755: An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during Chinese Tang Dynasty

1598: Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – in the final battle of the war Korean navy decisively defeats the Japanese

1653: Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland

1773: Boston tea party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston harbour in protest against British imposed Tea Act

1920: 8.5 earthquake rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000

1944: Nazi Germany launches a counteroffensive against the Allies in the Ardennes region of Belgium, beginning the ‘Battle of the Bulge’

1998: Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – the United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq

Source: Onthisday.com