DECEMBER 16
1773: Dressed as Mohawk Indians, members of the Sons of Liberty board three ships belonging to the East India Company, tossing overboard the cargo of nearly 350 chests of taxed tea. In one of the pivotal events in the lead-up to the American Revolution, the colonists were protesting the company’s virtual monopoly on the tea trade and the colonies’ lack of political representation in Parliament.
1916: Gregory Rasputin, a monk with considerable influence over the Russian court, is murdered by noblemen.
1971: Singer-songwriter Don McLean releases the full 8-minute, 32-second version of "American Pie." The song, a ballad commemorating the death of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959 ("the day the music died"), will reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Jan. 15, 1972.
1972: The Miami Dolphins are the first team in NFL history to finish a perfect regular season, defeating the Baltimore Colts, 16-0, in the last game of the season. The Dolphins will go on to have a perfect post-season as well, winning Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins.
1707:Mount Fuji's last recorded volcanic eruption in Japan
1653:Oliver Cromwell is named lord protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1497:Vasco da Gama travels around the Cape of Good Hope.
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