Historical data December 2024
Published: Friday, Nov 1st 2024, 10:21
Updated At: Saturday, Nov 2nd 2024, 00:59
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1
- One year ago (2023) ... the federal government lifted the rescue package for the energy company Axpo. In the fall of 2022, it had granted the holding company a credit line of CHF 4 billion due to severe market distortions and price premiums in Europe.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the first girls' shelter in Switzerland was opened in Zurich.
- 40 years ago (1984) ... the US aviation authorities carried out a crash test with a Boeing 720 remote-controlled passenger plane. The test is considered a failure with regard to an experimental fuel additive that was supposed to be less flammable, but led to suggestions for improving flight safety.
... the channel 3sat launched its program as a joint production of ZDF, ORF and SRG.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the "cocaine king" Pablo Escobar was born (†2.12.1993)
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the US musician John Densmore, drummer of the rock band The Doors, was born.
... the Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jeloun ("Arab Spring") was born.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the saxophonist of the British blues rock band "Rolling Stones", Bobby Keys, died. Guitarist Keith Richard described him as "the soul of rock'n'roll".
- 20 years ago (2004) ... Typhoon Nanmadol hit the Philippines and claimed around 1000 lives.
- 40 years ago (1984) ... the popular initiative "for effective protection of motherhood" was rejected.
- 50 years ago (1974) ... the Zurich SP Federal Councillor Max Weber died. He was a member of the government from 1951 to 1954. The pacifist, secretary of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions and financial scientist was also a member of the National Bank's Board of Directors. After his financial reform failed, the head of the Department of Finance and Customs announced his resignation. His surprise departure from the national government led to a crisis, after which the "magic formula" was introduced.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the German playwright Botho Strauss was born.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3
- One year ago (2023) ... the Valais patron of the arts and building contractor Léonard Gianadda died at the age of 88. His foundation with a sculpture park and annually changing exhibitions is one of the most important cultural institutions in Europe.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... the US musician Scatman John, best known for his hit "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop), died. He sold over 20 million records. (*13.3.1942)
- 30 years ago (1994) ... Sony launched the first version of the "PlayStation" games console in Japan.
- 40 years ago (1984) ... the biggest poison gas disaster in history occurred in Bhopal, India. Several tons of toxic substances were released into the atmosphere at an industrial plant due to human error. Up to 25,000 people died and 500,000 were injured.
- 90 years ago (1934) ... the Swiss ice hockey club EHC Kloten was founded. In the first few years, only friendly matches were played. Home games were played on the frozen Nägelimoos pond.
... the Swiss philosopher Hans Saner was born. Saner repeatedly expressed his views on current political and social issues and was regarded as a "philosopher who could be understood". He died on December 26, 2017.
- 130 years ago (1894) ... the British writer Robert Louis Stevenson ("Treasure Island", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", *13.11.1850) died.
- 140 years ago (1884) ... the Solothurn FDP Federal Councillor Walther Stampfli was born. He headed the Department of Economic Affairs from 1940 to 1947. Shortly before the end of his term of office, he succeeded in introducing old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV).
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
- 25 years ago (1999) ... the "Landesring der Unabhängigen" (LdU) founded by Gottlieb Duttweiler in 1936 was dissolved
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Swiss people approved a new health insurance law (KVG) for the first time since 1912, as well as a tougher approach to foreigners and asylum seekers (coercive measures in immigration law).
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the fast food chain Burger King was founded in Miami in the US state of Florida. It subsequently built up a worldwide restaurant network as a system catering company.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US actor Jeff Bridges was born.
- 90 years ago (1934) ... Japan's largest national park, Daisetsuzan National Park, was established, covering an area of over 2200 square kilometers.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the Belgian Queen Fabiola, who was given the symbolic title of "Queen of the Belgians" in 1993 after the death of her husband, King Baudoin, died. Fabiola stood with Baudoin at the head of Belgium for 33 years.
... Thuringia was the first German state to have a prime minister who belonged to the Left Party. The state parliament elected 58-year-old Bodo Ramelow in the second round of voting.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the US author Robert Lowry, an important inspirer of the Beat Generation, died. (*29.3.1919)
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the British author and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi (novel "Gabriel's Gift", screenplays for "My Wonderful Laundrette" and "Sammy and Rosie Do It") was born in London.
- 130 years ago (1894) ... the Reichstag building was opened in Berlin.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté ("Pestalozzi's Mountain", "Death of Mario Ricci", "Christ Only Came as Far as Eboli", *9.4.1933) died
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the Austrian-Swiss composer Beat Furrer was born in Schaffhausen.
