December 9, 1990 – Labor leader Lech Walesa wins a landslide victory in the Polish presidential election becoming their first democratically elected head of state since communist rule began after World War II.
December 11, 1936 – King Edward VIII announces in a radio address that he is abdicating the British throne citing his inability to govern without the support “of the woman I love.” He marries twice-divorced Wallis Simpson in 1937 and they live out the rest of their lives as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
December 11, 1898 – The Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War, is signed by President William McKinley. The U.S. acquires the territories of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
December 14, 1911 – Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen becomes the first person to reach the South Pole.