Historical Events
- Dec 5 German-Swiss chemist Christian Freidrich Schoenbein obtains a patent for cellulose nitrate explosive
La Damnation de Faust
Dec 6 Hector Berlioz's dramatic oratorio "La Damnation de Faust" premieres, conducted by the composer at the Opéra-Comique, Paris
- Dec 28 Iowa becomes 29th state of the United States of America
Famous Birthdays
- Dec 2 Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, French politician (29th Prime Minister of France), born in Nantes, France (d. 1904)
- Dec 6 Henryk Jarecki, Polish composer, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1918)
- Dec 19 Ambrose Swasey, American mechanical engineer and inventor of telescopes, born in Exeter, England (d. 1937) [1]
- Dec 22 Andreas Hallén, Swedish composer, born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 1925)
- Dec 31 Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, Dutch socialist politician (1st Socialist MP in parliament), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1919)
- Dec 31 Richard Kleinmichel, German pianist, composer (Manon), and arranger (Wagner operas for piano), born in Posen, Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen (now Poznań, Poland) (d. 1901)
Famous Deaths
- Dec 23 Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