- 130 years ago (1894) ... the Swiss banker and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the global electrical engineering group Brown, Boveri & Cie (now ABB), Walter E. Boveri, was born. Boveri was co-founder and operator of the first experimental reactor Saphir in Switzerland. He died in Zurich on March 20, 1972.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US musician Tom Waits was born.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the Convention on International Civil Aviation was signed in Chicago, creating the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8
- One year ago (2023) ... the Swiss illustrator and cartoonist Ted Scapa died at the age of 92.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the US actor René Auberjonois (*1.6.1940), the grandson of the Swiss painter of the same name, died. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway musical about Coco Chanel, "Coco" with Katharine Hepburn.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... the South American Community of States was founded with the Cuzco Declaration, which aims to unify the continent along the lines of the EU.
... Dimebag Darrell, guitarist of the American band Damageplan, and four other people were shot dead by a gunman at a concert in Columbus, Ohio.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... the bilateral agreements with the EU were approved by the National Council and the Council of States.
- 50 years ago (1974) ... almost 70 percent of voters in Greece decided in a referendum to abolish the constitutional monarchy in favor of a republic.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US director Nancy Meyers ("What Women Want", "The Intern") was born.
- 180 years ago (1844) ... the first Free Guard march took place in Switzerland: a thousand liberal-minded anti-clericals marched against Lucerne to overthrow the Catholic-conservative government. The plan failed. In response, the Catholic-conservative cantons formed a special alliance.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the Swedish musician Marie Fredriksson (Roxette) died. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September 2002. After several albums, Fredriksson died in 2019 at the age of 61 as a result of her cancer.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Swiss artist Max Bill died at the age of 85 in Berlin (*22.12.1908). He was one of the most important Swiss artists of the 20th century. He created countless design objects, paintings, sculptures, posters, graphic works and buildings.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the Valais Federal Councillor Josef Escher died at the age of 69 during a session of the National Council in the Federal Palace after collapsing. He was president of the Catholic Conservative People's Party of Switzerland from 1946 to 1950. As a Federal Councillor, he headed the Post and Railway Department.
... Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg politician, was born. He was Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1995-2013) and President of the European Commission (2014-2019).
- 90 years ago (1934) ... the British actress Judi Dench was born.
- 200 years ago (1824) ... the Spanish were defeated in the battle near the southern Peruvian city of Ayacucho and finally driven out of South America.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Arafat, Peres and Rabin.
- 50 years ago (1974) ... Helios 1 was the first space probe not built by the Soviet Union or the USA to be transported into space. Launched from Cape Canaveral, the German probe provided data for solar exploration after reaching its orbit around the sun.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the International Committee of the Red Cross was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the second time since 1917.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
- One year ago (2023) ... the Swiss former bishop Bernard Genoud was accused of sexual misconduct 14 years after his death. The former bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg is alleged to have abused a 19-year-old woman. It was the first time that a church personality of this rank had been directly accused in Switzerland.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... Russian troops invaded Chechnya. This marked the beginning of the first Chechen war.
- 100 years ago (1924) ... the German show host and actor Heinz Schenk was born ("Zum Blauen Bock"). He died on May 1, 2014.
- 130 years ago (1894) ... the Langenthal chemist Friedrich August Flückiger, an internationally recognized expert in pharmaceutical biology, died. (*15.5.1828)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the US actor Danny Aiello (*20.6.1933) died. His work for film and television includes more than 100 productions, in which he repeatedly played characters with an Italian-American background - for example in a supporting role as a mafioso in the thriller "Léon - The Professional" (1994).
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the first stage of the major Rail 2000 project was introduced.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... the US author Joseph Heller ("Catch-22", *1.5.1923) died
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the bilateral negotiations between Switzerland and the EU officially began two years after the No to the EEA.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the Swiss writer Beat Sterchi ("Blösch") was born.
... the British actor Bill Nighy ("Love Actually", "About Time") was born.
... the Austrian letter bomb assassin Franz Fuchs was born. (†26.2.2000)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
- One year ago (2023), Beat Jans, President of the Basel SP government, was elected to succeed Alain Berset in the Federal Council.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the German actor Gerd Baltus (*29.3.1932) died. He became known to a wide audience as a regular guest in crime series.
