^B{^#!16!18 December^N! Feast day of Saints Rufus and Zosimus, St Flannan, St Winebald, St Gatian, and St Samthan.
^B{1865^B} The US officially abolished slavery with the ratification of the ^B{13th Amendment. ^B{1903^B} The Panama Canal Zone was acquired 'in perpetuity' by the US, for an annual rent. ^B{1912^B} The immigration of illiterate persons to the US was prohibited by Congress. ^B{1912^B} The discovery of the Piltdown Man in East Sussex, England was announced; it was proved to be a hoax in ^B{1953. ^B{1969^B} The death penalty for murder was abolished in Britain. ^B{1970^B} Divorce became legal in Italy. ^B{1979^B} The sound barrier on land was broken for the first time by Stanley Barrett, driving at 739.6 mph, in California.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Joseph Grimaldi, English clown, ^B{1779^B}; Paul Klee, Swiss painter, ^B{1879^B}; Willy Brandt, German statesman, ^B{1913^B}; Betty Grable, US film actress, ^B{1916^B}; Keith Richards, British guitarist, ^B{1943^B}; Steven Spielberg, US film director, ^B{1947^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Antonio Stradivari, Italian violin maker, ^B{1737^B}; John Alcock, English aviator, ^B{1919^B}; Dorothy L Sayers, English author, ^B{1957^B}; Bobby Jones, US golfer, ^B{1971^B}; Ben Travers, British dramatist, ^B{1980^B}; Paul Tortelier, French cellist, ^B{1990^B}.
