1898 – Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat sets the first officially known ground speed record of 65 km / h through a Jeantaud electric car. The record was set as part of a competition organized by the French car magazine La France Automobile. Following this record, sales of electric cars of this type spread across the continent.
1916 – World War I ends the Battle of Verdun. Considered one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of this conflict, it ended with the complete withdrawal of German forces commanded by Erich von Falkenhayn. During this battle, both French and German forces were killed and wounded.
1932 – Eduard Bernstein dies at the age of 82. Bernstein, was a German social-democratic theorist and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party, Bernstein had maintained a close association with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. But he began to criticize the views held by Marxism when he tried and challenged the Marxist materialist theory of history.
1958 – The SCORE Project, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched for the first time. Launched aboard an Atlas rocket on December 18, 1958, SCORE gave the second test of a space communication system. He caught the world’s attention by broadcasting a Christmas message on a shortwave radio from US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1972 – During the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon announces that the United States will bomb North Vietnam in Operation Linebacker II. This bombing operation, was launched in the Christmas period, after peace talks with North Vietnam, failed. During this operation, several American planes were shot down, while on the other hand, thousands of Vietnamese were left dead.
1980 – Christina Aguilera is born in New York. Aguilera is an American singer, actress and television personality. Her chords include five Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. With an estimated sales of 75 million records, she is one of the best-selling music artists in the world.
1981 – Mehmet Shehu, who was part of the international brigades in the Spanish War, commander of the 1st Assault Brigade, min. Minister of Interior, Minister of Defense and Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Albania. Shehu is included in the list compiled by the Institute for the Study of the Crimes and Consequences of Communism, which summarizes the participants who have direct responsibility for the crimes of the Albanian Communist Party and the National Liberation Army, being, according to law no. 41, members of political and military structures “who have inspired, organized, ordered, executed or assisted partisan forces in criminal acts”. After the liberation of Albania, he was sent to study in the Soviet Union. In the period 1945-1946 he studied at the Military Academy “Voroshilov” in Moscow. After completing his studies he returned to Albania where in 1947 he was appointed Chief of General Staff. In the period 1948-1954 he served simultaneously as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs. From 1954 to 1981 he was Prime Minister (Prime Minister). He was among the only students from those who had been to Fultz Technical School who had not been executed. From 1948 to 1981 he was a member of the Politburo. He spoke 5 foreign languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. The official version of the time shows that he committed suicide in Tirana on December 18, 1981. The circumstances of Mehmet Shehu’s death raise the suspicion that he may have been killed, according to an article on Llambi Ziçishti, a member of the medical team that went to the former prime minister’s house to confirm the causes of death.
1981 – The first flight of the Russian Tu-160 heavy strategic bomber takes place. This model is considered to be the largest fighter aircraft in the world. Also the Tu-160, and the largest supersonic aircraft with variable wings. The active Tu-160 fleet has undergone renewal in electronic systems since the 2000s. The Tu-160 M modernization program began with the first aircraft updated in December 2014.
2006 – The United Arab Emirates holds its first elections. Parliamentary elections were first held in the UAE in December 2006 to elect half of the 40 members of the Federal National Council. Voting took place in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on 16 December, in Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah on 18 December, and in Sharjah, Ayman and Umm al-Qu’ain on 20 December.
