What Happened in December 1942

Historical Events

Nuclear Chain Reaction

Dec 2 World’s 1st self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurs in Chicago Pile-1 (world's 1st nuclear reactor) at the University of Chicago, overseen by Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard

Works Progress Administration

Dec 4 FDR orders dismantling of Works Progress Administration

Dec 4 First US citizenship granted to an alien on foreign soil (James Hoey)
Dec 4 Holocaust: In Warsaw, Zofia Kossak-Szczucka and Wanda Filipowicz set up the Żegota organization
Dec 4 US bombers strike Italian mainland for first time in WW II
Dec 5 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto RCAF Hurricanes beat Winnipeg RCAF Bombers, 8-5
Dec 5 Seyss-Inquart orders students in nazi-Germany to work
Dec 5 West Indies chocolate/coffee drop above Netherland

Dutch Commonwealth Begins

Dec 6 Queen Wilhelmina announces Dutch Commonwealth

Queen of the Netherlands Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Dec 6 RAF bombs Philips factory (150 die)
Dec 7 USS New Jersey launched, built by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard - US's most decorated warship (decommissioned 1991)
Dec 8 8th Heisman Trophy Award: Frank Sinkwich, Georgia (HB)

Hitler Appoints Mussert

Dec 10 Adolf Hitler names Anton Mussert "leader of the Dutch people"

Early Report of the Holocaust

Dec 10 An early report of the Holocaust prepared by the Polish government-in-exile, using information obtained by Witold Pilecki, is addressed to UN member states

Polish Resistance Fighter Witold Pilecki

Dec 10 North Africa: 5th German panzer army forms under col-gen von Arnim
Dec 11 Australian Dutch guerrilla troops evacuated to Timor near Australia
Dec 12 A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland, kills 100 people
Dec 12 German offensive in South Western Stalingrad
Dec 13 National Football League Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins upset Chicago Bears, 14-6
Dec 13 Seyss-Inquart allows Dutch Nazi Anton Mussert to call himself Leader
Dec 15 Massachusetts issues 1st US vehicular license plate tabs
Dec 16 Hitler orders combat against partisans in Russia and the Balkans
Dec 17 Allies in London sentence German war criminals
Dec 19 Robert Stroud, convicted murdered, transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, where he becomes known as "Birdman of Alcatraz"
Dec 20 1st Japanese bombing of Calcutta
Dec 21 US Supreme court declares Nevada separation legal
Dec 22 World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon
Dec 23 Allies air attack on Den Helder, Netherlands
Dec 24 First powered flight of V-1 'buzz bomb', Peenemunde, Germany
Dec 24 Red army occupies German airports at Tasjinskaja & Morozowsk
Dec 25 Admiral Dalans murderer of Bosinier de la Chapelle, sentenced to death
Dec 25 British Colonel S W Bailey reaches Mihailovics headquarter
Dec 25 Soviet artillery and tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad
Dec 27 1st Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use
Dec 27 5th NFL All Star Game, Shribe Park, Philadelphia: NFL All-Stars beat Washington Redskins, 17-14
Dec 27 The Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia is founded.
Dec 28 Oberkommando Wehrmacht orders strategist flight out of Kaukasus
Dec 28 Robert Sullivan becomes 1st pilot to fly Atlantic 100 times

Sinatramania"

Dec 30 NYC's Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at Paramount Theater, initiating the term "Sinatramania"

Dec 31 Battle of the Barents Sea between British Navy and German Kriegsmarine off North Cape, Norway

