Editing December 22 (section)

===1901–present===
*[[1906]] &ndash; An {{M|w}} [[1906 Manasi earthquake|7.9 earthquake strikes Xinjiang]], China, killing at least 280.<ref name="CHINA: XINJIANG PROVINCE">{{cite web |title=CHINA: XINJIANG PROVINCE |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/2794 |website=NGDC NCEI |publisher=NCEI |access-date=17 March 2021}}</ref>
*[[1920]] &ndash; The [[GOELRO|GOELRO economic development plan]] is adopted by the 8th [[All-Russian Congress of Soviets|Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR]].
*[[1921]] &ndash; Opening of [[Visva-Bharati College]], also known as [[Santiniketan]] College, now [[Visva-Bharati University|Visva Bharati University]], India.
*[[1937]] &ndash; The [[Lincoln Tunnel]] opens to traffic in New York City.<ref>{{cite book|title=Traffic Engineering|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2qQqpxYBBEkC|year=1936|publisher=Institute of traffic engineers|page=174}}</ref>
*[[1939]] &ndash; [[Islam in India|Indian Muslims]] observe a "[[Day of Deliverance (India)|Day of Deliverance]]" to celebrate the resignations of members of the [[Indian National Congress]] over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter [[World War II]] with the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reminiscences of the Day of Deliverance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4PAcAAAAMAAJ|year=1976|publisher=National Committee for Birth Centenary Celebrations of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan|page=12}}</ref>
*[[1940]] &ndash; World War II: [[Himara]] is captured by the Greek army.
*[[1942]] &ndash; World War II: [[Adolf Hitler]] signs the order to develop the [[V-2 rocket]] as a weapon.
*[[1944]] &ndash; World War II: [[Battle of the Bulge]]: [[Nazi Germany|German]] troops demand the surrender of United States troops at [[Bastogne]], [[Belgium]], prompting the famous one word reply by General [[Anthony McAuliffe]]: "Nuts!"
*  1944   &ndash; World War II: The [[People's Army of Vietnam]] is formed to resist [[Japanese occupation of French Indochina|Japanese occupation of Indochina]], now [[Vietnam]].
*[[1945]] &ndash; U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman]] issues an [[executive order]] giving [[World War II evacuation and expulsion|World War II refugees]] precedence in visa applications under U.S. immigration quotas.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1945: Key Dates|url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/1945-key-dates|access-date=2022-01-17|website=encyclopedia.ushmm.org|language=en}}</ref>
*[[1948]] &ndash; [[Sjafruddin Prawiranegara]] established the [[Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia]] (''Pemerintah Darurat Republik Indonesia'', PDRI) in [[West Sumatra]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abdullah |first1=Taufik |title=Indonesia: Towards Democracy |date=2009 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-366-0 |page=574 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c39TDpLki8wC&dq=emergency+government+indonesia+22+december+1948&pg=PA574 |language=en}}</ref>
*[[1963]] &ndash; The [[cruise ship]] ''[[TSMS Lakonia|Lakonia]]'' burns {{convert|180|mi|km|order=flip}} north of [[Madeira]], Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jay Robert|last=Nash|author-link=Jay Robert Nash|title=Darkest hours: a narrative encyclopedia of worldwide disasters from ancient times to the present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5EYAAAAIAAJ|year=1976|publisher=Nelson-Hall|isbn=978-0-88229-140-6|page=321}}</ref>
*[[1964]] &ndash; The first test flight of the [[Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird|SR-71]] (Blackbird) takes place at [[United States Air Force Plant 42|Air Force Plant 42]] in [[Palmdale, California]], United States.
*[[1965]] &ndash; In the United Kingdom, a {{convert|70|mph|km/h}} [[speed limit]] is applied to all rural roads including [[Controlled-access highway|motorway]]s for the first time.
*[[1968]] &ndash; [[Cultural Revolution]]: ''[[People's Daily]]'' posted the instructions of [[Mao Zedong]] that "[[Sent-down youth|The intellectual youth]] must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."
