What Happened on December 12 in World History?
Early Centuries – December 12 Historic Events – Before 1700
1. December 12, 0627 – During the Byzantine-Sassanid War, the Sassanid army was defeated by Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantine
2. December 12, 1098 – Mara Syria was seized and looted by the 1st Crusaders
3. December 12, 1408 – King Sigismund of Hungary and his Queen wife Barbara of Celje issued the Order of Dragon this day during the war to capture Bosnia
4. December 12, 1474 – Isabella declares herself as queen of Castile and Aragon
5. December 12, 1479 – King Frederick III banishes all Jews from Schlettstadt Alsace
6. December 12, 1524 – Recognition of the Organization of the Jewish Community of Rome by Pope Clement VII
7. December 12, 1527 – Relocation of Composer Adrian Willaert from Milan to Venice
8. December 12, 1653 – The nominated Parliament created by Oliver Cromwell was terminated
9. December 12, 1677 – Stettin seized Brandenburgs army
10. December 12, 1694 – Edmond Halley in a research paper entitled Some considerations about the cause of the universal deluge, had suggested that Noah’s flood may be due to a cometary impact. He was denounced for this comment by the Royal Society.
18th Century – What Happened on December 12 – The 1700s
11. December 12, 1700 – Gregorian calendar was introduced in Utrecht, Overijssel, Buren, Leerdam and Ijsselstein
12. December 12, 1715 – The combined armies of Russia and Prussia capture Stralsund
13. December 12, 1769 – a universal jubilee was declared by Pope Clement XIV
14. December 12, 1787 – The US Constitution was accepted by Pennsylvania and it was the 2nd state to recognize the US Constitution
15. December 12, 1791 – The inauguration of the Bank of North America at Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia
16. December 12, 1792 – Franz Joseph Haydn gives the first lesson in music composition to Ludwig van Beethoven (22) in Vienna
19th Century – December 12 This Day That Year – The 1800s
17. December 12, 1800 – Recognition of Washington, DC as the capital of the United States of America
18. December 12, 1822 – Recognition of Mexico as an independent nation by the US
19. December 12, 1858 – Canadian coins of 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent issued for circulation in Canada
20. December 12, 1862 – War of Dumfries in Virginia
21. December 12, 1870 – The first African American to serve in the US House of Representatives was Joseph Rainey (South Carolina)
22. December 12, 1871 – dark lines in solar Corona spectrum discovered by Jules Janssen
23. December 12, 1874 – US President Ulysses S Grant invites King David Kalakaua, King of Hawaii, for a US state dinner at the White House and was the first king to come to the US as a guest
24. December 12, 1878 – Inauguration of the publication of “St Louis Dispatch” by Joseph Pulitzer
25. December 12, 1884 – Adelaide Oval hosts the first Test match
26. December 12, 1897 – Protest demonstrations against Jews commence in Bucharest, Romania
27. December 12, 1897 – publication of comic series Katzenjammer by Rodolph Dirks in NY Journal
28. December 12, 1897 – establishment of Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil
29. December 12, 1898 – Australian states NEW and Tasmania play their 1st first-class cricket
30. December 12, 1899 – detection of 1st case of plague on Oahu, Hawaii
31. December 12, 1899 – copyright granted to George F Bryant of Boston for his wooden gold tee
20th Century – Important Events On This Day December 12 – The 1900s
32. December 12, 1900 – composing of the National Negro Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
33. December 12, 1901 – The first radio signal was sent by Guglielmo Marconi across the transatlantic from Poldhu in Cornwall to Newfoundland in Canada
34. December 12, 1902 – Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to historian Theodor Mommsen for his historical writing, “A History of Rome”
35. December 12, 1903 – completion of a document about abuses in the Belgian Congo by Roger Casement
36. December 12, 1904 – debut show in NYC of “Leah Kleschna” by CMS McClellan
37. December 12, 1906 – appointment of Oscar Straus as Secretary of Commerce, 1st Jewish US government member
38. December 12, 1908 – American Fred Alexander defeats Alfred Dunlop of Australia, 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 at the Australasian Championships Men’s Tennis, Sydney
39. December 12, 1911 – Capital of India shifted from Calcutta to Delhi