Events in 1942

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 John Clauser, American physicist (Nobel Prize 2022 for experiments with entangled photons), born in Pasadena, California [1]
Dec 1 John Crowley, American sci-fi author (Deep, Beasts, Novelty)
Dec 1 Peter Kalikow, Queens real estate developer/publisher (NY Post), born in New York City
Dec 2 Ted Bluechel Jr, American rock vocalist and drummer (The Association, 1967-84 - "Windy"; "Cherish"), born in San Pedro, California
Dec 3 Alice Schwarzer, German journalist
Dec 3 Mike Gibson, Irish rugby union centre (69 caps Ireland, 12 British & Irish Lions, 9 Barbarians), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Dec 3 Pedro Rocha, Uruguayan soccer midfielder and manager (52 caps; Peñarol, São Paulo F.C.), born in Salto, Uruguay (d. 2013)
Dec 3 Peter Schultz, American scientist and co-inventor of optical fiber, born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 4 Bob Mosley, American rock bassist (Moby Grape), born in Paradise Valley, California
Dec 4 Gemma Jones, English actress (Bridget Jones's Diary), born in Marylebone, London
Dec 5 Daniel Revenu, French fencer (Olympic gold team foil 1968; bronze x 5; World C'ship gold 1971, 75), born in Issoudun, France (d. 2024)
Dec 5 Randy Kirby, American actor (Randy-Girl From UNCLE), born in Chicago, Illinois
Dec 6 Peter Handke, Austrian writer (A Sorrow Beyond Dreams), 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature, born in Griffen, Austria

Alex Johnson (1942-2015)

Dec 7 American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star, AL batting champion 1970, California Angels), born in Helena, Arkansas

Dec 7 Harry Chapin, American folk-rock singer-songwriter ("Taxi"; "Cat's in the Cradle"; "Mr. Tanner"), born in New York City (d. 1981)
Dec 7 Jonathan D. Kramer, American composer (Notta Sonata), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2004)
Dec 8 (Frederick) "Toots" Hibbert, Jamaican singer-songwriter (The Maytals - "Pressure Drop"), born in May Pen, Jamaica (d. 2020)
Dec 8 Bobby Elliott, British rock drummer (The Hollies), born in Burnley, Lancashire
Dec 8 Hemant Kanitkar, cricketer (batted in two Tests India v WI 1974)
Dec 8 Mario Savio, American political activist, born in New York City (d. 1996)
Dec 9 Alex Gilady, Israeli journalist (VP NBC Sports; Chairman IAAF Television Commission; 7 x Emmy Awards) and sports official (IOC), born in Tehran, Iran (d. 2022)
Dec 9 Billy Bremner, Scottish footballer (Leeds United), born in Stirling, Scotland (d. 1997)
Dec 9 Dick Butkus, American College-Pro Football HOF linebacker (Uni of Illinois; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1969, 70; 5×First-team All-Pro; 8xPro Bowl; Chicago Bears), sportscaster (CBS, ESPN) and actor (My Two Dads), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2023) [1]
Dec 9 Joe McGinniss, American author (The Selling of the President 1968), born in Rye, New York (d. 2014)
Dec 10 Beer Bossu [Berend Frederik Gertenbach], Dutch actor and vocalist (Pub Chantant), born in Amsterdam
Dec 11 Anna Carteret [Annabelle Wilkinson]. British stage and screen actress. (Juliet Bravo, 1983-85), born in Bangalore, British India
Dec 11 Derek Parfit, British philosopher who specialized in problems of personal identity, rationality and ethics, born in Chengdu, China (d. 2017)
Dec 11 Karen Susman, American tennis player (Wimbledon 1962), born in San Diego, California
Dec 13 Anna Eshoo, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California), born in New Britain, Connecticut

Ferguson Jenkins (81 years old)

Dec 13 Canadian Baseball HOF pitcher and coach (NL Cy Young Award 1971; MLB All-Star 1967, 71-72; Chicago Cubs; 3,000+ career strikeouts), born in Chatham, Ontario

Dec 14 David Band, British banker (BZW) (d. 1996)
Dec 14 Dick Wagner, American rock guitarist (the Frost), born in Oelwein, Iowa (d. 2014)
Dec 14 Rex Thompson, American actor (Young Bess, King & I, Her 12 Men), born in New York City
Dec 14 Zoe Laskari, Greek actress, born in Thessaloniki, Greece (d. 2017)
Dec 16 Donald Carcieri, American politician, governor of Rhode Island

