December 6, 1877 – At his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, Thomas Eddison spoke the children’s verse “Mary had a Little Lamb…” while demonstrating his newly-invented phonograph.
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 1937 and they live out the rest of their lives as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
December 7, 1941 – The Japanese attack the U. S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii leaving nearly 3,000 Americans dead and leading to the U. S. entry into World War II.
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.