40. December 12, 1912 – the first show of the musical, “Firefly” by Rudolf Friml and Otto Harbach in NYC
41. December 12, 1913 – teaching of Hebrew language officially in Palestinian schools
42. December 12, 1914 – a maximum drop of 24.39% in one day in the value of stocks of Dow Jones Industrial Average
43. December 12, 1915 – test flying of all-metal aircraft (Junkers J-1) from Dessau, Germany
44. December 12, 1915 – formation of French war government by Aristide Briand
45. December 12, 1915 – invading of Hamadan, Persia by French Army
46. December 12, 1917 – 543 travelers lost their life when the French troop train derailed in French Alps
47. December 12, 1917 – formation of Boys Town outside Omaha, Nebraska by Rev Edward Flanagan
48. December 12, 1920 – the first show of the dance. “La Valse” by Maurice Ravels in Paris
49. December 12, 1924 – Spanish defense vacate Morocco
50. December 12, 1925 – The term “motel” used by Arthur Heinman; inauguration of the Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo
51. December 12, 1925 – Sultan Abdulaziz Ibn Saud commands the Saudi army and defeats Medina
52. December 12, 1926 – first performance of the piano musical by Dmitri Shostakovich Leningrad
53. December 12, 1928 – first performance of “Wings over Europe” by Robert Nichols and Mauraice Browne in New York City
54. December 12, 1930 – Revision of the Rules for Baseball by the Baseballs Rules Committee – the ball bouncing into stands is now not an HR but a double
55. December 12, 1930 – first cricket test, Australia Vs West Indies in Adelaide
56. December 12, 1931 – Imukai forms the Japanese Government
57. December 12, 1932 – first performance of “Biography” by SN Behrman in NYC
58. December 12, 1932 – ambassadorial level relations recommenced between USSR & China
59. December 12, 1933 – the career of Toronto Maple Leaf player Ace Bailey came to an end by an injury caused by Eddie Shore breaking his skull
60. December 12, 1936 – Declaration of war against Japan by Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese leader
61. December 12, 1936 – Sam Francis from the University of Nebraska was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1937 NFL Draft
62. December 12, 1937 – mobile-TV vans run on the roads of NY by NBC and RCA for the first time
63. December 12, 1937 – Washington Redskins defeat Chicago Bears, 28-21 during the National Football League Championship at Wrigley Field, Chicago
64. December 12, 1937 – Japanese aircraft bombarded and destroyed the US gunboat Panay on the Yangtze in China (Japan expressed regret and paid USD 2.2M in damages)
65. December 12, 1937 – Cleveland Rams selected Corbett Davis from the University of Indiana from the 1938 NFL Draft
66. December 12, 1939 – 750 lost their life when the Russ Indigirka overturned in a snowstorm off the Japanese coast
67. December 12, 1940 – Sidi el-Barrani seized by British army
68. December 12, 1941 – European soldiers in reserve assemble in Java
69. December 12, 1941 – house search for Jews in Paris by the German army
70. December 12, 1941 – Soviet 20th army regains control of Soljetsjnogorsk
71. December 12, 1942 – Germans attack South Western Stalingrad
72. December 12, 1942 – 100 people lost their life in an inferno in the hostel in St. John’s Newfoundland
73. December 12, 1945 – Capital punishment awarded to Dutch Nazi leader Mussert by a Special Court of justice
74. December 12, 1946 – 38 people died when an Ice Plant breakdown destroying the residential apartment
75. December 12, 1946 – launch of “Tide”, a detergent in the market
76. December 12, 1946 – 6 Manhattan blocks given as a gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr accepted by the UN
77. December 12, 1947 – United Mine Workers Association breaks away from AFL
78. December 12, 1948 – killing of 24 unarmed civilians destroyed by fire the helmet by 14 members of the Scots Guards camping in Malaysia known as the Batang Kali Massacre during the Malayan Emergency
79. December 12, 1949 – The proposal to legalize the spitball was rejected by AL by a 7-1 vote
80. December 12, 1950 – Vic Janowicz, Ohio State (HB) was awarded the 16th Heisman Trophy Award
81. December 12, 1950 – The 4-year-old bonus & high school rules were dropped by the Baseball owners
82. December 12, 1952 – the last play of Dallas Texans
83. December 12, 1953 – Chuck Yeager flies the BellX-1A rocket plane at a speed equal to Mach 2.43
84. December 12, 1955 – Copyright granted to British engineer Christoper Cockerell for his invention of the 1st prototype hovercraft
