December 18, 1972 (Monday)
- Operation Linebacker II, described more generally as the Christmas Bombing and sometimes as "The Eleven-Day War", began at 2:51 pm as the first of 87 B-52 bombers, piloted by Major Bill Stocker, lifted off from Andersen AFB in Guam. These were joined by 42 more B-52s flying from Thailand, along with 400 fighters and refueling tankers. At 7:40 pm Hanoi time, from an altitude of 35,000 feet, the bombers began dropping their payloads on targets in North Vietnam, and were met by hundreds of SAM missiles and some MiG-21 fighters. There were 121 bombing runs in the first 24 hours.
- Neilla Biden, the wife of U.S. Senator-elect (and future U.S. Vice-President) Joe Biden was killed in a traffic accident, along with the couple's 18-month old daughter, Amy. Mrs. Biden's car was struck by a tractor-trailer at 2:30 pm as she pulled into an intersection near Hockessin, Delaware. The Bidens' two sons, aged three and four, were injured.
Read more about this topic: December 1972
Famous quotes containing the word december:
“Work—work—work,
In the dull December light,
And work—work—work,
When the weather is warm and bright—
While underneath the eaves
The brooding swallows cling
As if to show me their sunny backs
And twit me with the spring.”
—Thomas Hood (1799–1845)