December 16: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

2019 Mariah Carey’s single “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reached number one, 25 years after its release.

2016 The US State Department increased the reward for information on the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to $25 million.

2016 A five-day pollution red alert was declared in Beijing and 21 other Chinese cities.

Officials classified it as a "meteorological disaster."

1995 The name “Euro” was officially adopted for European Currency.

1973 O.J. Simpson became the first NFL running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

1965 “Jingle Bells” became the first song played in space when it was broadcast during NASA’s Gemini 6 space flight.

James Lord Pierpont wrote the song in 1857, and it was originally titled "One-Horse Open Sleigh."

1965 The Pioneer 6 space probe was launched atop a Delta-E rocket.

Pioneer 6 was the first in a series of four probes (also known as A, B, C, and D) which made up the second part of the Pioneer space program. Pioneer probes 6 through 9 were designed to take measurements of interplanetary phenomena from distant points in space. The probes were only supposed to last approximately six months, but contact with Pioneer 6 was made as late as December 8, 2000.

1962 “Lawrence of Arabia” film directed by David Lean, was released in the United States.

1944 German armies took Allied forces by surprise in the Ardennes, marking the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge.

1921 The Anglo-Irish Treaty, agreed to by the British Parliament and Sinn Féin, was ratified.

1907 The Great White Fleet began its worldwide navigation.

In order to demonstrate the US's new presence as a world power, President Theodore Roosevelt made a round-the-world cruise in a group of US Navy battleships, making friendly courtesy visits to many international ports.

1777 Virginia became the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

1773 The Boston Tea Party protest occurred.

As a political protest against the Tea Act and opposition of the taxes, American Patriots destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. Damage amounted to 92,000 pounds of tea - equivalent to $1,700,000 as of 2020.

1497 Vasco da Gama became the first European to sail along Africa’s East Coast.

After nearly six months of sailing, this Portuguese navigator passed Eastern Cape, South Africa. Due to it almost being Christmas, da Gama named it "Natal," which means "birth of Christ" in Portuguese.