*[[1971]] &ndash; The international aid organization [[Médecins Sans Frontières|Doctors Without Borders]] is founded by [[Bernard Kouchner]] and a group of journalists in [[Paris]], [[France]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Médecins Sans Frontières|Doctors Without Borders]]|title=Who We Are|url=https://www.msf.org/who-we-are>|access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref>
*[[1973]] &ndash; A [[Royal Air Maroc]] [[Sud Aviation Caravelle]] [[1973 Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crash|crashes]] near [[Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport|Tangier-Boukhalef Airport]] in [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]], killing 106.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-N OO-SRD Tangier-Boukhalef Airport (TNG)|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19731222-1|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-21|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=[[Aviation Safety Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421080130/http://www.aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19731222-1 |archive-date=2005-04-21 }}</ref>
*[[1974]] &ndash; [[Grande Comore]], [[Anjouan]] and [[Mohéli]] [[1974 Comorian independence referendum|vote]] to become the independent nation of [[Comoros]]. [[Mayotte]] remains under French administration.
*  1974   &ndash; The house of former British Prime Minister [[Edward Heath]] is attacked by members of the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]].
*[[1975]] &ndash; U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]] creates the [[Strategic Petroleum Reserve (United States)|Strategic Petroleum Reserve]] in response to the [[1970s energy crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oil and Gasoline Fast Facts|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/30/world/oil-and-gasoline-fast-facts/index.html|access-date=2022-01-13|website=CNN|date=30 July 2013 }}</ref> 
*[[1978]] &ndash; The pivotal Third Plenum of the [[11th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]] is held in Beijing, with [[Deng Xiaoping]] reversing [[Mao Zedong|Mao]]-era policies to pursue a program for [[Chinese economic reform]].
*[[1984]] &ndash; "Subway vigilante" [[Bernhard Goetz]] shoots four would-be muggers on a [[2 (New York City Subway service)|2]] express train in [[Manhattan]] section of New York, United States.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ron|last=Christenson|title=Political Trials in History: From Antiquity to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBdOvs2THGEC&pg=PA162|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-4128-3125-3|pages=162}}</ref>
*[[1987]] &ndash; In [[Zimbabwe]], the political parties [[Zimbabwe African National Union|ZANU]] and [[Zimbabwe African People's Union|ZAPU]] reach an agreement that ends the violence in the [[Matabeleland]] region known as the [[Gukurahundi]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn%3Anbn%3Ase%3Anai%3Adiva-251 |title=Towards a New Partnership with Africa: Challenges and Opportunities |author2=Adebayo O. Olukoshi |author3=Lennart Wohlgemuth |author4=Nordiska Afrikainstitutet |publisher=Nordic Africa Institute |year=1998 |isbn=978-91-7106-422-6 |pages=78}}</ref>
*[[1989]] &ndash; [[Romanian Revolution]]: [[Communism|Communist]] [[President of Romania]] [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] is overthrown by [[Ion Iliescu]] after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife Elena flee [[Bucharest]] in a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jouffroy-Lucien Radel|title=Reconstructing the Western Alliance: Europe & the U.S.A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3InAQAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Lakesider Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-9625359-0-1|page=74}}</ref>
*  1989   &ndash; [[German reunification]]: Berlin's [[Brandenburg Gate]] re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of [[East Germany|East]] and [[West Germany]].
*[[1990]] &ndash; [[Lech Wałęsa]] is [[1990 Polish presidential election|elected]] [[President of Poland]].
*  1990   &ndash; Final independence of [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Federated States of Micronesia]] after termination of [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands|trusteeship]].
*[[1992]] &ndash; During approach to [[Tripoli International Airport]], a [[Boeing 727]] operating as [[Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103]] collides in mid-air with a [[Libyan Air Force]] [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23]], killing 157 people.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-2L5 5A-DIA Tripoli International Airport (TIP)|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19921222-0|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-21|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307072731/http://aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19921222-0 |archive-date=2005-03-07 }}</ref>
*[[1996]] &ndash; [[Airborne Express Flight 827]] crashes in [[Narrows, Virginia]], killing all six people on board.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9705.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411233907/http://ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9705.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-11 |url-status=live|title=Uncontrolled Flight into Terrain, ABX Air (Airborne Express) Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, Narrows, Virginia, December 22, 1996|date=July 15, 1997|website=ntsb.gov|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|id=NTSB/AAR-97/05|access-date=September 5, 2019}}</ref>
*[[1997]] &ndash; [[Acteal massacre]]: Attendees at a prayer meeting of [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] activists for [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] causes in the small village of [[Acteal]] in the Mexican state of [[Chiapas]] are [[wikt:massacre|massacred]] by [[paramilitary]] forces.
