Events

Pre-1600

• 627 Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.

• 1388 Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.

1601–1900

• 1787 Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.

• 1862 American Civil War: sinks on the Yazoo River.

• 1866 Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.

• 1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.

1901–present

• 1901 Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.

• 1915 Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.

• 1917 Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.

• 1935 The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.

• 1936 The beginning of Xi'an incident. As a result, Chiang Kai Shek is captured.

• 1937 Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat on the Yangtze river in China.

• 1939 sinks after a collision with off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.

• 1939 Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.

• 1941 World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.

• 1941 The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.

• 1945 The People's Republic of Korea is outlawed in the South, by order of the United States Army Military Government in Korea.

• 1946 United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 relating to acceptance of Siam (now Thailand) to the United Nations is adopted.

• 1956 United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.

• 1963 Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.

• 1969 The Piazza Fontana bombing; a bomb explodes at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura (the National Agricultural Bank) in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88. The same afternoon, three more bombs are detonated in Rome and Milan, and another is found unexploded.

• 1979 The 8.2 Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.

• 1979 Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.

• 1985 Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.

• 1988 The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trainsone of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.

• 1999 A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits the Philippines's main island of Luzon, killing six people, injuring 40, and causing power outages that affected the capital Manila.

• 2000 The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.

• 2001 Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.

• 2012 North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.

• 2015 The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.

• 2021 Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands.

• 2024 Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju became the undisputed World Chess Champion in a tournament held in Singapore, making him the 18th and the youngest champion in chess history.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1526 Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (died 1588)

1601–1900

• 1685 Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (died 1743)

• 1724 Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (died 1816)

• 1786 William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (died 1857)

• 1799 Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (died 1852)

• 1805 Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (died 1878)

• 1806 Stand Watie, American general (died 1871)

• 1812 John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (died 1872)

• 1821 Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (died 1880)

• 1830 Joseph Orville Shelby, Confederate general (died 1897)

• 1842 Adolf Bötticher, German journalist and historian (died 1901)

• 1845 Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (died 1903)

• 1863 Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (died 1944)

• 1866 Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1919)

• 1870 Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (died 1912)

• 1876 Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (died 1928)

• 1881 Louise Thuliez, French school teacher, resistance fighter during World War I and World War II and author (died 1966)

• 1893 Edward G. Robinson, American actor (died 1973)

1901–present

• 1901 Harald Kaarmann, Estonian footballer (died 1942)

• 1907 Roy Douglas, English pianist and composer (died 2015)

• 1912 Henry Armstrong, American boxer (died 1988)

• 1914 Patrick O'Brian, English author (died 2000)

• 1915 Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (died 1998)

• 1918 Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (died 1999)

• 1920 Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (died 1999)

• 1923 Bob Barker, American game show host and producer (died 2023)

• 1923 Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer (died 2018)

• 1923 Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Ethiopian pianist, composer and nun (died 2023)

• 1924 Ed Koch, American politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (died 2013)

• 1925 Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2009)

• 1925 Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (died 1985)

• 1925 Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (died 2017)

• 1926 Étienne-Émile Baulieu, French biochemist and endocrinologist (died 2025)

• 1927 Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (died 1990)

• 1928 Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (died 2011)

• 1929 Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer

• 1932 Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach

• 1933 Christa Stubnick, German sprinter (died 2021)

• 1934 Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (died 2012)

• 1936 Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (died 2016)

• 1937 Connie Francis, American singer, musician, and actress (died 2025)

• 1937 Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (died 2012)

• 1940 Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture

• 1940 Dionne Warwick, American singer

• 1942 Bob Thompson, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger

• 1943 Dickey Betts, American musician and songwriter (died 2024)

• 1943 Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (died 1999)

• 1945 Gísli S. Einarsson, Icelandic politician

• 1945 Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (died 1997)

• 1946 Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian racing driver

• 1947 Wings Hauser, American actor (died 2025)

• 1947 Don Keith, American writer

• 1947 Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician

• 1948 Randy Smith, American basketball player (died 2009)

• 1948 Colin Todd, English football player and coach

• 1949 Bill Nighy, English actor

• 1949 Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar

• 1949 David Abulafia, English historian (died 2026)

• 1950 Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist

• 1950 Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic

• 1950 Rajinikanth, Indian actor

• 1950 Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager

• 1950 Gorman Thomas, American baseball player

• 1951 Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior (died 2022)

• 1952 Cathy Rigby, American gymnast

• 1953 Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician

• 1953 Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player

• 1955 Chris Phelan, Irish-Australian rugby league player (died 2026)

• 1955 Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist

• 1955 Stephen Smith, Australian politician

• 1956 Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist

• 1957 Sheila E., American singer and musician

• 1958 Sheree J. Wilson, American actress

• 1960 Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower

• 1961 Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker

• 1962 Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster

• 1962 Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner

• 1962 Mike Golic, American football player and radio host

• 1963 Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (died 2012)

• 1964 Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach

• 1964 Sabu, American wrestler(died 2025)

• 1965 Russell Batiste Jr., American funk and R&B drummer (died 2023)

• 1965 Will Carling, English rugby union player

• 1967 John Randle, American football player

• 1968 Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer

• 1969 Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner

• 1969 Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper

• 1969 Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower (died 2022)

