December 16 in History

December 16, 1689: English Bill of Rights.

King William III and Queen Mary formally announced they will accept Parliament's radical left-wing "Bill of Rights," bringing to an end the divine right of royalty. The English Bill of Rights later inspires left-wing radicals like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to draft the U.S. Bill of Rights, guaranteeing individual rights to due process, equal protection of the law, and freedom from a Government that inflicts cruel and unusual punishment.

December 16, 1773: Boston Tea Party.

A ragtag crowd of several hundred Massachusetts colonists, led by left-wing radical Samuel Adams and secretly financed by notorious smuggler John Hancock, thinly disguise themselves as Mohwak Indians and dump H.M.S. Dartmouth's entire cargo of Darjeeling tea into Boston Harbor. This provides another catalyst leading to the American Revolution.

December 16, 1864: Battle of Nashville.

Union General George H. Thomas annhilates Confederate General John Bell Hood's Confederate "Army of Tennessee." This clears the way for Sherman's march through Georgia and, of course, the destruction of fictional Twelve Oaks.

December 16, 1944: Battle of the Bulge.

Ultimately, the defeat of this German counter-offensive eases the path toward Allied occupation of Germany, eventually bringing an end to a Nazi regime which tortured prisoners and ignored international law.

December 16, 2005: Bush Administration Announces It Accedes to Torture Ban.

The U.S. Congress resumes work on a major defense appropriations bill one day after President George W. Bush reluctantly agrees to congressional language prohibiting his regime from engaging in the torture of prisoners or ignoring international law.