Today in history: Dec. 1
Major events that happened around the world on this day in history.
1941: Japan's Emperor Hirohito
In 1941, Japan's Emperor Hirohito approved waging war against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands after his government rejected U.S. demands contained in the Hull Note.
1942: FDR Gasoline Rationing
In 1942, during World War II, nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States; the goal was not so much to save on gas, but to conserve rubber (as in tires) that was desperately needed for the war effort.
1952: Christine Jorge
In 1952, the New York Daily News ran a front-page story on Christine Jorgensen's sex-reassignment surgery with the headline, "Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty".
1955: Rosa Parks
In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus; the incident sparked a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.
1965: Cuban Refugees
In 1965, an airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.
1974: TWA Flight 514 Crash
In 1974, TWA Flight 514, a Washington-bound Boeing 727, crashed in Virginia after being diverted from National Airport to Dulles International Airport; all 92 people on board were killed.
1991: Collapse of Soviet Union
In 1991, Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.
1997: Heath High School shooting
In 1997, a 14-year-old boy opened fire on a prayer circle at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky, killing three fellow students and wounding five; the shooter is serving a life sentence.
2009: General Motors
Ten years ago: General Motors Co. CEO Frederick "Fritz" Henderson stepped down after the board determined that
2009: President Barack Obama
Ten years ago: President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops into the war in Afghanistan but promised during a speech to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to begin withdrawals in 18 months.
2014: President Barack Obama
Five years ago: President Barack Obama, after meeting with mayors, civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials at the White House, asked federal agencies for concrete recommendations to ensure the U.S. wasn't building a "militarized culture" within police departments.
2018: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
One year ago: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took the oath of office as Mexico’s first leftist president in more than 70 years.
2018: Ken Berry
One year ago: Actor and dancer Ken Berry, star of the 1960s sitcom “F Troop” and “Mayberry R.F.D.” in the 1970s, died at a Southern California hospital at the age of 85.
2018: Trump & Xi
One year ago: After a dinner meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, the U.S. and China agreed to a 90-day ceasefire in their trade dispute, with Trump agreeing to hold off on plans to raise tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods.
2018: Yellow Jacket
One year ago: France’s most violent urban riot in a decade engulfed central Paris, as “yellow jacket” activists torched cars, smashed windows and looted stores.
