^B{^#!16!30 December^N! Feast day of St Sabinus of Spoleto, St Anysia, St Anysius, and St Egwin.
^B{1460^B} At the Battle of Wakefield, in the Wars of the Roses, the Duke of York was defeated and killed by the Lancastrians. ^B{1879^B} Gilbert and Sullivan's ^I{The Pirates of Penzance^I} was first performed, at Paignton, Devon, UK. ^B{1880^B} The Transvaal was declared a republic by Paul Kruger, who became its first president. ^B{1887^B} A petition to Queen Victoria with over one million names of women appealing for public houses to be closed on Sundays was handed to the home secretary. ^B{1919^B} Lincoln's Inn, in London, UK, admitted the first female bar student. ^B{1922^B} The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formed. ^B{1947^B} King Michael of Romania abdicated in favor of a Communist Republic. ^B{1988^B} Colonel Oliver North subpoenaed President Reagan and Vice President Bush to testify at the Irangate hearings.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}AndrΘ Messager, French composer, ^B{1853^B}; Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, ^B{1865^B}; Carol Reed, English film director, ^B{1906^B}; Bo Diddley, US rhythm and blues singer, ^B{1928^B}; Tracey Ullman, English comedienne, ^B{1959^B}; Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete, ^B{1961^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Robert Boyle, Irish physicist and chemist, ^B{1691^B}; Amelia Bloomer, US social reformer, ^B{1894^B}; Grigoriy Efimovich Rasputin, Siberian mystic, ^B{1916^B}; Trygve Lie, Norwegian politician and diplomat, ^B{1968^B}; Richard Rodgers, US composer, ^B{1979^B}.
