What Happened on December 1?

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks kept her bus seat and sparked a 381-day boycott that changed America. It is also the day the world's first model car contract, an Antarctic crossing, and a famous art heist happened.

• 1913 — Ford runs the first moving assembly line for cars

  Henry Ford's team switched on the first continuously moving assembly line at Highland Park, Michigan, cutting the time to build a Model T from over 12 hours to about 90 minutes. Read the full story →

• 1955 — Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat

  When a Montgomery bus driver ordered Rosa Parks to give her seat to a white passenger, she quietly said no — and her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Read the full story →

• 1959 — Twelve nations sign the Antarctic Treaty, saving a continent for science

  At the height of the Cold War, twelve countries agreed that Antarctica would be used only for peaceful science — no weapons tests, no mining claims, no wars. Read the full story →

• 1990 — Channel Tunnel workers break through under the English Channel

  On December 1, 1990, French and British tunnel crews met under the Channel, linking Britain and France underground. Read the full story →

• 1910 — Georges Claude demonstrates neon lighting in Paris

  French engineer Georges Claude showed off glowing neon tubes at the Paris Motor Show, launching the bright signs that lit up city streets worldwide. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Bette Midler (1945) · Marie Tussaud (1761–1850) · Sarah Silverman (1970) · Woody Allen (1935)

Days & observances

World AIDS Day · Rosa Parks Day · National Eat a Red Apple Day · National Christmas Lights Day