- 50 years ago (1974) ... a republic was proclaimed in Malta, previously a constitutional monarchy with the British Queen as head of state. The last Governor General Anthony Mamo became the first President.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky died in Neuilly-sur-Seine (F). He was an Expressionist artist and one of the pioneers of abstract art. He also lived and worked in Germany and France.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14
- One year ago (2023) ... the European Union decided to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Georgia was granted the status of an EU candidate country.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the Danish-French film actress, singer and writer Anna Karina died. She was discovered by Jean-Luc Godard and was married to him from 1961 to 1965.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... the Viaduc de Millau, designed by star architect Norman Foster, was inaugurated in the south of France. At 2460 meters, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. The highest pillar is 343 meters high. This makes the structure - apart from 2 transmission masts - the highest in France.
... the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) was founded as an alternative to the planned US-dominated Free Trade Area of the Americas with a contract between Cuba and Venezuela for the supply of Venezuelan oil by Hugo Chávez in return for the dispatch of Cuban doctors by Fidel Castro.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the German actress Eva Mattes ("Tatort" detective Klara Blum) was born.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... Cliff Williams, ex-bassist of AC/DC, was born.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
- One year ago (2023) ... the Federal Council adopted the draft for a new negotiating mandate with the European Union on future relations between Switzerland and the EU.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the US electronics engineer Chuck Peddle (*25.11.1937) died. He developed the MOS 6502 microprocessor, enabling home computers such as the Commodore PET 2001, the Commodore 64 and the Apple II. His technology was later replaced by others.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... intense rainfall and subsequent landslides in Venezuela claimed up to 50,000 lives and left 150,000 people homeless.
- 40 years ago (1984) ... the song "Last Christmas" by the pop group Wham!, composed by George Michael and one of the most played pop songs at Christmas time, was released by Epic Records.
- 60 years ago (1964) ... the Canadian House of Commons decided to introduce a new flag. The maple leaf flag was hoisted for the first time on February 15, 1965.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US actor Don Johnson ("Miami Vice") was born.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the US musician and jazz trombonist Glenn Miller died. (*1.3.1904). His plane disappeared without a trace over the English Channel on its way from London to Paris. He was one of the most successful musicians in the United States during the Second World War.
MONDAY, 16 DECEMBER
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the Taliban carried out a bloodbath in a school in the Pakistani border town of Peshawar. Over 130 people died, including 100 children. In revenge for a military operation in the tribal areas, the fighters broke into classrooms and started shooting.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... the US country singer Martha Carson died, according to Elvis Presley one of his greatest inspirations. (*19.5.1921)
- 25 years ago (1999) ... Günter Grass ("The Tin Drum") was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... construction began at Cern on what was then the world's most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the chemist Tracy Hall succeeded in reproducing synthetic diamonds using a press he developed himself.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top was born.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
- 10 years ago (2014) ... US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro announced a mutual rapprochement in relations between Cuba and the United States after more than 50 years of official diplomatic radio silence.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan became the first country in the world to ban the sale of tobacco products and smoking in public.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the Swiss director, producer and screenwriter Simon Aeby ("Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten") was born.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
- One year ago (2023) ... Pope Francis paved the way for the blessing of homosexual couples in the Catholic Church. In a letter published by the Vatican, there was talk of the "possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples".
- 5 years ago (2019) ... Peugeot (PSA) and Fiat-Chrysler merged. The new group, the fourth largest in the world, aims to produce 8.7 million vehicles per year. The group, which employs 400,000 people, includes the following car brands: Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Fiat, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia and Maserati. Larger than PSA-Fiat-Chrysler are Volkswagen, Toyota and Renault-Nissan.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga was the victim of a suicide attack by the LTTE. She was seriously injured.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Chauvet Cave was discovered in the south of France, which contains cave paintings that are around 30,000 years old.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the American actor Ray Liotta ("Good Fellas") was born.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the first edition of the French daily newspaper "Le Monde" was published. The nationally published paper is considered the most important opinion-forming newspaper in France alongside "Le Figaro".
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
- One year ago (2023) ... the Swiss cabaret artist Jürg Randegger died at the age of 88. After training as a primary school teacher, Randegger became a member of the well-known "Cabaret Rotstift" in 1965. He also hosted more than 400 Jass programs on television.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... the British actor Desmond Llewelyn, the Q from 17 Bond films, died. (*12.9.1914)
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the Swiss freeride doubles world champion Estelle Balet was born. She died aged just 21 while filming an avalanche (†19.4.2016)
- 40 years ago (1984) ... a joint declaration between the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom on Hong Kong's future status was signed in Beijing under the motto "One country, two systems".
- 90 years ago (1934) ... the Dutch show host and singer Rudi Carrell (Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar) was born. He enjoyed success on Dutch and German television with numerous TV shows ("Am laufenden Band" 1974-1979, "Rudis Tagesshow" 1981-1987, "Herzblatt" 1987-1993, "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe" 1996-2005). He died of lung cancer on July 7, 2006 in Bremen (Germany).
