Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn was born on January 6, 1882, in Kingston, Tennessee. Famous for his integrity, Rayburn served as Speaker of the House of Representatives longer than anyone else and spent 49 consecutive years in Congress.
On December 21, 1913, the first modern crossword puzzle was published in the New York World. It began a popular hobby that is still enjoyed around the world over 100 years later.
On December 16, 1944, the Battle of the Bulge began. It was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war to involve the United States.
On December 15, 1944, big band leader and composer Glenn Miller was aboard a plane that disappeared over the English Channel. Miller had put his successful civilian music career on hold to serve in the US Army during World War II.
On December 14, 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state.
Lawrence Eugene Doby was born on December 13, 1923, in Camden, South Carolina. Doby was the second black player in Major League Baseball, the first in the American League, and the first to make it directly to the majors.
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This date is now celebrated as Human Rights Day.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. A day that will live in infamy, the attack prompted an unusual handling of the American flag, which became known as the Flag of Liberation.
US sailor Dorie Miller died on November 24, 1943, during the Battle of Makin. He had previously survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, for which he’d earned a Navy Cross.