Today in History: December 2, Terror attack on San Bernardino holiday party kills 14

"On Dec. 2, 2015, a couple loyal to the Islamic State group opened fire at a holiday banquet for public employees in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding 21 others before dying in a shootout with police. Also on this date: In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in a coronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing further European expansion or colonialism in the Western Hemisphere."

"The Monroe Doctrine effectively created separate spheres of influence for the Americans and Europe. In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raid the previous October on Harpers Ferry in hopes of inciting a large-scale slave rebellion. His execution further exacerbated North-South tensions in the run-up to the American Civil War. In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago."

"The experiment led by physicist Enrico Fermi marked the dawn of the Atomic Age. In 1954, the U.S. Senate, voting 67-22, passed a resolution condemning Republican Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin, saying he had acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute. In 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of Barney Clark,"

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2025, with 29 days remaining in the year. Historical events on Dec. 2 include the 2015 San Bernardino attack that killed 14 and wounded 21 before the attackers died in a police shootout. In 1804 Napoleon crowned himself emperor at Notre-Dame de Paris. In 1823 President James Monroe outlined the Monroe Doctrine opposing further European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. In 1859 John Brown was hanged after the Harpers Ferry raid, intensifying North-South tensions before the Civil War. In 1942 Enrico Fermi demonstrated the first sustained nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago. In 1954 the U.S. Senate condemned Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. In 1982 surgeons implanted a permanent artificial heart in Barney Clark. In 1993 Pablo Escobar was shot to death in Medellin. In 2004 Typhoon Nanmadol struck the Philippines, killing hundreds. In 2016 an illegally converted Oakland warehouse caught fire during a dance party, killing 36 people.

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