December 12
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[change] Events
- 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
- 1098 - First Crusade: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan - Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 of the people living in it. After finding themselves without enough food, they resort to cannibalism.
- 1531 - Vision of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in Mexico City.
- 1719 - The Boston Gazette is published for the first time.
- 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant - A Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory, defeats a French fleet.
- 1787 - Pennsylvania becomes the 2nd state to make the United States Constitution official.
- 1812 - French invasion of Russia comes to an end.
- 1862 - USS Cairo sank on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
- 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black U.S. congressman.
- 1897 - Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is made official.
- 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
- 1911 - Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
- 1914 - The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 24.39%.
- 1915 - President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai tells that he is going to make himself the Emperor of China.
- 1917 - In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
- 1925 - The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Persia.
- 1936 - Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
- 1937 - Panay incident: Japanese aircraft shell and sink US gunboat Panay on the Yangtze River in China.
- 1939 - Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi - Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
- 1940 - Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield as a result of a German air raid.
- 1941 - World War II: Fifty four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesus Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; Cesar Basa is killed.
- 1941 - World War II: USMC F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
- 1941 - World War II: Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
- 1942 - A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland kills 100 people.
- 1946 - A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
- 1948 - Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre - 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
- 1950 - Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
- 1963 - Kenya becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1964 - Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
- 1969 - Strategia della tensione: Piazza Fontana bombing - The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
- 1979 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean military officer Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
- 1979 - Pakistan President Zia-ul-Haq conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
- 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe.
- 1982 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.
- 1984 - Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya become the third president of Mauritania after coup d'etat against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla. Taya was ousted in March 2005 by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall in another coup.
- 1985 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
- 1988 - Clapham Junction rail crash killed 35 and injured 100's after two collisions of three commuter trains. One of the worst train crashes in Britain.
- 1991 - Russian Federation becomes independent from the USSR.
- 1996 - Uday Hussein is seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
- 2000 - The United States Supreme Court released its decision in Bush v. Gore
- 2006 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton Plant signalling the end of mass car production in Coventry, formerly a major centre of the British motor industry.
[change] Births
- 1298 - Albert II of Austria
- 1418 - Albert VI of Austria
- 1574 - Anne of Denmark, wife of James I of England
- 1610 - Saint Vasilije
- 1659 - Francesco Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/designer
- 1712 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader
- 1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral
- 1745 - John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States
- 1779 - Madeleine Sophie Barat, French saint
- 1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth, American politician
- 1786 - William L. Marcy, American statesman
- 1799 - Karl Briullov, Russian painter
- 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist
- 1806 - Stand Watie, American Confederate general
- 1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer
- 1845 - Bruce Price, American architect
- 1849 - William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family
- 1863 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter
- 1864 - Paul Elmer More, American essayist
- 1866 - Alfred Werner, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1870 - Walter Benona Sharp, American oil baron
- 1875 - Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal
- 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein, Olympic gold medalist
- 1887 - Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer
- 1892 - Herman Potočnik Noordung, Austro-Hungarian-born rocket engineer
- 1893 - Edward G. Robinson, American actor
- 1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer
- 1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer
- 1903 - Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese film director
- 1904 - Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor and socialite
- 1905 - Mànes Sperber, Austro-Hungarian-born writer
- 1907 - Roy Douglas, British composer and orchestrator
- 1909 - Karen Morley, American actress
- 1914 - Patrick O'Brian (Richard Patrick Russ), British author
- 1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor
- 1918 - Joe Williams, American singer
- 1919 - Olivia Barclay, British astrologer
- 1919 - Dan DeCarlo, American cartoonist
- 1923 - Bob Barker, American television game show host
- 1924 - Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City
- 1925 - Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer
- 1927 - Honor Blackman, British actress
- 1927 - Robert Noyce, American inventor
- 1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-born Kyrgyz writer
- 1929 - John Osborne, British dramatist
- 1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese musician
- 1930 - Bill Beutel, American Journalist
- 1931 - Lionel Blair, British actor and choreographer
