December 12
December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 19 days remaining.
Events
- 627 - Battle of Nineveh
- 1531 - Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
- 1787 - Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution
- 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black U.S. congressman
- 1897 - The city of Belo Horizonte is founded.
- 1900 - US Steel formed
- 1901 - First radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean by Guglielmo Marconi
- 1913 - Mona Lisa recovered in Florence, two years after it was stolen
- 1917 - In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys (in 1979 it was opened to girls as well).
- 1925 - Reza Pahlavi takes control of Iran as Shah
- 1937 - Panay incident
- 1941 - United States seizes French ship Normandie
- 1948 - Batang Kali Massacre, Malaysia
- 1963 - Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom
- 1969 - Strage di Piazza Fontana in Italy
- 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe
- 1983 - Dallos is the first OAV (Original Animation Video) ever released.
- 1985 - An Arrow Air DC-8 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division
- 1996 - Uday Hussein is seriously injured in an assassination attempt
- 2000 - The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore, deciding the presidential election of 2000.
- 2003 - Paul Martin, Jr. is sworn-in as the 21st Prime Minister of Canada
Births
- 1574 - Anne of Denmark, consort of James I of England (d. 1619)
- 1745 - John Jay, United States Supreme Court justice (d. 1829)
- 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist (d. 1879)
- 1806 - Stand Watie, Confederate general, Cherokee leader (d. 1871)
- 1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer (d. 1880)
- 1863 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
- 1871 - Umenosuke Bessho, Japanese writer (d. 1945)
- 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein, American athlete
- 1887 - Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer
- 1892 - Liesl Karlstadt, actress along with Karl Valentin (d. 1960)
- 1892 - Herman Potočnik Noordung, Slovene pioneer of astronautics and cosmonautics, and rocket engineer (d. 1929)
- 1893 - Edward G. Robinson, actor (d. 1973)
- 1903 - Ozu Yasujiro, film director (d. 1963)
- 1905 - Mànes Sperber, writer (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Patrick O'Brian, British author (d. 2000)
- 1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
- 1918 - Joe Williams, singer (d. 1999)
- 1919 - Hermann Neuberger, sports official (d. 1992)
- 1923 - Bob Barker, game show host, television personality
- 1924 - Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City
- 1927 - Robert Noyce, American inventor (d. 1990)
- 1927 - Honor Blackman, actress
- 1929 - John Osborne, British dramatist (d. 1994)
- 1932 - Bob Pettit, basketball star
- 1934 - Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico
- 1938 - Connie Francis, American singer
- 1940 - Dionne Warwick, American singer
- 1940 - Sharad Pawar, Indian politician
- 1943 - Dickie Betts, musician (The Allman Brothers)
- 1943 - Grover Washington Jr., musician (d. 1999)
- 1952 - Cathy Rigby, gymnast, actress
- 1956 - Nikki Sixx, musician
- 1957 - Sheila E., musician
- 1963 - Ozu Yasujiro, film director
- 1976 - Dan Hawkins, musician
- 1981 - Yuvraj Singh, cricketer, India
Deaths
- 884 - Carloman, King of the West Franks
- 1574 - Selim II, Ottoman Emperor
- 1894 - Sir John Thompson, fourth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
- 1923 - Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
- 1929 - Charles Goodnight, cattle baron (b. 1836)
- 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor (b. 1883)
- 1952 - Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist
- 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead, actress (b. 1902)
- 1971 - David Sarnoff, radio and television pioneer (b. 1891)
- 1994 - Stuart Roosa, Apollo Astronaut (b. 1933)
- 1996 - Vance Packard, American author on media manipulation (b. 1914)
- 1999 - Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
- 2001 - Jean Richard, French actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 - Geidar Aliev, former President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances
- Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Masá'il (Questions) - First day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í Calendar
- Roman Catholic - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- United Nations - Digital Solidarity Day
December 11 - December 13 - November 12 - January 12 -- listing of all days