Updated December 1, 2013, 1:28 pm

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On Dec. 1, 1959, representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.

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On Dec. 1, 1872, Gerard Swope, the president of the General Electric Company for 20 years, was born. Following his death on Nov. 20, 1957, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, defied the law by refusing to give up her seat to a white man aboard a Montgomery, Ala., city bus. Parks was arrested, sparking a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.

1824	The House of Representatives convened to decide the presidential election because no candidate had received a majority in the Electoral College. (John Quincy Adams was eventually chosen the winner over Andrew Jackson and William Crawford.)
1862	President Abraham Lincoln sent his Second Annual Message to Congress, which was read aloud by the Secretary of the Senate. In it, Lincoln called for the abolition of slavery, saying that "in giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free,"
1913	The first drive-in automobile service station opened, in Pittsburgh.
1919	Lady Astor was sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament.
1934	Sergei M. Kirov, the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, was assassinated as Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a massive purge that would claim tens of millions of lives.
1963	The Beatles' first single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," was released in the United States.
1969	The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.
1991	Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.
1992	"Long Island Lolita" Amy Fisher was sentenced to prison for shooting and seriously wounding Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of her lover, Joey Buttafuoco. (Fisher served seven years.)
2000	Vicente Fox was sworn in as president of Mexico, ending 71 years of ruling-party domination.
2004	Tom Brokaw signed off for the last time as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News."
2009	President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops into the war in Afghanistan but promised to begin withdrawal in 18 months.

Historic Birthdays

74	Etienne-Maurice Falconet 12/1/1716 - 1/24/1791 French sculptor
73	Martin Heinrich Klaproth 12/1/1743 - 1/1/1817 German chemist and discoverer of uranium
88	Marie Tussaud 12/1/1761 - 4/16/1850 French-born museum proprietress
77	Sir Dominic Corrigan 12/1/1802 - 2/1/1880 Irish physician and author
88	Rex Stout 12/1/1886 - 10/27/1975 American author
72	Walter Alston 12/1/1911 - 10/1/1984 American manager of the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team
73	Minoru Yamasaki 12/1/1912 - 2/6/1986 American architect
76	Mary Martin 12/1/1913 - 11/3/1990 American actress
87	Cyril Ritchard 12/1/ 1897- 12/18/1977 British actor