From Historynet: Today in History December 16

1431              Henry VI  of England is crowned King of France.

1653              Oliver Cromwell  takes on dictatorial powers with the title of "Lord Protector."

1773              To protest the tax on tea from England, a group of young Americans, disguised as Indians, throw chests of tea from British ships in Boston Harbor.

1835              A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants' Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch Church.

1863              Confederate General Joseph Johnston takes command of the Army of Tennessee.

1864              Union forces under General George H. Thomas win the battle at Nashville, smashing an entire Confederate army.

1930              In Spain, a general strike is called in support of the revolution.

1939              The National Women's Party urges immediate congressional action on equal rights.

1940              British troops carry out an air raid on Italian Somalia.

1944              Germany mounts a major offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. As the center of the Allied line falls back, it creates a bulge, leading to the name--the Battle of the Bulge.

1949              Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung  is received at the Kremlin in Moscow.

1950              President Harry Truman   declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea.

1976              President Jimmy Carter appoints Andrew Young as Ambassador to the United Nations.

1978              Cleveland becomes the first U.S. city to default since the depression.

1998              The United States launches a missile attack on Iraq for failing to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors.

2003              President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which establishes the United States' first national standards regarding email and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the act.