What Happened in December 1932

Historical Events

Kurt von Schleicher

Dec 4 Kurt von Schleicher succeeds Franz von Papen as Reich Chancellor of Germany

Einstein Granted Visa

Dec 5 German physicist Albert Einstein granted a visa to enter America

Dec 7 1st gyro-stabilized vessel to cross Atlantic arrives in NY
Dec 10 King Rama VII (Prajadhipok) grants Thailand a constitution
Dec 10 The "Great Emu War" ends: Emu's surprising resilience to bullets led to Emu victory over Australian military in Campion district, Western Australia
Dec 11 San Francisco's coldest day (27°F) - it snows
Dec 12 S N Behrman's "Biography" premieres in NYC
Dec 12 USSR & China resume diplomatic relations

Event of Interest

Dec 14 French government of Édouard Herriot falls

Prime Minister of France Édouard Herriot

Cardinals Trade Bottomley

Dec 17 St. Cardinals trade future Baseball HOF first baseman Jim Bottomley to Cincinnati Reds for Estel Crabtree & Ownie Carroll

Dec 18 National Football League Championship; Playoff, Chicago Stadium: Chicago Bears beat Portsmouth Spartans, 9-0
Dec 19 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) begins transmitting overseas
Dec 20 50-year-old Australian cricket Test spinner Bert Ironmonger captures 7-13 as Queensland dismissed for 74; Victoria wins by an innings & 139 runs in Melbourne

"The Mummy"

Dec 22 "The Mummy" directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff is released in the US - 1st Mummy horror film

Dec 24 Arturo Alessandri wins presidential election in Chile
Dec 25 7.6 magnitude earthquake ravages Qansu, China, kills 275

George V's Chair Collapses

Dec 25 During King George V's Christmas dinner speech his chair collapses

Dec 26 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's musical "Shuffle Along" opens at Mansfield Theater, NYC; runs for 17 performances

Emperor Hirohito Evades Assassination

Dec 27 Emperor Hirohito of Japan narrowly evades an assassination attempt by a Korean independence activist, Lee Bong-chang

Dec 27 Radio City Music Hall, designed by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey opens at Rockerfeller Center in Manhattan, New York City

"Flying Down to Rio"

Dec 29 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' 1st movie together "Flying Down to Rio", directed by Thornton Freeland, premieres in NYC

Dec 31 John P O'Brien sworn-in as mayor of NYC

Events in 1932

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Robert T. Herres, American air force officer (Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 2008)
Dec 3 Bob Cranshaw, American jazz bassist (Blue Note Records; Sonny Rollins; Stanley Turrentine; Duke Pearson), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016)
Dec 3 Corry Brokken, Dutch pop singer (1957 Eurovision), born in Breda, The Netherlands (d. 2016)
Dec 4 Édgar Valcárcel, Peruvian pianist and composer, born in Puno, Peru (d. 2010)
Dec 4 Joanne Battiste, artist (heroines) (d. 2009)
Dec 4 Roh Tae-Woo, 6th President South Korea (1988-93), born in Dong-gu, Daegu, South Korea
Dec 5 Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet, novelist and journalist who helped develop Dagestani in Russian literature, born in Khunzakhsky District, Soviet Union (d. 2016)
Dec 5 James Cleveland, American gospel singer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1991)

Little Richard (1932-2020)

Dec 5 American singer-songwriter and rock 'n' roll pioneer (Tutti Frutti), born in Macon, Georgia

Dec 5 Sheldon Lee Glashow, American theoretical physicist (Electroweak theory, Georgi–Glashow model), born in New York City

Ellen Burstyn (91 years old)

Dec 7 American Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress (The Exorcist; Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; Requiem for a Dream), born in Detroit, Michigan

Dec 7 François Lafortune Jr., Belgian rifle shooter (7 x Olympic Games 1952-1976, 50m Rifle, Prone Position), born in Visé, Belgium (d. 2020)
Dec 7 Gerard van den Berg, Dutch TV host (Like Father, Like Son), born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands (d. 2009)
Dec 7 Paul Caponigro, American photographer, primarily of landscapes, born in Boston, Massachusetts
Dec 9 Donald Byrd, American jazz trumpeter (Black Byrd), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2013)
Dec 9 Jessie Hill, American jazz musician (Ooh Poo Pah Doo), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1996)
Dec 10 Ross Taylor [Robert Murray Taylor], Scottish transplant surgeon who pioneered kidney transplantations in the U.K, born in Scotland (d. 2003)
Dec 11 Rob Heming, Australian rugby union lock (21 Tests; NSW, Manly RUFC), born in Namatanai, Papua New Guinea (d. 2023)
Dec 11 Wynn Irwin, American actor (Lotsa Luck, Sugar Time), born in New York City (d. 2018)

Bob Pettit (91 years old)

