| Year
| Event Description
| Class
| Action |
|
The Bush administration agrees to write off Iraq's debts to the United States totalling $4.1 billion, racked up during the regime of Saddam Hussein. |
|
profile |
|
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking and the sales of tobacco products. |
|
profile |
|
Iraqi rebels attack a vehicle in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing three "foreigners" who were carrying small automatic weapons. The attackers took the weapons before setting the car on fire. |
|
profile |
|
Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, expresses that he has serious concerns about Donald Rumsfeld's leadership. The company providing armored vehicles to soldiers in Iraq says it can make more of them, obviously contradicting Rumsfeld's claim that the Pentagon is getting them as quick ... |
|
profile |
|
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, a democrat joins several other senators in calling for the resignation of US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He tells National Public Radio and several other interviewers that he has lost confidence in Rumsfeld. Republican senators John McCain of Arizona and Trent Lot ... |
|
profile |
|
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan announces that "Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a great job leading our efforts at the Department of Defense to win the war on terrorism and to help bring about a free and peaceful Iraq, and the president is focused on working closely with him on those matters ... |
|
profile |
|
Afghan troops storm the main jail in the capital, Kabul, follwowing an escape attempt that escalates into a day-long siege that left several dead. |
|
profile |
|
U.S. light crude soared $2.10 to $46.28 a barrel, for a week gain of 14% with prices at their highest level since early December. London Brent was up $1.96 at $43.39 a barrel. Analysts attribute the reason to be frigid weather lingering in the Northeastern United States as well as bin Laden's audi ... |
|
profile |
|
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces that the governors of 20 U.S. states must slash levels of tiny particles spewed by power plants, cars and other sources by 2008. The |
profile |
|
The US State Department places Al-Manar, the television station of Lebanon's Hezbollah militants, on its list of terrorist organizations and the next day it loses its satellite feed into the United States.
"We don't see |
|
profile |
|
Stars and Stripes, the newspaper devoted to military news, publishes a statement provided by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the issue of a rubber stamp being used for his signature on the death notifications to family of soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Specially, Rumsfeld w ... |
|
profile |
|
Pfizer shares plung after the company announces its arthritis drug Celebrex posed "increased cardiovascular risk" when used in high doses. Celebrex is a COX-2 inhibitor drug similar to Vioxx, which Merck withdrew from the market in September over similar health issues. |
|
profile |
|
Gold +2.1 NAS -8.53 S&P -8.91 DOW -55.72 CRB +4.20 USD -0.3 |
|
profile |
|
Insurance and finance company Conseco Inc. files for Chapter 11 protection in the third-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. |
|
profile |
|
House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston admitted that he had had extramarital affairs. |
|
profile |
|
The people of Brazil vote Fernando Collor de Mello, a conservative, into the Presidency. |
|
profile |
|
The Soviet Union performs a nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR. |
|
profile |
|
U.S. Congress forms the "Irangate" committee. |
|
profile |
|
Eugene Hasenfus, the American convicted by Nicaragua for his part in running guns to the Contras, is pardoned and released. |
|
profile |
|
Members of the Italian left-wing Red Brigades kidnap Brigadier General James L. Dozier, the highest-ranking U.S. Army official in southern Europe, from his home in Verona. Dozier would be rescued 42 days later. |
|
profile |
|
OPEC (Oil Producing Export Countries) raise the price of oil by 18%. |
|
profile |
|
France performs a nuclear test on Muruora Island. |
|
profile |
|
WTCG Channel 17 in Atlanta, owned and operated by Ted Turner, begins to uplink its signal to a satellite transponder and give it to cable operations across the country for free. It is the first “Superstation.” |
|
profile |
|
Turner Broadcasting's Superstation, WTBS in Atlanta, goes National. |
|
profile |
|
Lynette ''Squeaky'' Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford. |
|
profile |
|
India and Pakistan establish a new Line of Control in Kashmir. |
|
profile |
|
First transmission for Radio Bangladesh. |
|
profile |
|
India and Pakistan agree on a ceasefire in Kashmir. |
|
profile |
|
Poland's shipworkers in Gdansk strike. |
|
profile |
|
Japanese-Americans are released from U.S. detention camps . |
|
profile |
|
The Graf Spee, a German pocket battleship, is scuttled by its crew off Montevideo, Uruguay.
|
|
profile |
|
Col. William Mitchell's court martial concludes with a guilty verdict and the sentence is suspension from rank, command and duty with forfeiture of pay and allowances for five years.
|
|
profile |
|
Field Marshal Sir John French is replaced by Sir Douglas Haig, serving as British overall commander. |
|
profile |
|
Turkish authorities expel Jews from Tel Aviv. |
|
profile |
|
J.P. Morgan writes a letter to Nikola Tesla indicating that he will not advance him any more money. |
|
profile |
|
Wilbur and Orville Wright achieve 12 seconds of sustained and controlled flight of Flyer I, a heavier than air machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. |
|
profile |
|
The $1.5 Million Ellis Island Immigration Station is completed. |
|
profile |
|
South American patriot Simón Bolívar dies in Colombia. |
|
profile |
|
At Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, the Continental Army led by Washington sets up winter quarters |
|
profile |
|
The nation of France recognizes US independence from Great Britain. |
|
profile |
December 17