1602 - A surprise attack by forces under the command of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva.
1868 - Brazil defeats Paraguay at the Battle of Avay during the Paraguayan War.
1872 – King Kamehameha V of Hawaii dies on his 42nd birthday, ending the line of the Kamehamehas. His cousin, William Charles Lunalilo, succeeds him as King.
1927 - Guangzhou Uprising: Communist militia and worker red guards launch an uprising in the city of Guangzhou, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of the Guangzhou Soviet.
1958 - French Upper Volta and French Dahomey, in western Africa, gain self-government from France, becoming the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin) respectively.
1972 – Apollo 17 becomes the last manned mission to land on the Moon.
1978 - The Lufthansa heist carried out at JFK International Airport near New York City by an associate of the Lucchese Crime Family, James Burke. At least $5 million in cash (17.9 million) and $875,000 ($3.1 million) worth of jewels are stolen.
2019 - Time Magazine names climate change activist Greta Thunberg as its Person of the Year; she is the youngest person to be named as such, being almost 17 years old at the time of the announcement.