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On This Day: Battle of the Bulge begins

On Dec. 16, 1944, Germany launched a counteroffensive in World War II that became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

By UPI Staff
Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau, Belgium, against Task Force Myers, on December 18, 1944, as part of the Battle of the Bulge. File Photo courtesy the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
1 of 4 | Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in action during clashes in Poteau, Belgium, against Task Force Myers, on December 18, 1944, as part of the Battle of the Bulge. File Photo courtesy the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1773, about 50 American patriots, protesting the British tax on tea, dumped 342 chests of it into Boston harbor in what became known as the "Boston Tea Party."

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In 1835, a fire swept New York City, razing 600 buildings and causing $20 million damage.

In 1893, Anton Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premiered at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In 1907, America's "Great White Fleet" set out on its year-long circumnavigation of the globe on the order of President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1913, British actor Charles Chaplin reported to work at Keystone Studios in Hollywood, launching a legendary film career. The entertainer came to be known for his trademark hat and cane.

File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI

In 1944, Germany launched a counteroffensive in World War II that became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

In 1960, 131 people were killed in the collision of two planes over foggy New York Harbor.

In 1971, Pakistan's military surrendered in a war with India and the Bengali population, which wanted independence. The surrender established Bangladesh as a separate country.

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In 1978, Cleveland, Ohio defaulted on its financial obligations, the first American city to do so since the Great Depression.

In 1989, Walter LeRoy Moody sent his first of four pipe bombs in a waves of attacks that killed two people. His first bomb killed federal judge Robert Vance at his home in Alabama.

In 1991, the U.N. General Assembly repealed a resolution equating Zionism with racism. It had been a major stumbling block in achieving peace in the Middle East.

In 1998, U.S. and British jet fighters began a four-night campaign of bombing more than 100 Iraqi military targets in what was called Operation Desert Fox. The long-threatened action came after the allies concluded Iraq wouldn't cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

File Photo by Ian Wagreich/UPI

In 2008, the U.N. Security Council adopted its first resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in five years, calling on both sides to step up efforts for a lasting peace and stating that U.S.-brokered talks were "irreversible."

In 2010, Larry King tapes his last episode of Larry King Live after 25 years on CNN.

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In 2013, John Donald Cody, who operated a fake veterans charity that collected $100 million in donations, was sentenced to 28 years in prison in Ohio.

In 2014, Taliban militants attacked a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing more than 140 people, mostly children.

File Photo by Sajjad Ali Queshi/UPI

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