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the Mühleberg nuclear power plant (NPP) in the canton of Bern was shut down. The plant had been commissioned in 1972. The power plant produced around 2.5 billion kilowatt hours of electrical energy per year.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... Portugal returned Macau to the People's Republic of China.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the US writer and poet Sandra Cisneros was born. She was one of the most important representatives of Chicano literature. Chicano refers to Mexicans living in the USA and their descendants.
- 100 years ago (1924) ... the Schilling Bill Act was passed in Austria as part of a currency reform to replace the Krone with the Schilling, which was finally introduced on March 1, 1925.
... the German politician and later dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was released early from prison in Landsberg in Upper Bavaria for good behavior. He had been sentenced to five years in prison for a failed coup against the democratic Reich government in Berlin. While in prison, he wrote the first volume of "Mein Kampf".
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the French fashion designer Emmanuel Ungaro (*13.2.1933) died
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the Austrian-Swiss singer Udo Jürgens died on a walk in Gottlieben TG at the age of 80. (*30.9.1934)
- 40 years ago (1984) ... following protests and an occupation by activists, the Austrian government decided to stop the clearing of the Hainburger Au. They had warned of the destruction of floodplains by a planned hydroelectric power plant. The event was significant for Austria in terms of both environmental and democratic policy.
- 200 years ago (1824) ... the British doctor, pharmacist and palaeontologist James Parkinson died. He was the author of the first treatise on Parkinson's disease. Characteristic symptoms of the neurological disease are lack of movement, muscle rigidity and tremors.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
- One year ago (2023) ... the convicted murderer of the 16-year-old au pair girl Lucie was found dead in his cell in the Lenzburg AG prison. The authorities assumed it was suicide. The girl was murdered in 2009.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the Swiss football legend Fritz Künzli (*8.1.1946) died. He won the Swiss football championship twice with FC Zurich in the National League A in 1966 and 1968.
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the British singer Joe Cocker (*20.5.1944) died
- 50 years ago (1974) ... the East African islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli decided in favor of Comorian independence in a referendum. Only Mayotte voted to remain part of France.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... Maurice (†12.1.2003) and Robin Gibb (†20.5.2012) of the Bee Gees were born.
- 130 years ago (1894) ... the French officer Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to lifelong exile on Devil's Island in French Guiana for allegedly betraying military secrets to the German Reich ("Dreyfus Affair").
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
- 40 years ago (1984) ... a bomb exploded in an express train in the 18-kilometer Apennine tunnel between Florence and Bologna (I). 17 people died and 266 were injured. Totò Riina, the head of the mafia organization Cosa Nostra, was held responsible for the attack.
- 60 years ago (1964) ... the Fribourg CVP Federal Councillor Jean Bourgknecht died. He headed the Department of Finance from 1959 to 1962. He placed great emphasis on preserving the financial strength of the cantons, restraint in new federal expenditure and rigorous financial planning. Bourgknecht suffered a stroke in May 1962 and was subsequently unable to speak or write. On September 3, his family announced his resignation.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... doctor Joseph Edward Murray and his team in the US city of Boston performed the first successful kidney transplant in a five-and-a-half-hour operation. The identical twin Ronald Herrick donated a kidney to his brother Richard.
- 90 years ago (1934) ... the world's first T-bar ski lift, developed by Swiss mechanical engineer Ernst Constam, was put into operation in Davos.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
- 20 years ago (2004) ... Mikheil Saakashvili became the new president of Georgia. He triumphed over Eduard Shevardnadze in the so-called Rose Revolution.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the British playwright John Osborne (*12.12.1929) died. He achieved international fame with his work "Look Back in Anger", which became the programmatic text of the Angry Young Men and ushered in a new phase in the development of modern English theater.
- 50 years ago (1974) ... Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. It claimed 71 lives and led to a supply shortage in the remote town.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... Laos was declared independent at the Geneva Indochina Conference on condition of neutrality and the withdrawal of all communist and French troops.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the Scottish singer Annie Lennox was born.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US actress Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek ("Carrie", "An American Haunting", "Coal Miner's Daughter") was born.
- 125 years ago (1899) ... the US actor Humphrey Bogart ("Casablanca") was born. (†14.1.1957)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26
- One year ago (2023) ... the German CDU politician Wolfgang Schäuble died at the age of 81. He was considered an "animal politique" and was a minister for several years and President of Parliament from 2017 to 2021. He played a key role in negotiating the Unification Treaty. He had been paraplegic since an assassination attempt on his life in 1990.