85. December 12, 1956 – inauguration of the Irish Republican army’s Border Campaign
86. December 12, 1957 – Maj Adrian Drew reaches a speed of 1943 kph in an F-101 Voodoo
87. December 12, 1957 – Borazon, a substance harder than diamond, was manufactured in the US
88. December 12, 1957 – A team of doctors headed by Willem J Kolff at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio proved the feasibility of the artificial heart by removing the heart of a dog and replacing it with a pneumatic pump keeping the dog alive for 90 minutes
89. December 12, 1958 – Prime Minister Dress and the ministers of the Dutch social democratic party were removed
90. December 12, 1958 – In cricket matches against West Indies at Kanpur, Fergie Gupte achieves 9-102 by leggies
91. December 12, 1959 – creation of Peaceful Use of Outer Space by the UN Committee
92. December 12, 1959 – The first Australian F1 World Drivers Championship was achieved by Jack Brabham by finishing 4th during the US Grand Prix at Sebring; he achieved the title by 4 points from Briton Tony Brooks
93. December 12, 1961 – War crime charges proved against Adolf Eichmann in Israel
94. December 12, 1961 – inauguration of Amateur radio satellite Oscar 1 with Discoverer 36
95. December 12, 1961 – detention of Martin Luther King Jr and 700 protestors in Albany, Georgia
96. December 12, 1961 – Omar Sivori of Juventus Argentine forward awarded the Ballon d’Or award and declared the best football player in Europe before the Spanish midfielder Luis Suarez and English forward Johnny Haynes
97. December 12, 1962 – Atomic test by the US at Nevada Test Site
98. December 12, 1963 – Argentina requests for repatriation of ex-President Juan Peron
99. December 12, 1963 – release of Frank Sinatra Jr from the kidnappers
100. December 12, 1963 – UK grants freedom to Kenya (formerly British East India)
101. December 12, 1964 – Frank Ryan of Cleveland Browns achieves a maximum of 5 TD passes
102. December 12, 1964 – commencement of the shooting of “The Cage” (Menagerie) for “Star Trek”
103. December 12, 1965 – last performance of the musical by The Beatles in Great Britain (Capitol Theatre in Cardiff, Wales)
104. December 12, 1965 – scoring of 155 runs by Doug Walters, being the first century, in the 1st Test
105. December 12, 1965 – Gale Sayers, halfback of Chicago, achieves the score equal to the best NFL score for TD in a play with 6 in a 61-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Wrigley Field
106. December 12, 1965 – the inauguration of Vivian Beaumont Theater at 65th Street and Amsterdam Ave NYC
107. December 12, 1966 – The shifting of Braves to Atlanta was approved by the US Supreme Court by a majority 4-3 judgment
108. December 12, 1966 – Paul Scofield features in the debut film “A Man for All Seasons” based on the theme of the play by Robert Bolt, guided by Fred Zinnemann in New York (Best Picture 1967)
109. December 12, 1967 – Pioneer 8 sent into solar orbit by the US
110. December 12, 1968 – Arthur Ashe, a black tennis player, becomes No.1 in tennis for the first time
111. December 12, 1968 – A TV show entitled “Rock ‘n Roll Circus” by Rolling Stores was never shown on TV
112. December 12, 1968 – Atomic test by the US at Nevada Test Site
113. December 12, 1968 – A majority of the Unionist Members of Parliament (MPs) backed Terence O’Neill, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland at Stormont
114. December 12, 1969 – The best of world score of 8417 points scored by Decathlon Bill Toomey
115. December 12, 1969 – 14 lost their life in a bomb attack on a bank in Milan
116. December 12, 1969 – the bombing of the offices of Banca Nazionale dell’Agricoltura in Pizza Fontana in Milan – Piazza Fontana bombing
117. December 12, 1970 – increase in prices announced by the Polish administration
118. December 12, 1970 – An experimental Satellite Explorer 42 to study X-rays was sent into orbit
119. December 12, 1970 – Atomic test below the earth’s surface by the USSR
120. December 12, 1971 – A best score of 6-0 was achieved by IIie Nastase, Romanian tennis star, to win the ATM Masters Grand Prix at the Coubertin Stadium, Paris
121. December 12, 1973 – minting of $5 and $10 Olympic silver coins by Canada
122. December 12, 1973 – anti-trust case initiated by San Diego against NL (preventing Padres shift to DC)
123. December 12, 1975 – 138 people lost their life in Mecca Saudi Arabia in an inferno caused by the bursting of a gas stove