• 1970 Mädchen Amick, American actress and director

• 1970 Tahir Bilgiç Turkish-Australian comedian and actor

• 1970 Jennifer Connelly, American actress

• 1970 Regina Hall, American actress

• 1971 Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner

• 1972 Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach

• 1972 Craig Field, Australian rugby league player

• 1972 Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner

• 1972 Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter

• 1974 Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner

• 1974 Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager

• 1975 Mayim Bialik, American actress, neuroscientist, and author

• 1975 Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager

• 1977 Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler

• 1977 Orlando Hudson, American baseball player

• 1977 Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder

• 1977 Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1979 Garrett Atkins, American baseball player

• 1979 Nate Clements, American football player

• 1979 John Salmons, American basketball player

• 1980 Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (died 2010)

• 1980 Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer

• 1981 Eddie Kingston, American wrestler

• 1981 Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer

• 1981 Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer

• 1981 Stephen Warnock, English footballer

• 1981 Andrew Whitworth, American football player and commentator

• 1982 Ervin Santana, Dominican baseball player

• 1982 Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player and coach

• 1983 Roni Porokara, Finnish footballer

• 1984 Daniel Agger, Danish footballer

• 1985 Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player

• 1985 Andrew Ladd, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1986 Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer

• 1986 Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer

• 1986 Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper

• 1986 T. J. Ward, American football player

• 1988 Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player

• 1988 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Israeli Olympic marathon runner

• 1990 Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner

• 1990 Dawin, American singer-songwriter

• 1990 Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer

• 1990 Tyron Smith, American football player

• 1991 Shohjahon Ergashev, Uzbek professional boxer

• 1991 Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player

• 1993 Zeli Ismail, English footballer

• 1994 Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (died 2017)

• 1996 Lucas Hedges, American actor

• 1997 Ed Oliver, American football player

• 2001 Michael Olise, French footballer

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 884 King Carloman II of the Franks (born c.866; hunting accident)

• 1204 Maimonides, Jewish physician, philosopher, and scholar (born 1135 or 1138)

• 1296 Isabella of Mar, first wife of Robert Bruce VII (born 1277)

• 1572 Loredana Marcello, Dogaressa of Venice, botanist, author

1601–1900

• 1751 Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (born 1678)

• 1766 Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher, author, and critic (born 1700)

• 1794 Meshullam Feivush Heller, Ukrainian author (born 1742)

• 1803 Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden (born 1750)

• 1858 Jacques Viger, Canadian archeologist and politician, 1st Mayor of Montreal (born 1787)

• 1889 Viktor Bunyakovsky, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (born 1804)

• 1894 John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1845)

1901–present

• 1913 Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (born 1844)

• 1921 Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (born 1868)

• 1923 Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (born 1903)

• 1934 Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (born 1894)

• 1939 Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1883)

• 1941 César Basa, Filipino lieutenant and pilot (born 1915)

• 1948 Marjory Stephenson, British biochemist (born 1885)

• 1951 Mildred Bailey, American singer (born 1907)

• 1958 Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (born 1900)

• 1966 Karl Ruberl, Austrian-American swimmer (born 1880)

• 1968 Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (born 1902)

• 1970 Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (born 1889)

• 1975 Richard Baggallay, English colonel and cricketer (born 1884)

• 1980 Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (born 1912)

• 1985 Anne Baxter, American actress (born 1923)

• 1985 Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboardist and manager (born 1938)

• 1993 József Antall, Hungarian historian and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (born 1932)

• 1994 Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (born 1933)

• 1996 Vance Packard, American journalist, author, and critic (born 1914)

• 1997 Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (born 1921)

• 1998 Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (born 1930)

• 1998 Morris Udall, American captain and politician (born 1922)

• 1999 Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (born 1904)

• 1999 Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright(born 1923)

• 2001 Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (born 1897)

• 2002 Dee Brown, American historian and author (born 1908)

• 2003 Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general and politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (born 1923)

• 2005 Robert Newmyer, American actor and producer (born 1956)

• 2005 Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (born 1936)

• 2005 Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (born 1957)

• 2006 Paul Arizin, American basketball player (born 1928)

• 2006 Peter Boyle, American actor (born 1935)

• 2006 Raymond P. Shafer, American attorney and politician, 39th Governor of Pennsylvania (born 1917)

• 2006 Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (born 1930)

• 2007 François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (born 1953)

• 2007 Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1931)

• 2008 Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (born 1918)

• 2008 Van Johnson, American actor (born 1916)

• 2010 Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (born 1946)

• 2012 Joe Allbritton, American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (born 1924)

• 2012 David Tait, English rugby player (born 1987)

• 2013 Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist (born 1931)

• 2013 Abdul Quader Molla, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (born 1948)

• 2013 Audrey Totter, American actress (born 1917)

• 2014 Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (born 1928)

• 2014 Ivor Grattan-Guinness, English mathematician, historian, and academic (born 1941)

• 2014 Herb Plews, American baseball player (born 1928)

• 2015 Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (born 1942)

• 2015 Evelyn S. Lieberman, American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (born 1944)

• 2016 Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1931)

• 2017 Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (born 1952)

• 2017 Pat DiNizio, American singer and songwriter (born 1955)

• 2019 Danny Aiello, American actor (born 1933)

• 2020 John le Carré, English author (born 1931)

• 2020 Ann Reinking, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1949)

• 2021 Vicente Fernández, Mexican actor, ranchera singer, and film producer (born 1940)

• 2021 Bernie Fowler, American politician and environmental advocate (born 1924)

• 2021 Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, Tongan politician and military officer, Deputy Prime Minister (born 1955)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

• Corentin of Quimper

• Jane Frances de Chantal

• Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet

• Finnian of Clonard

• Thomas Holland

• Ida of Nivelles

• Peter the Aleut

• Vicelinus

• Our Lady of Guadalupe

• December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Constitution Day (Russia)

• Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on December 12