- 1932 - Bob Pettit, American basketball player
- 1934 - Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico
- 1938 - Connie Francis, American singer
- 1940 - Sharad Pawar, Indian politician
- 1940 - Dionne Warwick, American singer
- 1943 - Dickey Betts, American musician (The Allman Brothers)
- 1943 - Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist
- 1944 - Kenneth Cranham, Scottish born actor
- 1944 - Jean Doré, Quebec politician, mayor of Montreal
- 1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian 2 time Formula 1 World Champion
- 1946 - Paula Wagner, American film executive
- 1948 - Tom Wilkinson, English actor
- 1949 - Rajnikanth, Indian actor
- 1949 - Bill Nighy, English actor
- 1950 - Billy Smith, National Hockey League goaltender
- 1952 - Harbance Singh (Herb) Dhaliwal, Canadian politician
- 1952 - Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
- 1953 - Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (Kiss)
- 1954 - Liz Claman, American television anchor
- 1955 - Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek business woman, president of the organizing committee for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
- 1956 - Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
- 1957 - Sheila E., American musician
- 1957 - Robert Lepage, Quebec playwright
- 1962 - Tracy Austin, American tennis player
- 1962 - Mike Golic, former NFL football player
- 1964 - Sabu, American professional wrestler
- 1966 - Royce Gracie, Brazilian martial artist
- 1967 - John Randle, American football player
- 1968 - Laurie Williams, Indian cricket player
- 1970 - Jennifer Connelly, American actress
- 1970 - Madchen Amick, American actress
- 1970 - Regina Hall, American actress
- 1972 - Hank Williams III, grandson of Hank Williams
- 1972 - Nicky Eaden, English footballer
- 1972 - Kevin Parent, Quebec singer and songwriter
- 1972 - Yeoryios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
- 1972 - Brandon Teena, American hate crime victim
- 1973 - William Hutton, American engineer
- 1973 - Walter Otta, Argentine footballer
- 1974 - Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
- 1975 - Mayim Bialik, American actress
- 1975 - Craig Moore, Australian footballer
- 1976 - Dan Hawkins, British guitarist (The Darkness)
- 1977 - Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
- 1977 - Bridget Hall, American supermodel
- 1977 - Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 - Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
- 1978 - Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, American triplet Playboy models
- 1978 - Evren Genis, Turkish composer
- 1979 - Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
- 1979 - Nate Clements, American football player
- 1979 - Sharin Foo, Danish singer and bassist
- 1981 - Jeret Peterson, American aerial skier
- 1981 - Ronnie Brown, American football player
- 1981 - Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricket player
- 1981 - Stephen Warnock, British footballer
- 1981 - Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
- 1982 - Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
- 1983 - Katrina Elam, American singer
- 1983 - Brad Smith, American football player
- 1984 - Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
- 1986 - Thomas Wansey, English television actor
- 1986 - Perparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
- 1987 - Kate Todd, Canadian actress
- 1989 - Harry Eden, British actor
- 1990 - Tommy Lane, British football player
- 1991 - Daniel Magder, Canadian actor
[change] Deaths
- 884 - Carloman, King of the West Franks
- 1212 - Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
- 1569 - Metropolitan Philip of Moscow
- 1574 - Selim II, Ottoman Sultan
- 1586 - Stefan Batory, King of Poland
- 1685 - John Pell, English mathematician
- 1751 - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English statesman and philosopher
- 1754 - Wu Jingzi, Chinese writer
- 1766 - Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer
- 1789 - John Ponsonby, Irish politician
- 1790 - Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher and writer
- 1843 - King William I of the Netherlands,
- 1858 - Jacques Viger, antiquarian and archeologist, first mayor of Montreal
- 1889 - Robert Browning, British poet
- 1889 - Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician
- 1894 - Sir John Thompson, fourth Prime Minister of Canada
- 1913 - Emperor Menelek II of Ethiopia
- 1923 - Raymond Radiguet, French author
- 1926 - Jean Richepin, French poet
- 1929 - Charles Goodnight, American cattle baron
- 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor
- 1941 - Cesar Basa, Philippine Air Force and World War II hero
- 1952 - Bedřich Hrozný, Austro-Hungarian-born Czechoslovak orientalist and linguist
- 1963 - Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese film director
- 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead, American actress
- 1970 - Doris Blackburn, Australian politician
- 1971 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born American General Manager of RCA
- 1976 - Vinko Zganec, Croatian ethnomusicologist
- 1977 - Lady Spencer Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill
- 1980 - Jean Lesage, politician, premier of Quebec
- 1985 - Anne Baxter, American actress
- 1985 - Ian Stewart, Scottish musician
- 1992 - Suzanne Lilar, Belgian esssayist, novelist and playwright
- 1993 - József Antall, Hungarian politician
- 1994 - Stuart Roosa, American astronaut
- 1996 - Vance Packard, American author
- 1997 - Yevgeniy Landis, Russian mathematician
- 1998 - Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida
- 1999 - Joseph Heller, American author
- 2000 - George Montgomery, American actor
- 2001 - Jean Richard, French actor
- 2002 - Dee Brown, American author
- 2002 - Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted murderer
- 2002 - Brad Dexter, American actor
- 2003 - Heydar Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan
- 2003 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American Catholic prelate
- 2005 - Gebran Tueni, Lebanese politician
- 2005 - Annette Vadim, Danish actress
- 2006 - Paul Arizin, American basketball player
- 2006 - Peter Boyle, American actor
- 2006 - Al Shugart, pioneering American computer engineer and co-founder of Seagate Technology
- 2006 - Raymond P. Shafer, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania
- 2006 - Shane Halligan - Student
[change] Holidays and observances
- R.C. Saints - optional memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Masá'il (Questions) - First day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í Calendar
- Kenya - Jamhuri Day: Independence Day (from Britain, 1963)
