3 December 1967 - Prof Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant. The patient was 54 year old Louis Washkansky, the donor 25 year old Denise Darvall who had been killed in a car crash. The operation was performed at the Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Washkansky lived for 18 days after the transplant. 

5 December 1839 - Lt Col George Armstrong Custer born in Ohio.

Is it you Tommy who's been to Little Big Horn? Much there? 

5 December 1839 - Lt Col George Armstrong Custer born in Ohio.

Is it you Tommy who's been to Little Big Horn? Much there? 

‍Yes, on my motorcycle. A rather desolate place which is either on or near the Crow Indian Reservation. Was there by happenstance on the anniversary of the battle & caught the re-enactment which was spectacular. When walking the trails up to the last stand site there were signs, "beware of the rattle snakes." Did not come across any.

There are many battlefields over here, but unless there's a re-enactment going on there's nothing to see. The more famous ones have visitor centres, but good as they are, once you go outside there's nothing to see but fields and open country. No matter how good your imagination is it's impossible to conjour up a bloody battle going on in front of you. 

I once visited the site of the battle of Waterloo, which as you know is not actually Waterloo, which is 2 miles away. The battlefield covers a surprising amount of ground and it would take all day to get to see it. We stopped at a cafe and visitors shop and our placemats on the table were maps of the dispositions of the two armies, so I got my bearings from it. I didn't have long, as I had to get back to Brussels. One thing that did surprise me, considering that the Belgiums were on Wellington's side, was the almost total lack of reference to the allied side. The place was a complete shrine to Napoleon and the French. The souvenir shops were Napoleon dispensaries and the only reference to Wellington were a few postcards with his picture on. You could buy a full size bust of Napoleon and his face covered dozens of items, from cups, plates, paintings, postcards and umbrellas etc etc.

Difficult to know under what title to post this..... 'Islamorealism' or here, 'On this date.' 30 years ago today a student by the name of Marc Lepine walked into a classroom in Montreal, ordered all of the men to leave the room and then shot the remaining fourteen girls. The murderer is always referred to as Marc Levine in today's compliant, culturally masochistic Canada but he wasn't a French Canadian, as the state would wish everybody to believe, his real name was Gamil Gharbi, a muslim son of a muslim Algerian wife beater, whose totally brutalised wife told the court that her husband was a rabid woman hater. Like father like son eh? These facts cut no ice in modern Canada, whose male population is either Abdul whipped daily or pussy whipped. His real name is never mentioned, as it would detract from the feminist opportunity to condemn all men for this atrocity, that all men are potential women murderers and let's face it, when did anybody in the whole western world ever hear a woman's lib, or feminist organisation EVER criticise Islam? Islam wants women obediently receptive and silent and feminists dutifully comply.

7 December 1941 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Leaving aside the controversy over how much Roosevelt and Churchill knew beforehand it would be interesting to discuss just how successful it was for the Japanese. Obviously it was a great success as far as it went - over 3000 killed, three ships destroyed and another 15 damaged some of which took two and a half years to repair and 188 aircraft destroyed, 159 damaged. However the 4.5 million barrel petroleum store was undamaged, if it had been then America's recovery would have been far lengthier. And of course the aircraft carriers were at sea on 7 December and survived. Apparently the Japanese Fleet sailed with the expectation that the US carriers would be at Pearl, but en route they heard from spies in Hawaii that the carriers had sailed out in early December, nevertheless the decision to carry on was made it being too far down the line to abort. There were discussions in the immediate aftermath about seeking out the carriers and attacking them at sea, but the Japanese Commander decided against such a move citing the difficulty of locating them and the losses he had suffered among his aircraft (29 lost, 74 damaged).

