rate.

1987 Japan -- Minke Whales Killing

1987 : One hundred Minke whales were going to be killed in the Antarctic by Japan. Their Fisheries Department termed it "scientific whaling" but some felt it really was an excuse for commercial whaling.

1990 Poland -- Lech Walesa

Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president.

1991 Russia -- Soviet Union Ended

The Soviet Union was dead and 11 former republics announced that they represented a commonwealth, leaving President Mikhail Gorbachev an emperor without an empire. The commonwealth was ratified at Alma-Ata in Kazaka.

1994 U.S.A. -- Christmas Nor'easter

The Christmas 1994 Nor'easter was a storm system that moved through Florida and the southern region of the United States. As a result, though, high winds and 10-20 foot waves collided with the upper East Coast of the country and eroded the shores of the area. New Jersey and New York also got floods with more than 5 inches of rain falling in some places.

2000 Scotland -- Madonna

Madonna has married British movie director Guy Ritchie at an exclusive ceremony in the Scottish Highlands.

2001 U.S.A. -- Shoe Bomber

Richard C. Reid, dubbed by the press as the shoe bomber, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.

On January 30, 2003, he was found guilty on terrorism charges at a federal court in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently serving multiple life sentences.

2005 Mexico -- Border Wall US

2005 : Mexico was demanding that Latin America join in the fight against American plans to erect a 700 mile wall on the border between Mexico and the U.S.

2007 Afghanistan -- Nicolas Sarkozy visits Afghanistan

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned the international community not to let Afghanistan fall into the hands of extremists. He was speaking on a one-day visit to Kabul, where he met his counterpart, Hamid Karzai. He is due to see some of the 1,300 French troops based there, and has recently pledged France's support for the U.S. intervention.

2008 United States -- New York Times admits that the letter from the Mayor of Paris was fake

The New York Times has said that the letter that was published in its earlier editions, and purported to be from the mayor of Paris was a fake. The letter had been attacking Caroline Kennedy's bid for a Senate seat. It had called Ms Kennedy's bid 'not very democratic' and 'appalling.' The New York Times said it had failed to check whether the letter, which had been sent by e-mail, was authentic. The letter asked 'what title has Ms Kennedy to pretend to Hillary Clinton’s seat? We French can only see a dynastic move of the vanishing Kennedy clan in the very country of the Bill of Rights. It is both surprising and appalling.' The paper had appended the error by the time of 22nd's later editions.

2009 United States -- Howard Schmidt is appointed as the White House Cybersecurity Coordinator

President Obama has named Howard Schmidt as his cybersecurity adviser. Schmidt will be reporting to the deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan. His portfolio will be extensive as cybersecurity will be covering almost every facet of the government from national security to economic welfare. Schmidt was a former head of information security at eBay and Microsoft, and had served in the Bush administration, where he wrote guidelines for increased cybersecurity after the September 11th terrorist attacks.

2012 Italy -- Italian Parliament Dissolved

22nd December, 2012 : The Italian parliament was dissolved a day after the Prime Minister, Mario Monti, resigned. New elections would be held February 24th and 25th.

2013 Namibia -- Plane Crash Was Deliberate

It was revealed that all evidence in a Mozambican Airlines crash over Namibia in November pointed to the pilot purposefully crashing the plane. The plane had thirty-three people on board and all of them died. It is unknown as to why the pilot would have crashed on purpose.