Muhammadu Buhari (81 years old)

Dec 17 Nigerian military leader and politician (President of Nigeria 2015-), born in Daura, Katsina State

Dec 17 Paul Butterfield, American blues singer and harmonica player (Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Better Days), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1987)
Dec 18 Harvey Atkin, Canadian actor (Meatballs), born in Toronto, Canada (d. 2017)
Dec 19 "Mean" Gene Okerlund, American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), born in Brookings, South Dakota (d. 2019)
Dec 19 Cornell Dupree, American jazz and R&B session guitarist (Atlantic Records - Aretha Franklin), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2011)
Dec 19 Jean-Patrick Manchette, French thriller writer (3 to Kill, The Prone Gunman), born in Marseille, France (d. 1995)
Dec 19 Rufus [Jacques Narcy], French actor (Amélie), born in Riom, Puy-de-Dôme
Dec 20 Bob Hayes, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1964) and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver (3 x Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), born in Jacksonville, Florida (d. 2002)
Dec 20 Héctor Pulido, Mexican football midfielder (43 caps; Cruz Azul, Club Jalisco AC), born in Numaran, Mexico (d. 2022)
Dec 21 Carla Thomas, American soul and R&B singer ("Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)"; "Tramp"), born in Memphis, Tennessee

Hu Jintao (81 years old)

Dec 21 General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (2002-12) and President of the People's Republic of China (2003-13), born in Taizhou, Jiangsu

Dec 21 Reinhard Mey, German singer, born in Berlin, Germany
Dec 22 Dick Parry, English session and touring rock saxophonist (Pink Floyd - "Money"), born in Kentford, Suffolk
Dec 23 Friedrich Schenker, composer, born in Zeulenroda, Germany (d. 2013)
Dec 23 Jerry Koosman, American pitcher (NY Mets), born in Appleton, Minnesota
Dec 25 Barry Goldberg, American blues musician (The Rides), born in Chicago, Illinois
Dec 25 Françoise Dürr, French tennis player (French C'ships 1967; 11 Grand Slam doubles titles; Tour Finals doubles 1979), born in Algiers, French Algeria
Dec 25 Mani Kaul, director (Idiot, Nazar, Dhrupad, Duvidha)
Dec 26 Alain Plantefol, French rugby union second rower (11 Tests; Racing CF, SU Agen), born in Colombes, France (d. 2022)
Dec 26 Antonio Juliano, Italian soccer midfielder (13 caps; Napoli 394 games, Bologna), born in Naples, Italy (d. 2023)
Dec 26 Barry Wood, English cricketer (England opener in early 70's)
Dec 26 Earl Cate, American country singer and piano player (Cate Bros - Fire on the Tracks), born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Dec 26 Ernie Cate, American country singer and guitarist (Cate Bros - Fire on the Tracks), born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Dec 26 Gray Davis, former Governor of California
Dec 26 Rob de Nijs, Dutch pop singer (Put A Candle In Your Window), born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dec 26 Vinicio Cerezo, President of Guatemala (1986-91), born in Guatemala City
Dec 27 Byron Browne, baseball player
Dec 27 Charmian Carr, American actress (The Sound of Music), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2016)
Dec 27 Mike Heron, Scottish folk-rock singer-songwriter (Incredible String Band, 1965-74, 1999-2006), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Dec 28 Allan Schwartzberg, American pop, jazz, rock, and funk session and touring drummer (Mountain, James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, Peter Gabriel, Yoko Ono, Brecker Brothers), and bandleader (Geraldo Rivera's Goodnight America), born in New York City
Dec 28 Arild Hetleøen, Norwegian soccer central defender (4 caps; SK Brann), born in Bergen, Norway (2023)
Dec 28 Paul Horowitz, American physicist, META project (Sloan Award 1971-3), born in New York City
Dec 29 Rajesh Khanna, Indian Bollywood actor officially titled "The First Superstar of Indian cinema", born in Amritsar, Punjab Province (d. 2012)
Dec 30 Fred Ward, American actor (Escape From Alcatraz; The Right Stuff: Remo Williams; Thunderheart), born in San Diego, California (d. 2022)
Dec 30 Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian
Dec 30 Michael Nesmith, American rock guitarist (The Monkees), and singer-songwriter ("Different Drum"), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2021) [1]
Dec 30 Robert Quine, American rock guitarist (Lou Reed; Matthew Sweet; John Zorn), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2004)
Dec 30 Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and dissident
Dec 31 Andy Summers, English rock guitarist (Police - "Roxanne"), born in Blackpool, Lancashire

