Timeline December 2016

Events in December 2016 18

• 1917 – 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917-2016) Died 18 December 2016, aged 99 Gabor was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite known for her glamorous public persona and nine marriages as much as for her film career. She appeared in films including Moulin Rouge and became a fixture of American celebrity culture for decades. She was one of three famous Gabor sisters.
• 1921 – 2016 John Glenn (1921-2016) Died 8 December 2016, aged 95 Glenn was an American astronaut who became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962 aboard Friendship 7. He later served as a U.S. Senator from Ohio for 24 years and returned to space in 1998 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery at age 77. He was the last surviving member of NASA's original Mercury Seven astronauts.
• 1923 – 2016 Debbie Reynolds (1923-2016) Died 28 December 2016, aged 93 Reynolds was an American actress and singer best known for her role in Singin' in the Rain. She had a decades-long career in film, television, and Las Vegas performance. She died one day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.
• 1950 – 2016 George Michael dies Wham! and Faith singer, age 53 George Michael died on December 25, 2016, aged 53, from heart failure at his home in Goring-on-Thames. He sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and with Wham!.
• 1956 – 2016 Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) Died 27 December 2016, aged 60 Fisher was an American actress and writer best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars film series. She was also an acclaimed author and screenwriter, and an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness after publicly discussing her bipolar disorder. She died days after suffering a cardiac event on a flight, and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the following day.
• 2016 2016: Nico Rosberg Mercedes German-Finnish driver Rosberg beat teammate Hamilton to win his only World Championship, then sensationally retired five days later, becoming the first reigning champion to retire since Prost in 1993.
• 2016 Rocky Horror 40th Anniversary Made a cameo as the Criminologist in Fox's television special The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, marking the 40th anniversary of the original film. His appearance, in a wheelchair, was a deeply moving moment for fans.
• 2016 Tesla Model 3 announced Mass-market electric car changes auto industry Tesla unveiled the Model 3 on March 31, 2016, a mass-market electric car priced at $35,000. It received 325,000 pre-orders in 24 hours, transforming expectations for electric vehicles.
• 2016 Standing Rock Pipeline Protests Sioux tribe leads opposition to Dakota Access Pipeline Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and thousands of supporters protested construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near tribal land in North Dakota, citing threats to water supplies and sacred sites. The protests drew national attention to indigenous rights and environmental activism. The Army Corps of Engineers denied an easement for the pipeline route in December, though the decision was later reversed.
• 2016 Smoky Mountain Wildfire Relief After devastating wildfires struck the Great Smoky Mountains near Dollywood, pledged $1,000 per month for six months to every family who lost their home. Her My People Fund ultimately raised over $12 million for wildfire victims.
• 2016 Blue & Lonesome Twenty-third album — December 2, 2016 Blue & Lonesome was released on December 2, 2016, a pure electric blues covers album recorded in just three days. It won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album and reached number 1 in the UK.
• 2016 Italian Constitutional Referendum Voters reject Renzi-backed reforms Italian voters rejected a constitutional referendum backed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi that sought to reduce the powers of the Senate. Renzi resigned the following day after staking his premiership on the result. The vote was widely read as part of a broader wave of anti-establishment sentiment in Europe.
• 2016 Park Geun-hye Impeachment Vote South Korean parliament votes to suspend president South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil. The vote suspended Park's powers pending a Constitutional Court ruling. Mass protests had preceded the impeachment for weeks.
• 2016 Fall of Aleppo Syrian government retakes rebel-held east Aleppo Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, completed the recapture of rebel-held eastern Aleppo after a prolonged siege and bombardment. A negotiated evacuation removed remaining fighters and civilians from the city. The fall of Aleppo marked a major turning point in the Syrian civil war in favor of Bashar al-Assad.
• 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is released A darker Star Wars story Rogue One was released on 16 December 2016, telling the story of the rebel effort to steal the Death Star plans. Praised for its war-film tone, practical production design, and digitally recreated younger and deceased actors, the film grossed over one billion dollars worldwide and was widely considered one of the strongest entries in the modern Star Wars series.
• 2016 Berlin Christmas Market Attack Truck attack kills 12 at Breitscheidplatz A truck was deliberately driven into a Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker, Anis Amri, was later shot dead by police in Milan. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack.
• 2016 SpaceX lands reusable rocket Falcon 9 returns to launch pad SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back at the launch site on December 21, 2015, proving the concept of reusable rockets and dramatically reducing the cost of access to space.
• 2016 USAF retires the Phantom Last QF-4 target drones The US Air Force flies its last QF-4 target drones at Holloman Air Force Base, ending 53 years of Phantom service.