1. On December 16, 1773, the Santee River Bridge opened. It was the first bridge built in South Carolina, and a major accomplishment of early colonial architecture.
2. In 1864, during the American Civil War, Union forces under General William Tecumseh Sherman completed the destruction of Columbia, South Carolina. The city was burned to the ground, and many civilians were left homeless and destitute.
3. On December 16, 1909, the South Carolina State Hospital for the Insane was officially opened in Columbia. It was one of the largest and most modern mental health facilities of its time, and served as a leading center for the treatment of mental illness in the United States.
4. In 1950, the first nuclear reactor in South Carolina was put into operation at the Savannah River Site near Aiken. This reactor was part of the US government's efforts to develop nuclear power and weapons during the Cold War.
5. December 16, 1988, marked one of the darkest days in South Carolina history, as a Pan Am flight crashed in the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew, including 11 residents of South Carolina. The disaster was the result of a terrorist bombing, and remains one of the deadliest air disasters in history.
5 Fun Facts About December 16 In South Carolina History
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