December 19: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

The Supreme Court of Colorado ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to run again for President.

Ultimately, it was Trump's actions in the lead-up to the January 6 storming of the Capitol building that put him in hot water. On March 4, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the ruling as states cannot rule on federal matters.

Dozens of people died after drinking bath lotion in Siberia.

Due to ongoing economic difficulties in Russia, citizens would look for alternatives to purchasing alcohol. In this case, 48 people died after drinking bath lotion, thinking it contained alcohol. The mistake was a result of mislabeling, where the product claimed to contain drinkable ethanol.

South Korea elected Park Geun-hye as the nation’s first female President.

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first Lord of the Rings film, was released in theaters.

The movie made $47 million during its opening weekend and $871 million worldwide.

The US House of Representatives voted to impeach President Bill Clinton, forwarding the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.

The crew of the Union Star lost their lives along with all eight lifeboat volunteers who tried to save them.

The Union Star's engines had failed off the coast of Cornwall, UK. The ship drifted towards dangerous rocks when the Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat Solomon Browne went to their aid. Unfortunately, while attempting to rescue the crew, both the lifeboat and the ship capsized, claiming all sixteen lives.

The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, returned to Earth.

Stanley Kubrick’s X-rated film “A Clockwork Orange” premiered, which was based on the book by Anthony Burgess.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt was presumed dead after being swept out to sea by a riptide.

Holt was driving along the Victorian coastline with four companions when he decided to stop in at one of his favorite beaches. The weather was rough, but still, he decided to go for a swim. He was suddenly caught in a riptide and pulled out of sight, never to be seen again.

The US Office of Censorship was created to control info relating to World War II.

The Williamsburg suspension bridge opened.

Connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Williamsburg Bridge held the record for the longest suspension bridge span for its first 21 years.

The first Negro Catholic priest, Charles Uncles, was ordained in the US.

A Christmas Carol by English author Charles Dickens was published.

This popular novella sold out by Christmas Eve, selling 6,000 copies. Since then, "A Christmas Carol" has never gone out of print.

William Pitt the Younger became the youngest British Prime Minister ever at age 24.

The three ships carrying settlers who would later found Virginia, the first of the Thirteen Colonies, departed England.