124. December 12, 1975 – Sara Jane Moore confesses to trying to assassinate US President Gerald Ford
125. December 12, 1976 – play of the last game as NY Jet by QB Joe Namath
126. December 12, 1976 – Manuel Orantes of Spain defeats Wojtek Fibak of Poland, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 to achieve his first and season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis championship in Houston, Texas
127. December 12, 1977 – Andy Messersmith was acquired by the Yanks from the Braves
128. December 12, 1977 – first performance of the movie “Saturday Night Fever” featuring John Travolta in NYC
129. December 12, 1979 – The price of gold reaches a maximum of $462.50 an ounce
130. December 12, 1979 – Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam conferred the title Nishan-e-Imtiaz by Zia-ul-Haq, President of Pakistan
131. December 12, 1980 – computer programs included in the amended rules for patent rights in the US
132. December 12, 1980 – public offering of shares by Apple in the US stock market. It became the first US company to be rated at over $1 trillion 28 years later
133. December 12, 1981 – 37 performances were given by “1st” at Martin Beck Theater in NYC before closing
134. December 12, 1981 – an agreement between Gambia & Senegal to come into effect in Feb 1982 to be known as Senegambia
135. December 12, 1982 – last show of “Herman Van Veen: All of Him” at Ambassador NYC after 6 shows
136. December 12, 1982 – a sum of $9,800,000 was looted from a car transporting cash in NYC
137. December 12, 1982 – A snowstorm holds the “Snowplow Game” between New England Vs Miami game, both teams scoring zero; Mark Henderson, a convict on parole, clears the path on the orders of Patriots coach Ron Meyer for an attempt by John Smith; Patriots win 3-0
138. December 12, 1982 – Chris Evert-Lloyd defeats Martina Navratilova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to achieve her first Australian championship at the Australian Open Women’s Tennis
139. December 12, 1983 – car bomb explosion in Kuwait at the US Embassy
140. December 12, 1983 –the VII International Tchaikovsky Competition by Robert Dalrymple and Ken Locket at the 5th ACE Cable Awards
141. December 12, 1985 – in an air accident involving Arrow Air, 248 US soldiers and 8 crew members on board perished
142. December 12, 1985 – in an air crash involving DC-8 near Gander, Newfoundland, 258 perished
143. December 12, 1986 – David Boon of Australia scored his 4th century in a Test match, 103, against England at Adelaide
144. December 12, 1986 – James “Bone Crushed” Smith knocks out WBA champion Tim Witherspoon in Madison Square Garden
145. December 12, 1986 – 70 people lost their lives in an air crash involving Russian Tupolev-134 in East Berlin
146. December 12, 1986 – detention of Zwelakhe Sisulu, a South African journalist and activist, at John Vorster Square
147. December 12, 1987 – Mookie Blaylock achieves NBA best of 13 steals in a play
148. December 12, 1987 – Okla achieves NCAA best of 33 steals against Germany
149. December 12, 1987 – Rollermania defeats Midwest Pioneers at Madison Square Garden, Eastern Express
150. December 12, 1988 – 40 perished in an accident involving 3 trains in London
151. December 12, 1988 – The NYC subway system was improved by additional new subway stations (Z line)
152. December 12, 1988 – acceptance of Israel’s right to exist by PLO leader Yasi Arafat
153. December 12, 1988 – Mike Tyson faces sexual harassment suit by Sandra Miller of Queens
154. December 12, 1988 – an inaugural show of “Rainman” guided by Barry Levinson and featuring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in New York (Best Picture 1989)
155. December 12, 1990 – accusation by the US about Iraq’s wearisome of appointments for discussion
156. December 12, 1990 – US ambassador to Kuwait, Nathaniel Howell departs from Kuwait
157. December 12, 1991 – NJ Nets achieve the best NBA points of 22 blocks defeating Nuggets, 121-81
158. December 12, 1991 – bankruptcy protection application filed under Chapter 11 by Orion Pictures
159. December 12, 1991 – retirement of Tampa Bay Buccaneer Dexter Manley for failing in drug test
160. December 12, 1991 – Nigeria changes its capital city from Abuja to Lagos
161. December 12, 1992 – Gino Torretta, awarded the 58th Heisman Trophy Award at Miami-Fla (QB)
162. December 12, 1992 – an earthquake of intensity 6.8-7.5 strikes Flores Island (3000 perished by the tsunami)
163. December 12, 1992 – Japanese crown prince Naruhito and Masaka Owada agree to wed
