History Events on December 21

World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.

#World_War_II

The Chilean Army commits a massacre of at least 2,000 striking saltpeter miners in Iquique, Chile.

#Chilean_Army

American settlers in Nacogdoches, Mexican Texas, declare their independence, starting the Fredonian Rebellion.

#Nacogdoches,_Texas

Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.

#Medal_of_Honor

Challenger expedition: HMS Challenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.

#Challenger_expedition

Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

#Plymouth_Colony

United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, called the Nepal-Britain Treaty of 1923, which superseded the Treaty of Sugauli signed in 1816.

#Nepal

The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control.

#Bethlehem

The Battle of Linuesa is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the forces of the Emirate of Granada and the combined army of the Kingdom of Castile and of Jaén resulting in a Castilian victory.

#Battle_of_Linuesa

The Spanish Civil Guard intercepts a van loaded with 950 kg of explosives that ETA intended to use to blow up Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain.

#Civil_Guard_(Spain)

A Dutch DC-10, flight Martinair MP 495, crashes at Faro Airport, killing 56.

#Netherlands

First flight of F-14 multi-role combat aircraft.

#Grumman_F-14_Tomcat

Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans.

#Apollo_program

Conrad III of Germany besieges Weinsberg.

#Conrad_III_of_Germany

Iraq War: A suicide bomber killed 22 at the forward operating base next to the main U.S. military airfield at Mosul, Iraq, the single deadliest suicide attack on American soldiers.

#Iraq_War

The city of Ryazan is sacked by the Mongol army of Batu Khan.

#Ryazan

The Roman Senate declares Vespasian emperor of Rome, the last in the Year of the Four Emperors.

#Roman_Senate

World premiere of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

#Henrik_Ibsen

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is adopted.

#International_Convention_on_the_Elimination_of_All_Forms_of_Racial_Discrimination

First flight of the Junkers Ju 88 multi-role combat aircraft.

#Junkers_Ju_88

A bomb explodes on board Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, killing 270. This is to date the deadliest air disaster to occur in British soil.

#Pan_Am_Flight_103

The first flight of Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest aircraft in the world.

#Antonov_An-225_Mriya

Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216 overshoots the runway at La Aurora International Airport, killing 18.

#Cubana_de_Aviación_Flight_1216

An underground explosion at the Hulton Bank Colliery No. 3 Pit in Over Hulton, Westhoughton, England, kills 344 miners.

#Pretoria_Pit_disaster

Lancaster House Agreement: An independence agreement for Rhodesia is signed in London by Lord Carrington, Sir Ian Gilmour, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Bishop Abel Muzorewa and S.C. Mundawarara.

The Geneva Conference on the Arab-Israeli conflict opens.

Louis Washkansky, the first man to undergo a human-to-human heart transplant, dies in Cape Town, South Africa, having lived for 18 days after the transplant.

"Bloody Christmas" begins in Cyprus, ultimately resulting in the displacement of 25,000-30,000 Turkish Cypriots and destruction of more than 100 villages.

An 8.1 Mw earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Nankaid?, Japan, kills over 1,300 people and destroys over 38,000 homes.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre.

American anarchist Emma Goldman is deported to Russia.

Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.

The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, the first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army, are formed.

The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers commences business at its cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement.

Egyptian-Ottoman War: Egyptian forces decisively defeat Ottoman troops at the Battle of Konya.

Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile.

Pope Honorius II is consecrated, having been elected after the controversial dethroning of Pope Celestine II.