^B{^#!16!10 December^N! Feast day of St Gregory, pope, St Edmund Gerhings, St Eustace White, St John Roberts, St Eulalia of Merida, St Swithin Wells, Saints Mannas, Hermogenes and Eugrphus, St Polydore Plaaden, and St Melchiades or Miltiades.
^B{1768^B} The Royal Academy of Arts was founded in London by George III, with Joshua Reynolds as its first president. ^B{1845^B} Pneumatic tires were patented by Scottish civil engineer Robert Thompson. ^B{1898^B} Cuba became independent of Spain following the Spanish-American War. ^B{1901^B} Nobel Prizes were first awarded. ^B{1941^B} The Royal Naval battleships ^I{Prince of Wales^I} and ^I{Repulse^I} were sunk by Japanese aircraft in the Battle of Malaya. The leaders of the 12 EC nations ended their two-day summit and agreed on the treaty of Maastricht, pledging closer political and economic union.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}CΘsar Franck, Belgian composer, ^B{1822^B}; Emily Dickinson, US poet, ^B{1830^B}; William Plomer, South African author, ^B{1903^B}; Olivier Messiaen, French composer and organist, ^B{1908^B}; Dorothy Lamour, US film actress, ^B{1914^B}; Kenneth Branagh, British actor and director, ^B{1960^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Paolo Uccello, Italian painter, ^B{1475^B}; Leopold I, King of the Belgians, ^B{1865^B}; Alfred Nobel, Swedish industrialist and philathropist, ^B{1896^B}; Damon Runyon, US writer, ^B{1946^B}; Otis Redding, US soul singer and songwriter, ^B{1967^B}; Jascha Heifetz, US violinist, ^B{1987^B}.
