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This day in history

This day in history: 12 December

Events, births and deaths on this date, ordered by how many people look them up.

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Key facts

239 historical events, births and deaths are listed for 12 December.
Entries come from Wikipedia’s day pages and are ordered by page views.
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.

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day: Corentin of Quimper

Christian feast day: December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet

Christian feast day: Finnian of Clonard

Christian feast day: Ida of Nivelles

Christian feast day: Jane Frances de Chantal

Christian feast day: Our Lady of Guadalupe

Christian feast day: Peter the Aleut

Christian feast day: Thomas Holland

Christian feast day: Vicelinus

Constitution Day (Russia)

Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)

Events

2024Indian 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.

2021Dutch 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.

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

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

2001Prime 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.

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

1999A 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.

1988The 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.

1985Arrow 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.

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

1979The 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.

1969The 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

1963Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.

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

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

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

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

1941World 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.

1939HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1862American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.

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

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

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

Born on this day

2001Michael Olise, French footballer

1997Ed Oliver, American football player

1996Lucas Hedges, American actor

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

1993Zeli Ismail, English footballer

1991Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player

1991Shohjahon Ergashev, Uzbek professional boxer

1990Dawin, American singer-songwriter

1990Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner

1990Tyron Smith, American football player

1990Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer

1988Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player

1988Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Israeli Olympic marathon runner

1986Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer

1986Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper

1986Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer

1986T. J. Ward, American football player

1985Andrew Ladd, Canadian ice hockey player

1985Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player

1984Daniel Agger, Danish footballer

1983Roni Porokara, Finnish footballer

1982Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player and coach

1982Ervin Santana, Dominican baseball player

1981Andrew Whitworth, American football player and commentator

1981Eddie Kingston, American wrestler

1981Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer

1981Stephen Warnock, English footballer

1981Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer

1980Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (died 2010)

1980Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer

1979Garrett Atkins, American baseball player

1979John Salmons, American basketball player

1979Nate Clements, American football player

1977Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player

1977Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder

1977Orlando Hudson, American baseball player

1977Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler

1975Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager

1975Mayim Bialik, American actress, neuroscientist, and author

1974Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner

Died on this day

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

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

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

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

2020John le Carré, English author (born 1931)

2019Danny Aiello, American actor (born 1933)

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

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

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

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

2015Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (born 1942)

2014Herb Plews, American baseball player (born 1928)

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

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

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

2013Audrey Totter, American actress (born 1917)

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

2012David Tait, English rugby player (born 1987)

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

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

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

2008Van Johnson, American actor (born 1916)

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

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

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

2006Paul Arizin, American basketball player (born 1928)

2006Peter Boyle, American actor (born 1935)

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

2005Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (born 1936)

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

Quote of the day

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

Epictetus

Questions people ask

Where do the entries come from?

From Wikipedia’s on-this-day pages for this language, updated once a day and ordered by how often each article is read.

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