December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars. It is one of seven months with the length of 31 days. December is the first month of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, December is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Northern hemisphere, which is the first month of summer. December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
December symbols: Its birth flower is the narcissus. The birthstones of December are the turquoise, zircon, and tanzanite. The zodiac signs for the month of December are Sagittarius (until December 21) and Capricorn (December 22 onwards).
Historical Events for December, 1861
Day of Week 9th » American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the Congress of the United States e.g U.S. Congress.
Day of Week 21st » Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President of the United States or President Abraham Lincoln.
Day of Week 26th » American Civil War: The 'Trent Affair': Confederate States of America named Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason called James M. Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the Unit
Famous Birthdays on December in 1861
4th » Hannes Hafstein, Icelandic poet and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1922)
4th » Lillian Russell, American actress and singer (d. 1922)
8th » William C. Durant, American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947)
8th » Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (d. 1944)
8th » Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938)
9th » Hélène Smith, French psychic and occultist (d. 1929)
10th » Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick (d. 1938)
15th » Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (d. 1938)
15th » Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge, and politician, 3rd President of Finland (d. 1944)
16th » Antonio de La Gándara, French painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
18th » Lionel Monckton, English composer and critic (d. 1924)
19th » Italo Svevo, Italian author and playwright (d. 1928)