Dec 12 American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA MVP 1956, 59), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dec 14 Abbe Lane, American singer and wife of Xavier Cugat (Xavier Cugat Show), born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 14 Charlie Rich, American country vocalist (Behind Closed Doors), born in Colt, Arkansas (d. 1995)
Dec 14 Étienne Tshisekedi, Congolese opposition leader, born in Luluabourg, Central Congo (d. 2017)
Dec 14 George Furth, American actor and director (Tammy, Good Guys, Dumplings), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2008)
Dec 15 Curtis Fuller, American jazz trombonist (Yusef Lateef; John Coltrane; Farmer/Golson Jazztet), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2021)
Dec 15 Elaine Barkin (née Radoff), American composer, educator, music writer and editor (Perspectives of New Music, 1964-85), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2023)
Dec 15 Igor Štuhec, Slovenian contemporary classical composer (Entuziazmi; Differentiations), born in Kremberk, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia)
Dec 16 Quentin Blake, English illustrator, British Children's Laureate (1999-2001), born in Sidcup, England
Dec 16 Rodion Konstantinovich Schedrin, Soviet-Russian pianist, organist, and composer (The Little Hump-backed Horse), born in Moscow, Russia
Dec 18 Roger Smith, American actor (77 Sunset Strip), born in South Gate, California (d. 2017)
Dec 19 Salvador Elizondo, Mexican writer (Farabeuf; El grafógrafo), born in Mexico City (d. 2006)
Dec 20 John Hillerman, American actor (Magnum PI; Chinatown; Blazing Saddles), born in Denison, Texas (d. 2017)
Dec 20 Neil Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey linesman (1,744 NHL games; Hockey Hall of Fame), born in Plympton, Ontario (d. 2020)
Dec 21 Edward Hoagland, American essayist, born in New York City
Dec 21 Ilja Zeljenka, Slovak composer (Oświęcim), born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) (d. 2007)
Dec 22 Phil Woosnam, Welsh soccer striker (Wales 17 caps; Leyton Orient, West Ham United, Aston Villa) and manager (USA 1968), born in Powys, Wales (d. 2013)
Dec 23 Tertius Metcalf, English businessman, born in Essex, England (d. 1996)

Colin Cowdrey (1932-2000)

Dec 24 England cricket batsman (114 Tests, 7,624 runs @ 44.06), born in Udagamandalam, India

Dec 24 Cynthia Payne, English brothel madam, born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex (d. 2015)
Dec 24 On Kawara, Japanese conceptual artist, born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan (d. 2014)
Dec 25 Jose Maria Capricorne, Curacaos graphically designer/painter
Dec 25 Peter Swales, British soccer executive (Chairman Manchester City FC 1973-93; vice-president English FA), born in Manchester, England (d. 1996)
Dec 26 Don Furner, Australian rugby league forward (1 Test) and coach (Australia 15 Tests; Eastern Suburbs, Canberra Raiders), born in Condobolin, Australia (d. 2020)
Dec 26 Walter Leblanc, Belgian avant-garde painter and visual artist, born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1986)
Dec 28 Clem Schouwenaars, Flemish poet/writer
Dec 28 Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman (d. 2002)
Dec 28 Dorsey Burnette, American rockabilly singer ("Tall Oak Tree"; "Hey Little One"), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1979)
Dec 28 Harry Howell, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman (NY Rangers 1952-69), born in Hamilton, Ontario (d. 2019)
Dec 28 Manuel Puig, Argentina, writer (Blood of Requited Love)
Dec 28 Roy Hattersley, British journalist/Labour-parliament leader
Dec 28 [Grace] Nichelle Nichols, American actress (Star Trek - "Lt. Uhura") and singer (Down To Earth; "Fly Me To The Moon"), born in Robbins, Illinois (d. 2022)
Dec 29 Inga Swenson, American stage and screen actress (110 in the Shade; Benson - "Gretchen"), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2023)
Dec 31 Xavier Chamorro Cardenal, Nicaraguan journalist and newspaper editor (La Prensa; El Nuevo Diario), born in Granada, Nicaragua, (d. 2008)

Born in 1932

Famous Weddings

Elia Kazan

Dec 5 "East of Eden" director Elia Kazan (23) weds playwright Molly Day Thatcher (25)

Rosa Parks

Dec 18 Civil rights activist Rosa McCauley (19) weds Raymond Parks (29) in Montgomery, Alabama

Famous Deaths

Dec 1 Amadeo Vives, Spanish composer, dies at 61
Dec 4 Gustav Meyrink, writer, dies at 64
Dec 6 Eugene Brieux, French playwright (Blanchette, Lesson Avaries), dies at 74
Dec 12 Egon Richter, writer, dies
Dec 13 Georgios Jakobides, Greek painter (b. 1853)
Dec 18 Eduard Bernstein, German Marxist and revisionist, dies at 82
Dec 19 Yoon Bong-Gil, Korean activist (b. 1908)
Dec 24 Eyvind Alnæs, Norwegian pianist, organist, choral director, and composer, dies at 60
Dec 28 Jack Blackham, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (35 Tests, 4 x 50s, 61 dismissals; Victoria CA), dies at 78
Dec 28 Malcolm Whitman, American tennis player (US Nat C'ships 1898-1900), dies of suicide at 55

On This Day