2015 Event Pakistan reinstates the death penalty for all crimes, extending a previous reinstatement only for terrorism cases; the country has had a moratorium on capital punishment since 2008 but lifted it after terrorist attacks in December 2014 2015 Event American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson become the first to successfully free-climb the Dawn Wall face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a climb of 3,000 feet; the men started the climb on December 27th, 2014 2015 Event Divers have retrieved one of two black boxes from Air Asia Flight 8501, which crashed on December 28th during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore; the second black box has been found nearby, but debris must first be moved in order to access it 2014 Event Indonesia's search team finds plane wreckage and the remains of three people who were aboard AirAsia Flight 8501, which disappeared on December 28th; the findings confirm that the flight crashed in the waters between Indonesia and Singapore 2014 Event Rescuers continue searching for missing AirAsia Flight 8501, which disappeared en route to Singapore from Indonesia on December 28th; the plane carried 162 people 2014 Event In light of recent separatist elections, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko seeks to nullify a law that gave greater autonomy to rebel regions; Ukraine does not recognize the election results and will hold national elections as planned in December 2014 Event The U.S. Postal Service will soon implement a rate hike in postage, approved last December the price of first-class postage stamps to 49 cents from 46 cents 2014 Event A measles outbreak is declared in Metro Manila; the Philippine Department of Health reports 1,724 cases as of December 14, and 71 people in one hospital alone died in 2013 2013 Event The launch of the 'Yu Tu', China's first lunar vehicle, is scheduled to take place at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center before December 10, 2013 2012 Event A video of SpaceX's latest test of the company's Grasshopper rocket with vertical takeoff and vertical landing, is released; the rocket rose 131 feet, hovered and landed safely on the landing pad December 17, 2012 2012 Event Prime Minister Victor Ponta, of the Social Liberal Union, is nominated by Romanian President, Traian Basescu, to form a new government after Romania holds its parliamentary election later this December 2012 Event Ahead of his cabinet and his December 1st inauguration, Mexico's President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico names his 'transition team' 2011 Event President Barack Obama asks Iran to return the RQ-170 Sentinel that was captured near Kashmar December 4, 2011 2010 Event Officials determine that over 28,000 people have died from Mexican drug violence since December 2006 2010 Event The BBC finds evidence of a massacre in the Democratic Republic of Congo carried out by the Lord's Resistance Army last December, in which 321 people, including children, were killed 2010 Event Three men are detained in relation to the theft of former Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos' corpse, December 11, 2009 1996 Death Brenda Bruce, actress (December Bride, Nightmare), dies at 77 1995 Event Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours, Starting December 9th at 7 PM, breaks previous record of 25.3" in 1982 1994 Event 1st snowless December in Baltimore Maryland 1982 Event 77 degrees F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in December 1972 Event "December Giant" largest sinkhole in U.S. collapses (Alabama) 1972 Birthday Brian Krause, actor, December, Sleepwalkers, Return to Blue Lagoon 1961 Event NY Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau" upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd 1961 Birthday Timothy Geithner, born in Brooklyn, New York, United States Secretary of the Treasury, under President Barack Obama, served as President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, charged with directing financial crisis of December 2007 1961 Birthday Karen Velez, Rockville Ctr, New York, playmate, December, 1984 1960 Birthday Terry Nihen, born in Concord, Massachusetts, playmate, December, 1983 1960 Birthday Patricia Farinelli, born in Los Angeles, California, playmate, December, 1981 1958 Birthday Carol Ficatier, Auscene France, playmate, December, 1985 1957 Event International Geophysical Year begins, ends December 31, 1958 1956 Birthday Ashley Cox, Dallas Texas, playmate, December, 1977 1938 Event Highest temperature for December in U.S. recorded in La Mesa California 1922 Birthday Frances Rafferty, born in Sioux City, Iowa, actress, December Bride 1915 Birthday Harry Morgan, born in Detroit, Michigan, actor, December Bride, M*A*S*H, Dragnet
