1. In 1943, a large crowd gathered at the National Mall to watch President Franklin D. Roosevelt light the National Christmas Tree for the first time since 1941. The ceremony had been suspended due to World War II.

2. On December 4, 1965, the Washington Redskins played their last game at Griffith Stadium before moving to RFK Stadium. They lost to the Cleveland Browns, 24-12.

3. In 1974, the first section of the Metro subway system opened in Washington, D.C. The 4.6-mile stretch of the Red Line ran from Farragut North to Rhode Island Avenue.

4. On this day in 1991, the first National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony took place in President’s Park, located south of the White House. President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush were in attendance.

5. In 2008, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History reopened to the public after a two-year renovation. The museum's original building, which opened in 1964, received a $85 million facelift to modernize the exhibits and add new galleries.