December 3, 1981 (Thursday)
- Tibetan dissident Lobsang Wangchuk was arrested in China after police found the manuscript and copies of a book he had written, A History of Tibetan Independence. Initially sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, the 67 year old religious leader was given a death sentence, then had his term commuted to 18 years. He died, still incarcerated, on November 4, 1987.
- Born: Brian Bonsall, American TV actor, in Torrance, California; and David Villa, Spanish national team footballer, in Langreo
- Died: Walter Knott, 91 American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm theme park
Read more about this topic: December 1981
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)