December 14, 1829 – John Mercer Langston, congressman and founder of Howard University Law Department, born.
December 15, 1883 – William A. Hinton, first African American on Harvard Medical School faculty and developer of the Hinton test to detect syphilis, born.
December 15, 1994 – Ruth J. Simmons named president of Smith College.
December 16, 1976 – Andrew Young nominated by President Jimmy Carter to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
December 17, 1802 – Teacher and minister Henry Adams born.
December 18, 1971 – Rev. Jesse Jackson founded People United to Save Humanitiy, or Operation PUSH .
December 19, 1875 – Educator Carter G. Woodson, known as “The Father of Black History”, is born.
December 20, 1860 – South Carolina seceded from the Union.