7 December 1941 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Leaving aside the controversy over how much Roosevelt and Churchill knew beforehand it would be interesting to discuss just how successful it was for the Japanese. Obviously it was a great success as far as it went - over 3000 killed, three ships destroyed and another 15 damaged some of which took two and a half years to repair and 188 aircraft destroyed, 159 damaged. However the 4.5 million barrel petroleum store was undamaged, if it had been then America's recovery would have been far lengthier. And of course the aircraft carriers were at sea on 7 December and survived. Apparently the Japanese Fleet sailed with the expectation that the US carriers would be at Pearl, but en route they heard from spies in Hawaii that the carriers had sailed out in early December, nevertheless the decision to carry on was made it being too far down the line to abort. There were discussions in the immediate aftermath about seeking out the carriers and attacking them at sea, but the Japanese Commander decided against such a move citing the difficulty of locating them and the losses he had suffered among his aircraft (29 lost, 74 damaged).

‍Always an interesting topic for debate. As a young man back in the 60's I read a book The Shame of Pearl Harbor. I did this on the recommendation of a really old guy who was in his late forties at the time & a conspiracy theorist. Since then I have read many others on this topic & the many other conspiracies that are the rage among us. Anyway, the synopsis from that book was that Churchill gave the info to FDR & the two politicians knew in advance about the attack. Churchill was begging FDR to get the U.S. involved & FDR knew we eventually had to but it was very unpopular with the voters here. Not another European War, we should stay out with the manufacturing sector booming supplying the kit for the war "over there." FDR never thought the devastation would be that great & was shocked at the destruction & how unprepared we truly were. The next day he requested a declaration of war upon Japan & congress agreed almost unanimously except for one female member. Then a couple of days later Hitler declared war on us & voila, the conspiracy was complete when the U.S. policy was from then on, Germany First. The author of the book further theorizes that FDR was so distraught & depressed over Pearl Harbor that he shot himself in 1945 & it was a bullet not a stroke that killed him. This of course was covered up because we cannot have a POTUS committing suicide. Bad politics.

The attack was a temporary success but a long term failure for the Japs. The carriers were missed as were the oil tanks. Nagumo got cold feet regarding launching another wave of planes to take out the oil reserves which turned out to be a huge faux pas on his part. After that it was just a matter of time & attrition took over against the Japs.

Detective Tommy's analysis is that we knew in advance thanks to Churchill & British Intelligence & everything worked out in the long run. Of course WWII turned the U.S. into a super power & the world's policeman ever since, taking over from GB. But the burden of the crown came with the heavy price we have seen to this day.

I can't believe that FDR shot himself four years later, especially as the tide was definitely in the Allies favour by then.

I've never quite got to the bottom of where the first Japanese attack took place. They bombed Singapore, Wake Island and Midway Island and landed in Malaya and Thailand at the same time and with the different time zones it's not clear which attack went in first.  

11 December 1936 - Edward VIII abdicated.

King for 11 months his abdication document was signed and witnessed on 10 December and he made his famous abdication radio broadcast that same evening. But it only became official once an Abdication Act had been passed by Parliament, which it did on the afternoon of the 11th. 

13 December 1577 - Francis Drake sailed on his circumnavigation of the world.

In June 1579 he reached California, only the second European to do so, claiming the territory for England and naming it New Albion. He stayed for six weeks before sailing out across the Pacific returning to England in September 1580. 

The English made no attempt to assert their claim to New Albion and the Spanish eventually settled the area in the 1770s. 

14 December 1861 - Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, died. Husband of Queen Victoria. His early death at the age of 42 was attributed to typhoid fever due to bad drains at Windsor Castle. However the fact that no-one else at the Castle suffered from typhoid and a more recent review of his symptoms have concluded that he may have been suffering from renal failure, Crohn's Disease or even cancer. Victoria was famously distraught at his death and blamed her son, the Prince of Wales as it was after a meeting with him that he fell mortally ill. The Prince of Wales was at Cambridge University in 1861 and over the summer recess he joined the Grenadier Guards at Curragh Camp in Ireland. Here the 19 year old Prince had a "liaison" with the "actress" Nellie Clifden. News reached his parents after his return to university in the autumn and at the end of November Prince Albert travelled to Cambridge to have it out with him. They walked in the grounds in the pouring rain which resulted in the physical collapse from which Prince Albert never recovered.

