University of New Haven
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CT
06516
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December 1, 1912:
Birthdate of Minoru Yamasaki, Japanese-American architect
A highly successful designer of public buildings, Yamasaki is best known for his designs for the Wayne State University campus in Detroit and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
December 1, 1955:
Rosa Parks Day
On this day, Mrs. Rosa Parks, a Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress and member of the local NAACP, refused to suurender her seat to a White man, defying the established practice of racial segregation in public transportation. After her arrest, the Black citizens of the city organized a boycott of the buses; the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first came to national prominence as a leader of the boycott.
December 1:
World AIDS Day
Since its inception in 1988, this day has been set aside each year with the purpose of raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic.
December 11 (sunset) - 18 (sunset):
Hanukkah, Jewish holiday
This Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the victory of the Jewish people over the Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C.E. According to legend, when the Jews returned to cleanse their Temple, which had been defiled by pagan worship, they discovered only enough consecrated oil to keep the holy lamp burning for one day. However, the oil miraculously lasted eight days, the time needed to secure a new supply. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting a candle on each of the eight days of celebration.
December 23, 1867:
Birthdate of Sarah Breedlove Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist; she was considered to be the first Black female millionaire.
December 26:
Kwanzaa, African-American holiday
Celebrated from December 26 to January 1, Kwanzaa began in the United States in 1966 and is patterned after an East African harvest festival. A seven-branched candelabra called a kinara, reflecting the seven principles of Kwanzaa, is used for lighting one candle for each day of the holiday. The seven principles are Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).