Jan van Riebeeck departed for Cape of Good Hope to found the first permanent European settlement.
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Several Confederate veterans formed the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee.
Rudy Giuliani was named 'Person of the Year' by Time Magazine.
The crew of NASA's Apollo 8 became the first humans to enter the Moon's orbit.
The Christmas carol 'Silent Night' composed by Franz Xaver Gruber was first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria.
Walt Disney's 'Aristocats' was released.
