This Day In History

Anthropologist Margaret Mead was born on December 16, 1901, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She would go on to become one of the most influential and recognizable social scientists of the 20th century, known for bringing the study of culture and human behavior to a wide public audience.

On December 15, 1864, Union forces launched the decisive Battle of Nashville, delivering one of the most crushing Union victories of the Civil War. The battle ended the last major Confederate offensive in the West and broke the already-weakened Army of Tennessee beyond repair.

Margaret Madeline Chase Smith was born on December 14, 1897, in Skowhegan, Maine. A trailblazing legislator, she was the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress and was one of the longest-serving female US senators.

World War I hero Alvin Cullum York was born on December 13, 1887, in Pall Mall, Tennessee. One of America’s most decorated soldiers of World War I, York earned the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross, among others.

Music history took an unforgettable turn on December 4, 1956, when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash all happened to end up at Sun Studios on the same day. What began as a coincidence quickly became one of the most legendary and unplanned jam sessions in American music history.

Composer Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin was born on November 25, 1862, in the small community of Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a family where creativity and education were highly valued, and this early environment helped shape the course of his life. Nevin would go on to become one of the most expressive American composers of the late 19th century, known for his emotional piano pieces and memorable songs.

On November 13, 1940, Walt Disney premiered Fantasia—a film unlike anything audiences had ever seen. Combining animation and classical music, Fantasia was a bold experiment in art, sound, and imagination. It pushed the boundaries of animation and transformed film into something that could be felt as much as seen.

Playwright and director Moss Hart was born on October 24, 1904, in New York City, New York. From humble beginnings in the Bronx, he rose to become one of Broadway’s most celebrated writers and directors, shaping American theater with his wit, warmth, and imagination.

Military and political leader Simón Bolívar died on December 17, 1830, in Santa Marta, Gran Colombia. Freeing Venezuela from Spanish control, he became known as The Liberator and has also been called the “George Washington of South America.”

Author and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier was born on December 17, 1807, at his family’s rural homestead in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

On December 17, 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successful heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

On December 17, 1925, the seven-week court-martial of World War I aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell came to an end.  He was charged for his public criticism of the military in its rejection of the importance of air power.