Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized. His birth date is not known for certain.β
France formally recognized American independenceβ
Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker premiered, St. Petersburg, Russiaβ
First National Football League championship game was played at Wrigley Field—the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants 23-21β
The Canadian βMaple leafβ flag was approved by the Senateβ
A program dedicated to the investigation of UFOs (called Project Blue Book) was terminated. For more than 20 years, the U.S. Air Force had examined 12,618 sightings. Most of these were found to be caused by man-made objects such as balloons, satellites, and aircraft; natural or astronomical phenomena; weather; and hoaxes. At the time of the program’s termination, 701 UFOs remained unexplained.β
First heart, lung, and liver transplantβ
The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport officially changed its name to Bob Hope Airportβ
A guitar played by George Harrison on the Beatlesβ Revolver album and by John Lennon during the recording of the White Album sold to an anonymous bidder for $567,500β
Bob Fisher made 2,371 basketball free throws in 1 hour, in Centralia, Kansasβ
Weather
Snow fell for three weeks in Portland, Oregon, accumulating to 34 inches for a December recordβ
A severe ice storm hit central Illinoisβ
Australia beat a record with its hottest day ever. The average temperature across the country was 105 degrees F.β