Born in 1942

Famous Divorces

Mary Astor

Dec 15 Actress Mary Astor (36) divorces film editor Manuel del Campo (29) after more than 4 years of marriage

Janet Leigh

Dec 28 American actress Janet Leigh (15) granted annulment of 4 month marriage to childhood sweetheart John Kenneth Carlisle (18)

Famous Deaths

Dec 2 Karen Jønsson née (Pedersen), Danish jazz singer, pianist, songwriter, composer, and actress, dies of pneumonia at 33
Dec 3 Arthur Berson, German meteorologist (Balloon flights, Amazon), dies at 83
Dec 3 Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Swedish composer and music critic, dies at 75
Dec 6 Amos Rusie, American Baseball HOF pitcher (Triple Crown & NL wins leader 1894; 5 × NL strikeout leader; pitched no-hitter 1891; NY Giants), dies at 71

Albert Kahn (1869-1942)

Dec 8 American architect known as the "architect of Detroit", dies at 73

Dec 11 Franz C. Schmelkes, Czech-born Chemist who discovered azochloramid (chlorazodin), a disinfectant, dies of a heart attack at 43
Dec 11 Jochen Klepper, German writer, journalist, and hymnist, commits suicide with his family as they faced Nazi persecution at 39
Dec 13 Eleanor Everest Freer, American composer, dies at 78
Dec 13 Wlodimir Ledochowski, Polish-Austrian director of the Society of Jesus (b. 1866)
Dec 14 Edo Fimmen, Dutch trade union leader, dies at 61
Dec 20 Dan Ahearn, Irish-American athlete (men's triple jump WR 15.52m 1911-24), dies at 54
Dec 20 Jean Gilbert [Max Winterfeld], German composer, dies at 63

Franz Boas (1858-1942)

Dec 21 German-American anthropologist and linguist (Mind of Primitive Man), dies at 84

Dec 21 Leendert Round, Dutch sculptor (Giraffen, Blijdorp), dies at 63

François Darlan (1881-1942)

Dec 24 French Admiral of the Fleet during WWII and Vichy Prime Minister (1941-42), assassinated at 61 in his headquarters in French North Africa by resistance fighter Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle

Dec 24 Friedrich Klose, German-Swiss composer (König Elf), dies at 80
Dec 24 K Balmont, writer, dies at 75
Dec 25 Vojislav Vuckovic, composer, dies at 32
Dec 26 Chris 'Red' Cagle, College Football Hall of Fame halfback (All American 1927, 28, 29; Army; NFL: New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of a fractured skull from a fall at 37
Dec 26 Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, French resistance fighter and assassin of Admiral of the Fleet and Vichy Prime Minister François Darlan, executed by firing squad at 20
Dec 27 William Morgan, American physical education instructor and inventor of "mintonette" (now known as volleyball), dies at 72
Dec 28 Alfred Flatow, German gymnast (Olympic gold 1896), dies at 73
Dec 29 Frank Dawson Adams, Canadian geologist, dies at 83
Dec 30 Neville Henderson, British diplomat and Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Nazi Germany (1937-39), dies at 60

On This Day