History

New York Life | December 12, 2019

At New York Life

Dec. 2, 2010

Private Advisors, LLC joined New York Life. Private Advisors specialized in alternate investments with approximately $5 billion in assets under management.

Dec. 4, 2012

New York Life Capital Partners announced it was changing its name to GoldPoint Capital Partners. The name was chosen for the iconic gold pinnacle atop the New York Life Building.

Dec. 5, 2006

The New York Life Foundation pledged $10 million  to establish The New York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues at the City College of New York’s Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies. It was the largest single grant ever made by the New York Life Foundation, as well as the largest corporate foundation gift ever received by the City College of New York or the Powell Center.

Dec. 7, 1941

Japanese planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, prompting the U.S.’s entry into World War II. Twenty-one hundred men and women from New York Life would serve in the military before the war ended in 1945. Forty-five of those employees died in the line of duty. By the war’s end, NYL would make government bonds nearly 60 percent of its holdings — around $2.5 billion worth— to help finance the war effort.

Dec. 8 2021

The New York Life Foundation releases its inaugural State of Grief Report which examined the impact of COVID-19 on grief support in America.

Dec. 9, 1980

Colonial Village, the first apartment complex to be built through the Federal Housing Authority — with New York Life holding the mortgage — was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Dec. 31 2020

New York Life completes acquisition of Cigna’s Group Life and Disability Insurance business.

Around the world:

Dec. 1, 1955

The birth of the modern American civil rights movement occurred as Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back section of a municipal bus. Her arrest resulted in a year-long boycott of the city bus system by African Americans and led to legal actions ending racial segregation on municipal buses throughout the South.

Dec. 2, 1982

The first permanent artificial heart was implanted in 61-year-old Barney C. Clark by Dr. William De Vries at the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Clark, who was near death at the time of the operation, survived 112 days after the implantation.

Dec. 8, 1941

A day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan.

Dec. 10, 1898

The Treaty of Paris was signed between American and Spanish representatives following Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War. Under the treaty, the U.S. gained the Philippine Islands, the islands of Guam and Puerto Rico, and an agreement by Spain to withdraw from Cuba. The treaty passed by a single vote in the U.S. Senate on February 6, 1899, and was signed by President William McKinley four days later.

Dec. 14, 1918

British women voted for the first time in a general election and were allowed to run for office.

Dec. 15, 1939

Gone with the Wind had its world premiere in Atlanta, introduced by producer David O. Selznick and featuring appearances by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

Dec. 15, 1995

European Union leaders announced their new currency would be known as the Euro.

Dec. 17, 1903

After three years of experimentation, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered, controlled airplane flights. They made four flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the longest lasting about a minute.

Dec. 21, 1972

East and West Germany established diplomatic ties, ending nearly two decades of Cold War hostility and paving the way for international recognition of East Germany.

Dec. 23, 1947

The transistor was invented at Bell Laboratories by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley, who shared the Nobel Prize for their invention which sparked a worldwide revolution in electronics.

Dec. 25

Christmas Day, commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Although the exact date of his birth is not known, it has been celebrated on December 25th by the Western (Roman Catholic) Church since 336 A.D.

Dec. 25, 1776

During the American Revolution, George Washington took 2,400 of his men across the Delaware River. Washington then conducted a surprise raid on 1,500 British-Hessians (German mercenaries) at Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessians surrendered after an hour with nearly 1,000 taken prisoner by Washington who suffered only six wounded (including future president Lt. James Monroe).

Dec. 26

Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and many other countries, a day of gift giving when boxes of food, clothing and other gifts are traditionally given to employees, tradespeople and other service providers.

December 26-January 1

Kwanzaa, an African American family observance established in 1966 celebrating traditional African harvest festivals, focusing on family unity, with a community harvest feast on the seventh day. Kwanzaa means "first fruit" in Swahili.

Dec. 31, 1879

Thomas Edison provided the first public demonstration of his electric incandescent lamp at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.