1914 – During World War I, the “Christmas Ceasefire” begins. This, was a series of unofficial ceasefires spread along the Western Front of World War I around Christmas 1914. During this ceasefire, French, German and British soldiers crossed the trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and conversations.
1922 – Born in Grab-town, Ava Gardner. Gardner, was an American actress and singer. She, signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941, and appeared mainly in small roles, until she attracted attention with her performance in The Killers. Gardner, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Mogambo role and also received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.
1951 – Libya declares independence from Italy. While Idris I, is proclaimed its King. He would lead the great North African country with liberal reforms, until 1968. The year in which Colonel Muammar Gaddafi would finally overthrow him. Idris would die in exile in 1983 in Turkey. While Gaddafi would be executed after popular evolutions in 2011.
1964 – Viet-Cong guerrillas blow up the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. This terrorist act was done to demonstrate that they could hit an American installation in the capital controlled by them. During this explosion, 2 people were killed and 65 were injured.
1974 – Cyclone Tracy destroys Darwin City, Australia. The storm was the second-smallest tropical cyclone on record (in terms of wind force diameter), following Tropical Storm Marco in 2008. The cyclone caused $ 645 million in infrastructure damage and 71 deaths. Thankfully, Tracy did not spread to other parts of Australia.
1982 – Dies at the age of 85 in Paris, Louis Aragon. Aragon, was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded the surrealist Littérature review with André Breton and Philippe Soupault. He was also a novelist and editor, a longtime member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.
2018 – A helicopter crash kills Martha Erika Alonso, Puebla’s first female governor of Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, the city’s former governor. Alonso had 10 days since she was elected governor. The real causes of the accident remained unresolved.
