What happened in December 1983?
The top front-page story of each day in December 1983, as it was reported at the time. Click a date to see that day’s full front page and the matching birthday books.
- Dec 1🚀 Astronauts Probe Atmosphere – Instruments on the space shuttle Columbia's Spacelab conducted a comprehensive survey of the earth's upper atmosphere.
- Dec 2🔬 Fossil Discovery in Kenya – Scientists found 17-million-year-old fossils in Kenya, suggesting a common ancestor of humans and great apes.
- Dec 3⛷️ Wenzel Wins Slalom – Andreas Wenzel of Liechtenstein won the first slalom race of the World Cup ski season after rival Ingemar Stenmark fell.
- Dec 4🌍 U.N. Flags for P.L.O – The U.N. Security Council permits Palestinians loyal to Yasir Arafat to leave Tripoli under its flag for safety.
- Dec 5🚀 Astronaut Mends Camera – Dr. Robert A. R. Parker repaired a stuck film in a mapping camera aboard the space shuttle Columbia today.
- Dec 6🔬 Spacelab Success – Scientists successfully conducted fluid-physics experiments aboard Spacelab, demonstrating new research methods in space.
- Dec 7📚 Germans Buy Rare Book – A rare Romanesque gospel book, considered a medieval masterpiece, was sold to a West German consortium, returning to its region of origin.
- Dec 8🚀 Space Shuttle Returns – The crew of the Spacelab research facility concluded a successful 10-day mission, receiving praise for their operations in space.
- Dec 9🔬 Geothermal Power Contract – Helioscience General secured a $900 million contract to provide geothermal electricity to the Navy, constructing a 75-megawatt plant in Nevada.
- Dec 10🏅 U.S. Hockey Team Wins – The United States Olympic hockey team achieved a thrilling 5-4 victory over a Soviet all-star squad.
- Dec 11🏆 Nobel Prizes Awarded – Five American scientists and a British writer received the 1983 Nobel Prizes from the King of Sweden in a ceremony honoring their contributions.
- Dec 12🏌️ Couples Wins Mixed Golf – Fred Couples and Jan Stephenson won the Mixed Team Classic with a record total of 24-under-par 264.
- Dec 13🌍 Bangkok Flooding Crisis – Bangkok suffers its worst flooding in 40 years, affecting six million residents over three months.
- Dec 14🚀 Space Shuttle Incident – The space shuttle Columbia landed with a fire and explosion that went undetected until the following day, according to NASA officials.
- Dec 15🌌 Milky Way Black Hole – New observations reveal three gas streams possibly falling into a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
- Dec 16🌍 China Joins Fiber Pact – China was admitted to the Multifiber Arrangement, reflecting its growth as a major textile exporter.
- Dec 17🌌 Planetary Material Discovered – Solid material found orbiting star Fomalhaut may indicate early planet formation, announced by Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- Dec 18🌍 Earthquake Rocks Central Asia – A strong earthquake hit Soviet Central Asia near the borders with China and Afghanistan, but no deaths were reported.
- Dec 19✈️ Malaysian Airliner Crashes – A Malaysian Airlines jet carrying 233 people crash-landed in heavy monsoon rains near Kuala Lumpur airport.
- Dec 20🔬 Cancer Gene Breakthrough – A new study reveals a cancer gene closely tied to cell growth can be activated by normal cell division signals.
- Dec 21📚 Wigan Honors Orwell – Wigan plans to erect a memorial to George Orwell and refurbish the pier he made famous during 1984.
- Dec 22🌨️ Snow and Ice Storms – Severe snow and ice storms hit the Southwest and Midwest, causing widespread disruptions and power outages.
- Dec 23🌊 40% of Venice Flooded – High tides washed over Venice, flooding 40% of the city, causing significant disruption and damage.
- Dec 24🌍 West Africa Quake – An earthquake in Guinea destroyed 16 villages, killing over 200 people and injuring at least 300, according to state radio reports.
- Dec 25🏒 Soviet Hockey Team Prepares – Viktor Tikhonov fine-tunes the Soviet ice hockey team ahead of the XIV Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, aiming to redeem past losses.
- Dec 26🏆 Sweden Leads Davis Cup – Mats Wilander gave Sweden a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Davis Cup final with a 6-3, 4-6, 9-7, 6-3 win.
- Dec 27🎨 Italy Celebrates Raphael – Italy gathers to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Renaissance painter Raphael with various events and exhibitions.
- Dec 28🔬 Endangered Species Gains – The Endangered Species Act marks a decade of gains with the population of whooping cranes increasing from 15 to 148.
- Dec 29🌍 150 Million Face Famine – Nearly 150 million Africans could face famine in 1984 due to drought and other catastrophes, warns the UN's Economic Commission for Africa.
- Dec 30🔬 Astronomers Discover Lenses – Astronomers found two new gravitational lenses in space, potentially aiding in understanding the universe's dimensions.
- Dec 31🌍 Earthquakes Strike Japan – Four earthquakes shook Tokyo and central Japan today, with no reported damage or injuries, officials confirmed.
Happy Birthday! 1983 – The Year in Headlines
The whole of 1983 in real headlines. See the 1983 book →
Born in December? Pick the day
Every birthday in December has its own On This Day in Headlines book: