December 14, 1896 – World War II General James “Jimmy” Doolittle is born in Alameda, California. In 1942, he led a squadron of B-25 bombers launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet to conduct the first American air raid of the war against Japan.
December 15, 1832 – French engineer Alexandre Eiffel is born in Dijon, France. Besides designing the Eiffel Tower, he also helped design the Statue of Liberty.
December 16, 1770 – Ludwig von Beethoven, considered the greatest orchestral composers who ever lived, is born in Bonn, Germany.
December 16, 1775 – British romance novelist Jane Austen is born in Hampshire, England.