Today is Wednesday, December 19, the 354th day of 2012. There are 12 days left in the year.
1686 ― Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (as per Defoe)
1843 ― Charles Dickens publishes "A Christmas Carol" in England
1854 ― Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents sewing machine to sew curving seams
1941 ― Hitler takes complete command of German Army
1950 ― Tibet's Dalai Lama flees Chinese invasion
1978 ― Indira Gandhi ambushed in India
1984 ― U.K. signs agreement with China to return Hong Kong to China in 1997
1988 ― NASA unveils plans for lunar colony and manned missions to Mars
1991 ― Boris Yeltsin takes control of Kremlin
1995 ― Queen Elizabeth asks Prince Charles and Diana to divorce