*  1997   &ndash; [[Somali Civil War]]: [[Hussein Farrah Aidid]] relinquishes the disputed title of [[President of Somalia]] by signing the [[Attempts at reconciliation in Somalia (1991–2004)#1997 Cairo Peace Conference / Cairo Declaration|Cairo Declaration]], in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]. It is the first major step towards [[Attempts at reconciliation in Somalia (1991–2004)|reconciliation in Somalia]] since 1991.
*[[1999]] &ndash; Just after taking off from [[London Stansted Airport]], [[Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509]] crashes into [[Hatfield Forest]] near [[Great Hallingbury]], killing all four people on board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-2B5F (SCD) HL7451 Great Hallingbury|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19991222-0|url-status=live|access-date=2020-04-19|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050310111221/http://aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19991222-0 |archive-date=2005-03-10 }}</ref>
*[[2001]] &ndash; [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]], political leader of the [[Northern Alliance]], hands over power in [[Islamic State of Afghanistan]] to the interim government headed by [[President of Afghanistan|President]] [[Hamid Karzai]].
*  2001   &ndash; [[Richard Reid]] attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard [[2001 failed shoe bomb attempt|American Airlines Flight 63]].
* [[2008]] &ndash; An ash dike [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill|ruptured]] at a solid waste containment area for a [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] [[Kingston Fossil Plant|coal-fired power plant]] in [[Roane County, Tennessee]], releasing {{convert|1.1|e9USgal|e6m3|order=flip|abbr=unit}} of [[coal]] [[fly ash]] [[slurry]] in the largest industrial spill in U.S. history.<ref name=natgeo19>{{cite news |last=Bourne |first=Joel K. |date=February 19, 2019 |title=Coal's other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water, destroy life and toxify people |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219140212/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |work=National Geographic |access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref>
*[[2010]] &ndash; The [[Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010|repeal]] of the [[Don't ask, don't tell]] policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=J Ford Huffman|author2=Tammy S. Schultz|author3=Marine Corps University Press (U.S.)|title=The End of Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The Impact in Studies and Personal Essays by Service Members and Veterans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4s8WlVjgCjkC&pg=PT66|date=3 December 2012|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-091558-1|pages=66}}</ref>
*[[2012]] &ndash; [[Bashir Ahmad Bilour]] of [[Awami National Party]] and eight others are killed in a [[Pakistan]] [[Taliban]] bomber suicide attack in Dhaki Nalbandi area near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.dawn.com/news/773214| title = Suicide attack kills senior minister Bilour, eight others in Peshawar| date = 22 December 2012}}</ref>
*[[2016]] &ndash; A study finds the [[VSV-EBOV]] vaccine against the [[Ebola virus]] between 70 and 100% effective, thus making it the first proven vaccine against the disease.
*[[2017]] &ndash; [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397]] against North Korea is unanimously approved.
*  2017   &ndash; President [[Donald Trump]] signs the [[Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-28|title=Donald Trump - Key Events {{!}} Miller Center|url=https://millercenter.org/president/trump/key-events|access-date=2022-01-11|website=millercenter.org|language=en}}</ref>
*[[2018]] &ndash; A [[2018 Sunda Strait tsunami|tsunami]] caused by an eruption of [[Anak Krakatau]] in Indonesia kills at least 430 people and injures almost a thousand more.
*  2018   &ndash; The [[2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown]], the longest [[Government shutdowns in the United States|shutdown]] of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] in history, begins.<ref>"[https://millercenter.org/president/trump/key-events Donald Trump - Key Events | Miller Center]". ''millercenter.org''. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-11.</ref>