On this day... December 15

On this day...

December 15: Kingdom Day in Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten (1954); Zamenhof Day in Esperanto culture 687 – Sergius was elected pope, ending the last disputed sede vacante of the Byzantine Papacy. 1161 – Emperor Hailing of the Jin dynasty was assassinated in a military camp near the Yangtze River front during a campaign against the Southern Song. 1864 – American Civil War: Union troops defeated the Army of Tennessee, one of the largest Confederate forces, at the Battle of Nashville. 1939 – The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind(poster pictured), adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name, made its premiere in Atlanta, Georgia. 1961 – Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death after being found guilty on fifteen criminal charges, includingwar crimes and crimes against humanity.