WHAT HAPPENED ON 10. DECEMBER
Want to find out what all happened on 10. December

The worst night of the Brown Dog riots in London, when 1,000 medical students clash with 400 police officers over the existence of a memorial for animals that have been vivisected. (10. December 1907)

Selma Lagerlöf becomes the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (10. December 1909)

The first transcontinental flight across the United States is completed. Calbraith Perry Rodgers began the flight on 17 September 1911, taking off from Sheepshead Bay, New York. (10. December 1911)

The phrase "Grand Ole Opry" is used for the first time on-air. (10. December 1927)

Thailand becomes a constitutional monarchy. (10. December 1932)

Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII signs the Instrument of Abdication. (10. December 1936)

World War II: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse are sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers near Malaya. (10. December 1941)

World War II: Battle of the Philippines – Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on the Philippine mainland. (10. December 1941)

The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (10. December 1948)

Chinese Civil War: The People's Liberation Army begins its siege of Chengdu, the last Kuomintang-held city in mainland China, forcing President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek and his government to retreat to Taiwan. (10. December 1949)

Mighty Mouse Playhouse premieres on American television. (10. December 1955)

Zanzibar gains independence from the United Kingdom as a constitutional monarchy, under Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. (10. December 1963)

The Grateful Dead's first concert performance under this new name. (10. December 1965)

Japan's biggest heist, the still-unsolved "300 million yen robbery", is carried out in Tokyo. (10. December 1968)

The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. (10. December 1976)

Arab-Israeli conflict: Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin and President of Egypt Anwar Sadat are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (10. December 1978)

Kaohsiung Incident: Taiwanese pro-democracy demonstrations are suppressed by the KMT dictatorship, and organizers are arrested. (10. December 1979)

Democracy is restored in Argentina with the inauguration of President Raúl Alfonsín. (10. December 1983)

Mongolian Revolution: At the country's first open pro-democracy public demonstration, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announces the establishment of the Mongolian Democratic Union. (10. December 1989)

The last shift leaves Wearmouth Colliery in Sunderland. The closure of the 156-year-old pit marks the end of the old County Durham coalfield, which had been in operation since the Middle Ages. (10. December 1993)