December 2 has seen empires crowned, atomic ages begin, and revolutionary moments reshape history.
Enrico Fermi's team achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago. The experiment, conducted beneath the university's football stadium, proved atomic energy was possible.
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. In a dramatic gesture, he took the crown from the Pope's hands and placed it on his own head.
President James Monroe declared that European colonization of the Americas would no longer be tolerated. The Monroe Doctrine became a cornerstone of US foreign policy for nearly two centuries.
Napoleon achieved his greatest military victory, defeating the combined Austrian and Russian armies at Austerlitz. The 'Battle of the Three Emperors' established Napoleon as master of continental Europe.
Dr. Barney Clark received the first permanent artificial heart, the Jarvik-7, at the University of Utah. He survived 112 days with the device, proving artificial hearts were feasible.
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor Napoleon III of France. His Second Empire saw Paris transformed by Baron Haussmann's grand urban renovation.
King Camp Gillette received a patent for the disposable safety razor blade. The invention transformed men's grooming and created the model of selling cheap razors with expensive replacement blades.