On this day: December 6
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery, the capstone is set on the Washington Monument, the TV special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" debuts, and Roy Orbison passes away, all on this day.
1956: In what becomes known as the "Blood in the Water" match, Hungary and the Soviet Union face off in water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. The match took place against the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and saw a lot of physical play, including outright punching between the two teams. The name was coined after Hungarian player Ervin Zádor emerged during the last two minutes with blood pouring from under his eye after being punched by Soviet player Valentin Prokopov. Hungary won the match and would go on to beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final to win their fourth Olympic gold medal.
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