13 December 1577 - Francis Drake sailed on his circumnavigation of the world.

In June 1579 he reached California, only the second European to do so, claiming the territory for England and naming it New Albion. He stayed for six weeks before sailing out across the Pacific returning to England in September 1580. 

The English made no attempt to assert their claim to New Albion and the Spanish eventually settled the area in the 1770s. 

‍But to the north which is now Oregon & Washington state, the English did lay claim to. It turned into the 54-40 or fight thingy that was later resolved with compromise.

16 December 1773 - The Boston Tea Party. We know all about that, so instead here's something less well known

16 December 1838 - The Battle of Blood River.

By the 1830s the Boers of Cape Colony, South Africa had become disillusioned with British rule, so parties of settlers headed north into uncharted Zulu territory in search of land. The first settlement was wiped out by the Zulus early in 1838 so a larger well armed group led by Andries Pretorius headed north in December seeking revenge. They camped by the Ncome river and formed a defensive kraal inviting the Zulus to attack. 

On 16 December an army of Zulus estimated to be up to 20,000 strong under Dambuza attacked the Boer kraal which numbered less than 700. The result was a massacre. Armed with spears and clubs the Zulus failed to break the defensive wall and fell in huge numbers to the Boer guns. After several hours of fighting the Zulu's fled leaving around 3000 dead and dying, the Boers did not lose a single man.

The river Ncome was renamed Blood River and 16 December became a national day for the Boers. After the victory more settlers headed north and a year later they established the Republic of Natalia.        

 ‍December 15

1799 - George Washington died at Mount Vernon, his home in Virginia. The day before doctors had removed 5 to 7 pints of his blood in an attempt to save him.

1819 - Alabama was admitted as the 22nd U.S. state.

1911 - Explorer Roald Amundsen & his party became the first humans to reach the South Pole.

2001 - After Hurricane Michelle devastated Cuba the U.S. sent a commercial shipment of food for the first time since 1962.

2012 - A gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School & Newtown Connecticut before taking his own life.

16 December 1773 - The Boston Tea Party. We know all about that, so instead here's something less well known

16 December 1838 - The Battle of Blood River.

By the 1830s the Boers of Cape Colony, South Africa had become disillusioned with British rule, so parties of settlers headed north into uncharted Zulu territory in search of land. The first settlement was wiped out by the Zulus early in 1838 so a larger well armed group led by Andries Pretorius headed north in December seeking revenge. They camped by the Ncome river and formed a defensive kraal inviting the Zulus to attack. 

On 16 December an army of Zulus estimated to be up to 20,000 strong under Dambuza attacked the Boer kraal which numbered less than 700. The result was a massacre. Armed with spears and clubs the Zulus failed to break the defensive wall and fell in huge numbers to the Boer guns. After several hours of fighting the Zulu's fled leaving around 3000 dead and dying, the Boers did not lose a single man.

The river Ncome was renamed Blood River and 16 December became a national day for the Boers. After the victory more settlers headed north and a year later they established the Republic of Natalia.        

‍What did the Brits do to the Dutch to cause them to move? Did these lead to the Boer War much later?

I've got Washington dying and Amudsen reaching the South Pole on 14 December.

The Boers felt oppressed under British rule, we were introducing our own settlers threatening to outnumber the Boers, so they set off in search of a land they could call their own.

After the defeat of the Zulus the Boers established a number of states north of the British Cape Colony which existed in an uneasy peace with the British and the displaced Zulus. However by the 1880s they had evolved into the two Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State which stood in the way of our dream of a Cape to Cairo railway, hence the 1st Boer War 1880-81 which they won. We were not going to let it rest after that and the 2nd Boer War erupted in 1899 which, after early setbacks, we won in 1902 and annexed the errant Republics. 

I've got Washington dying and Amudsen reaching the South Pole on 14 December.

The Boers felt oppressed under British rule, we were introducing our own settlers threatening to outnumber the Boers, so they set off in search of a land they could call their own.

