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Washington Monument completed

Born on This Day

Agnes Moorehead

1900 - 1974

Actress who starred in "Citizen Kane" and is best known as Endora on TV's "Bewitched."

Ira Gershwin

1896 - 1983

Lyricist known for his collaboration with brother George on hits "I Got Rhythm" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Patsy Mink

1927 - 2002

The first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress. Civil rights, women's rights and education reform advocate.

Agnes MooreheadGetty Images

Ira GershwinCorbis/VCG via Getty Images

Patsy MinkCBS via Getty Images

1957

DEC6

Two months after Sputnik reached orbit, the first US attempt to launch a satellite ends in spectacular failure when the rocket rises four feet before crashing down into the launch pad and exploding. Press dubs the attempt “Flopnik” and “Kaputnik.”

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on December 6th

13th Amendment ratified

On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, officially ending the institution of slavery, is ratified. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, the […]

The Monongah coal mine disaster

In West Virginia’s Marion County, an explosion in a network of mines owned by the Fairmont Coal Company in Monongah kills 361 coal miners. It was the worst mining disaster in American history. In 1883, the creation of the Norfolk and Western Railway opened a gateway to the untapped coalfields of southwestern West Virginia. New […]

The Great Halifax Explosion

At 9:05 a.m., in the harbor of Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the most devastating manmade explosion in the pre-atomic age occurs when the Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, explodes 20 minutes after colliding with another vessel. More than 1,800 people died. As World War I raged in Europe, the port […]

Irish Free State declared

The Irish Free State, comprising four-fifths of Ireland, is declared, ending a five-year Irish struggle for independence from Britain. Like other autonomous nations of the former British Empire, Ireland was to remain part of the British Commonwealth, symbolically subject to the king. The Irish Free State later severed ties with Britain and was renamed Eire, […]

“Ulysses” is ruled not obscene

On December 6, 1933, a federal judge rules that Ulysses by James Joyce is not obscene. The book had been banned immediately in both the United States and England when it came out in 1922. Three years earlier, its serialization in an American review had been cut short by the U.S. Post Office for the […]

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FDR to Japanese emperor: “Prevent further death and destruction”

President Roosevelt—convinced on the basis of intelligence reports that the Japanese fleet is headed for Thailand, not the United States—telegrams Emperor Hirohito with the request that “for the sake of humanity,” the emperor intervene “to prevent further death and destruction in the world.” The Royal Australian Air Force had sighted Japanese escorts, cruisers, and destroyers […]

Ernie Davis becomes first Black player to win Heisman Trophy

On December 6, 1961, Syracuse running back Ernie Davis becomes the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy—college football’s top individual award—beating Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson. Earlier in day, Davis meets with President John Kennedy at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. “I never thought I’d ever be shaking the hand of the President of […]

Murder at the Altamont Festival brings the 1960s to a violent end

On December 6, 1969, in a shocking act of violence, a Hells Angel biker stabs to death an 18-year-old concertgoer a during a set by the British rock group Rolling Stones at the Altamont music festival. Altamont, a new festival in Northern California, was the brainchild of the Stones, who hoped to cap off their […]

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