December 1 in History

• 1924

  December 1, 1924:

  The musical, “Lady, Be Good” whose music was provided by George Gershwin premieres on Broadway.

• 1953

  December 1, 1953:

  Hugh Hefner publishes the first issue of his magazine, Playboy and features Marilyn Monroe in the centrefold.

• 1955

  December 1, 1955:

  Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, violates the segregation rules by refusing to give up her Montgomery, Alabama bus seat for a white passenger and gets arrested.

• 1958

  December 1, 1958:

  Fire breaks out at the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois, killing 95 people.

• 1959

  December 1, 1959:

  12 countries sign the Antarctic Treaty to designate the Antarctic continent as a demilitarized zone for the purpose of scientific research.

• 1971

  December 1, 1971:

  John Lennon and Yoko Ono release the Christmas song, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”.

• 1988

  December 1, 1988:

  World AIDS Day is celebrated for the first time.

• 1994

  December 1, 1994:

  Actor Richard Gere and singer Cindy Crawford announce their separation.

• 2000

  December 1, 2000:

  Vicente Fox is sworn in as the President of Mexico.

• 2003

  December 1, 2003:

  The epic fantasy adventure film, “The Return of the King” is premiered in Wellington, New Zealand.