During the new moon, a near-grand conjunction of the classical planets and several binocularSolar System bodies occur. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars and Saturn are all within 15° of each other, with Venus 5° ahead of this conjunction and Jupiter 15° behind. Accompanying the classical planets in this grand conjunction are Uranus (technically visible unaided in pollution-free skies), Ceres and Pallas.** Rebel Venezuelan General Jose Manuel Hernandez captures the city of Maracaibo in his revolt against Cipriano Castro's government, but is only able to hold it for 15 days.[1]
As the 56th U.S. Congress holds its first session, David B. Henderson (Republican-Iowa) is elected Speaker of the House. The House refuses permission for Brigham H. Roberts (Democrat-Utah) to take the oath of office as a U.S. Representative, pending investigation of allegations of bigamy.[1]
A lynch mob in Maysville, Kentucky forces its way into the county jail to seize an African-American indicted for murder, tortures him and then burns him to death.[1]
Battle of Stormberg: The British Army makes a disastrous attempt to surprise the Boer position in Natal and suffers the loss of 687 officers and men.[1]
Battle of Colenso: Britain's General Buller loses 1,097 officers and men in a fight against the Boers in Natal, the third serious British reverse in South Africa in a week.[1]
The British War Office sends Lord Roberts to South Africa to become the new commander of British forces in the Second Boer War, with Lord Kitchener to be second in command, and announces that 100,000 additional men will be sent[1] as the British death toll rises to 7630.[3]
U.S. Army General Lawton is killed by a Filipino sniper near San Mateo on Luzon island.[1]
Stock prices fall drastically at the New York exchanges and the Produce Exchange Trust Company fails.[1]
Died:
Fred Truax, American professional baseball player (b. 1868)
More than 40 schoolchildren from Belgium drown in the capsizing of a boat near the French town of Frelinghien on the River Lys that serves a boundary between Belgium and France.[4]
The British Royal Navy cruiser HMS Magicienne seizes the German steamer, BundesrothatDelagoa Bay in Portuguese East Africa (modern-day Mozambique) on grounds that German officers and men are being brought to supplement the Boer Army. The Bundesroth is then escorted to Durban in Britain's Natal Colony.[4]
General Wood completes the appointment of a cabinet of ministers composed of Cuban residents, with Diego Tamayo, Luis Esterez, Juan B. Hernandez, Enrique Varona, Jose R. Villaton and Ruiz Rivera taking office.[4]
The German government and Kaiser Wilhelm II declare that the 20th century will begin on January 1, 1900.[4] In most of the world, however, December 31, 1899 is not the last day of the 19th century, which also includes the year 1900.
