1888CE
Culture
Van Gogh Cuts Off Ear
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe mental illness, cuts off his left ear with a razor in Arles, France.
Daily Chronicle
December 23
3 Historical Records
1913CE
Politics
Federal Reserve Act Signed
President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act into law, creating the central banking system of the United States.
1933CE
Birth
Akihito Born
Emperor of Japan from 1989 to 2019, the first to abdicate the throne in over 200 years. He worked to bring the imperial family closer to the Japanese public and expressed deep remorse for wartime suffering.