On this day in history

December 16

American

1773Colonists dump 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor, the Boston Tea Party.

Colonists dump 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor, the Boston Tea Party.

1944Germany launches a surprise offensive through the Ardennes, beginning the Battle of the Bulge.

Germany launches a surprise offensive through the Ardennes, beginning the Battle of the Bulge.

2014Taliban gunmen massacre 141 people, mostly schoolchildren, at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Taliban gunmen massacre 141 people, mostly schoolchildren, at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

1971Pakistan surrenders in Dhaka, and Bangladesh becomes an independent nation.

Pakistan surrenders in Dhaka, and Bangladesh becomes an independent nation.

1653Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, ruling as a military dictator.

Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, ruling as a military dictator.

1991Kazakhstan declares independence from the Soviet Union.

Kazakhstan declares independence from the Soviet Union.