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the US Broadway musical composer Jerry Herman (*10.7.1931) died. He wrote the music for the Broadway musical hits "Hello, Dolly!", "Mame" and "La Cage aux Folles".
- 10 years ago (2014) ... the Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed train line was officially put into operation in northwest China. It is 1777 kilometers long. The journey time should be reduced from 40 hours to around 12 hours.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... a magnitude 9.1 seaquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered huge tidal waves - tsunamis - that devastated the coasts of the Indian Ocean within a few hours. Around 230,000 people lost their lives, including over 100 from Switzerland. Among the dead was the Swiss author Otto Marchi ("Swiss History for Heretics", *13.4.1942).
... the rerun of the presidential election run-off in Ukraine was by and large fair. Viktor Yushchenko is subsequently elected President of Ukraine.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... storm "Lothar" claimed 14 lives in Switzerland and 15 million trees were uprooted. Material damage of almost 2 billion francs.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... a French special unit ended a plane hijacking at Marseille airport that had been started two days earlier in Algiers by four terrorists from the Groupe Islamique Armé. The four terrorists and four passengers shot by them died in the incident.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27
- One year ago (2023) ... the French economist and influential European politician Jacques Delors died at the age of 98. He was regarded as the "architect of modern Europe". He was President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... a helicopter crashed into a block of flats in Zurich. The pilot and passenger died and the building had to be evacuated due to the risk of explosion.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... Indonesia became independent from the Netherlands.
- 80 years ago (1944) ... the Swiss writer Markus Werner ("Am Hang") was born. (†3.7.2016)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
- One year ago (2023) ... the Swiss FDP politician and former Ticino public prosecutor Dick Marty died at the age of 78. He was a member of the Council of States in Ticino from 1995 to 2011, a member of the Council of Europe and a member of the OSCE Commission on Human Rights. He took energetic action against organized crime and drug abuse.
- 10 years ago (2014) ... an Air Asia Airbus crashed into the sea between Surabaya and Singapore. All 162 passengers on board died.
... fire broke out on the Italian ferry Norman Atlantik in a violent storm. The ship with 478 people on board was on its way from Patras in Greece to Ancona in Italy. Most of the passengers were rescued by helicopters. Seven people died.
... Dorothea Furrer, Swiss television presenter from 1964 to 1986, died. After the end of her television career, she worked as a qualified respiratory and speech therapist. She was 78 years old.
- 20 years ago (2004) ... the US author Susan Sontag died. She was regarded as a mediator between Europe and the USA and was a high-profile advocate of human rights. She was also known as a critic of cultural and social conditions and the US government.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the German actor Vincent zur Linden was born. He appeared in TV series and was a member of the Basel Theater ensemble.
- 70 years ago (1954) ... the US actor Denzel Washington ("Philadelphia") was born.
- 90 years ago (1934) ... the British actress Maggie Smith (Oscars for Best Leading Actress in "The Best Years of Miss Jean Brodie" and Best Supporting Actress in "California Suite") was born. She died on September 27, 2024.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
- One year ago (2023) ... Pelé passed away. The Brazilian is still the only footballer to have won the World Cup three times as a player. O Rei do Futebol (King of Football) scored 1279 goals in 1363 games between 1956 and 1977 (*23.10.1940)
- 100 years ago (1924) ... the Swiss poet and writer Carl Spitteler died. In 1920, he was the first Swiss to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. During the First World War, he advocated strict neutrality for Switzerland and despised German nationalism. He died in Lucerne.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
- 5 years ago (2019) ... the German actor Jan Fedder (*14.1.1955) died. He became famous for his portrayal of North German characters, in particular police officer Dirk Matthies in the TV series "Grossstadtrevier".
- 20 years ago (2004) ... a fire in a discotheque in Buenos Aires claimed 200 lives and injured 700 others.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... Beatle George Harrison (1943-2001) was seriously injured with a kitchen knife by a deranged man.
- 75 years ago (1949) ... the US dancer and choreographer William Forsythe was born.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31
- 20 years ago (2004) ... Taipei 101, the world's tallest office building until July 2007, was officially opened in the capital of Taiwan.
- 25 years ago (1999) ... Boris Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly. Prime Minister Putin took over the reins of office.
... the USA handed over the Panama Canal Zone to Panama.
- 30 years ago (1994) ... the "Yiddish Fred Astaire" Leo Fuchs (*15.5.1911) died.
... the US athlete and actor Woody Strode died. (*25.7.1914). He played in numerous US and Italian westerns.
- 120 years ago (1904) ... New York's Times Square was used for the first time to celebrate the New Year.
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