German composer and pianist widely considered one of the greatest composers in Western music history. Despite losing his hearing in later life, he composed masterpieces including his Ninth Symphony and the 'Moonlight Sonata.'
American colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians dump 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act, escalating tensions before the American Revolution.
Nazi Germany launches a massive counter-offensive through the Ardennes forest against Allied forces, initiating the Battle of the Bulge.