What Happened on December 9 in History?
December 9th has been marked by several significant historical events, including the official eradication of smallpox in 1979, the British capture of Jerusalem in 1917, and the premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965.
Key Historical Events on December 9:
536: The Byzantine general Belisarius entered Rome unopposed, returning the ancient capital to the control of the empire during the Gothic War.
1854: Alfred, Lord Tennyson's famous poem, "The Charge of the Light Brigade," was published in The Examiner, commemorating the bravery of British soldiers during the Battle of Balaklava a few weeks earlier.
1868: The world's first traffic lights were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They used semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps at night, but were removed after one month due to an explosion.
1872: P. B. S. Pinchback became the first African American governor of a U.S. state, serving in an acting capacity for 43 days in Louisiana.
1905: The French parliament passed a law separating church and state, establishing a secular republic and ensuring greater religious freedom.
1917: British forces under General Edmund Allenby captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire after one day of fighting during World War I.
1948: The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Genocide Convention, which defined genocide as an international crime and committed signatories to preventing and punishing it.
1965: The animated classic A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on CBS, overcoming executive doubts to become a beloved holiday tradition and featuring the iconic jazz score by Vince Guaraldi.
1979: The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared that smallpox had been globally eradicated, making it the first human infectious disease to be completely eliminated through a worldwide vaccination campaign.
1990: Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa won a landslide victory in Poland's first direct presidential election, marking a major shift away from communist rule.q
1992: Operation Restore Hope began as U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs landed in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead a multinational humanitarian mission to restore order and deliver aid amidst famine and civil war.
1992: British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
1993: Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavour completed a five-day mission to repair the flawed optics of the Hubble Space Telescope.
2000: The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt to the Florida vote recount in the disputed presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
Notable Births
1608: John Milton, English poet, author of Paradise Lost.
1815: Ada Lovelace, English mathematician, often considered the first computer programmer.
1830: Emily Dickinson, American poet.
1916: Kirk Douglas, iconic American actor known for films like Spartacus.
1934: Judi Dench, acclaimed British actress.
1943: Jim Morrison, lead singer of the rock band The Doors.
