On This Day — December 12

Famous events, births, and deaths from December 12 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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47 events · 204 births · 103 deaths recorded for December 12.

🕰️ Notable Events on December 12

2012 — North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using an Unha-3 carrier rocket. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
2000 — The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore. Wikipedia ↗
1991 — The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR. Wikipedia ↗
1988 — The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Arrow Air Flight 1285, 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. Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya becomes the third president of Mauritania after a coup d'état against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the latter is attending a summit. Wikipedia ↗
1983 — The Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floats the Australian dollar. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General 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. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — The 8.2 Mw Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300-600, and generating a large tsunami. Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Years of Lead: Piazza Fontana bombing: The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya. Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom. Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Beginning of the Irish Republican Army's "Border Campaign". Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services. Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali massacre: Fourteen members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaya allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — A fire at an ice plant in Hudson Heights, Manhattan spreads to an adjacent tenement, killing 37 people. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — World War II: German troops begin Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad. Wikipedia ↗
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. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery Wikipedia ↗
1940 — World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, as a result of a German air raid. Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi: Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict. Wikipedia ↗
1939 — HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men. Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China. Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang. Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler. Wikipedia ↗
1925 — The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Iran, starting the Pahlavi dynasty. Wikipedia ↗
1918 — The Flag of Estonia is raised atop the Pikk Hermann for the first time. Wikipedia ↗
1917 — In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys. Wikipedia ↗
1915 — President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China. Wikipedia ↗
1911 — Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India. Wikipedia ↗
1911 — King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck are enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India. Wikipedia ↗
1901 — Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland. Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, is founded. Wikipedia ↗
1870 — Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels. Wikipedia ↗
1866 — Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers. Wikipedia ↗
1862 — American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by a controlled mine. Wikipedia ↗
1787 — Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first. Wikipedia ↗
1781 — American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant: A British fleet led by HMS Victory defeats a French fleet. Wikipedia ↗
1408 — The Order of the Dragon, a monarchical chivalric order, is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then king of Hungary. Wikipedia ↗
1388 — Mary of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice. Wikipedia ↗
1098 — First Crusade: Siege of Ma'arrat al-Numan: Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they reportedly resort to cannibalism. Wikipedia ↗
884 — King Carloman II dies after a hunting accident. He is succeeded by his cousin, emperor Charles the Fat, who for the last time reunites the Frankish Empire. Wikipedia ↗
627 — Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on December 12

1996 — Lachlan Croker, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Mitchell Pinnock, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (d. 2017) Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Zeli Ismail, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Seungri, South Korean singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Mike Glennon, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Tony Williams, Australian-Tongan rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Marte Eberson, Norwegian keyboard player and composer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper Wikipedia ↗
1986 — T. J. Ward, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Chris Jennings, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — David Veikune, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Giannis Zaradoukas, Greek footballer Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Daniel Agger, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Ronnie Brown, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Jeret Peterson, American skier (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Stephen Warnock, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Berkant Göktan, Turkish-German footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Garrett Atkins, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Nate Clements, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — John Salmons, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Gbenga Akinnagbe, American actor and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Shin Seung-hwan, South Korean actor Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Orlando Hudson, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Dan Hawkins, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Brent Johnson, Canadian football player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Lloyd Owusu, Ghanaian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Mayim Bialik, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Wesley Charles, Vincentian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Tony Hsieh, American businessman, founded LinkExchange Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Walter Otta, Argentinian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Craig Field, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Jennifer Connelly, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Regina Hall, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Sophie Kinsella, English author and educator Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Rory Kennedy, American director and producer Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Laurie Williams, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer and producer Wikipedia ↗
1967 — John Randle, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Royce Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and actor Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Ian Paisley, Jr., Northern Irish politician Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Will Carling, English rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Reeta Chakrabarti, English journalist Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Peter Bergen, American-English journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Mike Golic, American football player and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Ulrike Tillmann, German mathematician and academic Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Jasper Conran, English fashion designer Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Alexander Crutchfield, American businessman, financier and investor Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek businesswoman Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Stephen Smith, Australian lawyer and politician, 53rd Australian Minister of Defence Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Bruce Kulick, American guitarist and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Herb Dhaliwal, Indian-Canadian businessman and politician, 3rd Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Sarah Douglas (actress), English actress Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Cathy Rigby, American gymnast Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Martina Hellmann, German athlete Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Gorman Thomas, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Rajinikanth, Indian actor Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Gopinath Munde, Indian lawyer and politician, 3rd Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Bill Nighy, English actor Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Colin Todd, English football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Will Alsop, English architect and academic Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Wings Hauser, American actor, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican politician, 7th Prime Minister of Jamaica Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Jean Doré, Canadian lawyer and politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Cara Duff-MacCormick, Canadian actress Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Zoe Laskari, Greek actress Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Rob Tyner, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 1991) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Vassilis Alexakis, Greek-French author and translator Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Dickey Betts, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Morris Sadek, Egyptian-American lawyer and activist Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Brough Scott, English jockey and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Dionne Warwick, American singer Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Terry Kirkman, American singer-songwriter and musician Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Connie Francis, American singer and actress Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Michael Jeffery, Australian general and politician, 24th Governor-General of Australia Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Buford Pusser, American police officer (d. 1974) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Denise Coffey, English actress and director Wikipedia ↗
1935 — John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Minister of Agriculture (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Manu Dibango, Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Christa Stubnick, German sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Lionel Blair, English actor Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host and businessman, founded Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1929 — John Osborne, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstani diplomat and author (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Ahmad Shamloo, Iranian journalist and poet (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Bob Barker, American game show host and producer Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1979) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Fred Kida, American illustrator (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Olivia Barclay, English astrologer and author (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Dan DeCarlo, American soldier and illustrator (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