Six Rulers, One Guesthouse, and the Birth of a Nation
On December 2, 1971, six emirates united at Union House in Dubai to form the United Arab Emirates, with Sheikh Zayed as its first president.
On December 2
Two Paragraphs That Drew a Line Around a Hemisphere
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe's annual message to Congress declared the Americas closed to future European colonization — the Monroe Doctrine.
The Day Napoleon Crowned Himself — in Front of the Pope
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French at Notre-Dame, with Pope Pius VII watching from the sidelines.