After the defeat of the Zulus the Boers established a number of states north of the British Cape Colony which existed in an uneasy peace with the British and the displaced Zulus. However by the 1880s they had evolved into the two Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State which stood in the way of our dream of a Cape to Cairo railway, hence the 1st Boer War 1880-81 which they won. We were not going to let it rest after that and the 2nd Boer War erupted in 1899 which, after early setbacks, we won in 1902 and annexed the errant Republics. 

‍Correct Mark, typo for the 15th. Rest of my post should be the 14th as well.

South Africa was Dutch but during the Napoleonic era the King of the Netherlands fled to Britain, where we got to work on him and told him that if we didn't move into South Africa the French would and on that note he signed up to become part of the British Empire.

17 December 1903 - The Wright Brothers make the first aeroplane flight.

At Kitty Hawk NC Wilbur and Orville Wright built and flew the world's first fixed wing powered aircraft. They made three flights that day; Orville first covering 120 feet in 12 seconds, then Wilbur 175 feet in 53 seconds and finally Orville again 500 feet in 61 seconds.    

And a mere 66 years later the US lands a man on the moon, how astonishing is that?

18 December 1865 - Slavery abolished in the USA by the 13th Amendment.

So it wasn't Abraham Lincoln after all, he'd been assassinated eight months earlier. 

18 December 1865 - Slavery abolished in the USA by the 13th Amendment.

So it wasn't Abraham Lincoln after all, he'd been assassinated eight months earlier. 

‍Lincoln gets the "Great Emancipator" label for the Emancipation Proclamation which is issued right after the northern victory at Gettysburg which would have been 1863. He waited until then because he needed a victory to proclaim it & up till then the south appeared to be winning. Gettysburg was the turning point of the war.

19 December 1783 - William Pitt appointed Prime Minister.

At the age of 24 Pitt was GB's youngest PM. His administration was known from day one as the "Plum Pudding Administration" as it was not expected to survive beyond Christmas. He defied all expectations remaining as PM for 17 years until 1801. 

 ‍1582 between Oct. 4 & Oct. 15 - Nobody was born in continental Europe. This was due to a quirk in the calendar which was being transitioned from one kind to another.

GB and her colonies did not adopt the new calendar until 1752 so there was no-one born in GB or the British colonies in north America between 2 and 13 September 1752. Countries such as Russia and Turkey did not change until the early 20th century, hence the two Russian Revolutions in 1917, the February and the October taking place, according to our calendar, in March and November.  

If you really want to fry your brain with this look at the mess Sweden got itself into when it tried to reform its calendar in the early 18th century.

20 December 1860 - South Carolina seceded from the Union.

Within days of the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 the South Carolina General Assembly designated it a hostile act. A Convention called for December voted 169-0 to secede from the Union and the resolution was adopted on 20 December.  

GB and her colonies did not adopt the new calendar until 1752 so there was no-one born in GB or the British colonies in north America between 2 and 13 September 1752. Countries such as Russia and Turkey did not change until the early 20th century, hence the two Russian Revolutions in 1917, the February and the October taking place, according to our calendar, in March and November.  

If you really want to fry your brain with this look at the mess Sweden got itself into when it tried to reform its calendar in the early 18th century.

‍Mark, historically GB separated herself from the rest of Europe. In fact many Brits do not consider themselves Europeans. So why in the hell are you in the EU in the first place? Even then you were smart enough to keep the pound sterling separate.

21 December 1945 - Gen. George Patton died. I'll leave his military career to those who know more than I do, this is about his death. On 8 December 1945 Patton was travelling in a chauffeur driven car near Speyer, Germany with Maj-Gen Gay when it collided at low speed with a US Army truck. Patton hit his head on the glass partition causing bleeding, he immediately complained of a paralysis and breathing difficulties. He was taken to a Military Hospital at Heidelberg where he was found to have a broken neck and a severed spinal cord. He died in his sleep 13 days later.