1908 – The world’s ten leading maritime nations attend a Naval Conference in London. They agree on rules for blockade, convoys, and seizure of contraband.
1915 – Henry Ford’s peace ship, Oscar II, sails for Europe “to get the boys out of the trenches by Christmas.”
1920 – First pro football playoff game: Buffalo 7, Canton 3 at Polo Grounds in New York City.
1927 – Duke Ellington opens at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
1942 – President Franklin Roosevelt orders dismantling of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
1945 – 11th Heisman Trophy Award: Doc Blanchard, Army fullback.
1945 – Senate approves the United States participation in United Nations.
1951 – Aaron Copland’s and Jerome Robbins’ ballet “The Pied Piper” premieres in New York City.
1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida.
1956 – An impromptu recording session by the “Million-Dollar Quartet” – Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash – takes place at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
1961 – Floyd Patterson knocks out Tom McNeeley in the fourth round for the heavyweight boxing title.
1964 – Baseball approves a free-agent draft.
1970 – Unemployment in the United States increases to 5.8%.
1981 – Reagan Executive Order on Intelligence (No. 12333) that allows the CIA to engage in domestic counter-intelligence.
1990 – Due to the Persian Gulf crisis gas hits $1.60 per gallon in New York City.
1997 – “Diary of Anne Frank” opens at Music Box Theater in New York City.
2005 – Debut of the first part of two-part TV biopic miniseries “Pope John Paul II” on CBS.
2014 – The United Nations warns that the world is on course for the warmest year since records began.
2017 – Supreme Court allows President Donald Trump’s travel ban to come into effect for six mostly Muslim countries.
2022 – Kennedy Center Honors ceremony held for Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, George Clooney, U2, and Tania Leon in Washington, D.C.
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