December 18, 1620
Passengers on the British ship Mayflower arrive ashore at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.
December 20, 1957
While spending the Christmas holidays at Graceland, rock ‘n’ roll star Elvis Presley receives his draft notice for the United States Army.
December 23, 1888
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor while staying in Arles, France.