164. December 12, 1992 – the crowning of Julia Kurotchkina, 18 0f Russia as 42nd Miss World
165. December 12, 1992 – Phoenix Cardinals defeat NY Giants, 19-0
166. December 12, 1993 – last show of “Any Given Day” at Longacre Theater NYC after 32 presentations
167. December 12, 1993 – last show of “Kentucky Cycle” at Royale Theater NYC after 34 presentations
168. December 12, WNVN classic format was substituted by WAQX 104.3(Q-104) rock format
169. December 12, 1995 – Radio Canada International service to be terminated on March 31 as per the notification of CBC
170. December 12, 1995 – address to both the houses of US Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres
171. December 12, 1995 – NBA strike by referees called off
172. December 12, 1995 – An Amendment to treat physical desecrate of the flag as unlawful was not approved by Senate 63-36 (need 2/3 vote)
173. December 12, 1996 – a failed assassination attempt on the life of Uday (Iraqi’s heir to Sadam Hussain)
174. December 12, 1996 – an agreement by the Marlins to agree to their free agent since Nov.22, Moises Alou (MBA Outfielder)
175. December 12, 1997 – trial proceedings commenced against Carlos the Jackal, a “professional revolutionary” in Paris
176. December 12, 1997 – release of Alex Arias by Florida, the last original Marlin
177. December 12, 1997 – Maglev, Japanese train constructors assert to have achieved a world speed of 332 MPH
178. December 12, 1997 – Red Sox and Pedro Martinez for a maximum of 6-year bond for $69 million
179. December 12, 1997 – two young detainees were set free by a SWAT group by shooting John E Armstrong in Florida
180. December 12, 1997 – conclusion of the hearing of TWA 800
181. December 12, 1997 – Autumn Jackson, who claimed to be Bill Cosby’s daughter, was jailed for 26 months by the Fed judge, for trying to forcibly pay $40 million to her
21st Century – December 12 This Day In History – The 2000s
182. December 12, 2000 – The Supreme Court of the US announces its judgment in Bush v. Gore
183. December 12, 2001 – detention of Winona Ryder on charges of pilfering charges in Beverly Hills, California
184. December 12, 2002 – Ballon d’Or: Ronaldo Inter/Real Madrid forward, adjudged as the best football player for the second time before Read Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
185. December 12, 2003 – stepping down of Jean Chretien and installation of Paul Martin as Prime Minister of Canada
186. December 12, 2004 – the inauguration of two different sites for music and sports history – MusicOrb.com and TodayinSport.com, by On This Day
187. December 12, 2006 – termination of the production of the mass car in Coventry, a major unit of the British motor industry – Peugeot manufactures its last car at the Ryton Plant
188. December 12, 2008 – The deputy minister of the economics of Russia, Andrei Klepach, announces that Russia has a financial crisis and Russia will not achieve the 6.8% growth prediction for 2008
189. December 12, 2011 – Robert Griffin III Baylor (QB) awarded the 77th Heisman Trophy Award
190. December 12, 2013 – Restrictions against many companies by the United States, who helped Iran in their atomic program
191. December 12, 2014 – discussion by the UN climate change in Peru beyond the programmed timings as consultations continue to delay
192. December 12, 2014 – detention of over 200 demonstrators, activists of pro-democracy in Hong Kong
193. December 12, 2015 – The COP21 climate change conference in Paris clinches an agreement between 195 countries to a global average temperature below 2 C above pre-industrial levels
194. December 12, 2015 – women were elected for the first time in Saudi Arabia in the municipal council elections
195. December 12, 2016 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid forward. Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the award for the 4th time; with a maximum winning margin of 429 from Lionel Messi
196. December 12, 2016 – Bill English, installed Prime Minister of New Zealand in place of John Key
197. December 12, 2016 – Paolo Gentiloni was installed as Prime Minister of Italy in place of Matteo Renzi
198. December 12, 2016 – President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines brags that he murdered suspected convicts personally when he was mayor of Davao City
199. December 12, 2017 – Sale of Westfield, an Australian supermarket to a French real estate firm Unibail-Rodamco for $15.7 billion
200. December 12, 2017 – Republican Roy Moore, though accused of sexual harassment, was defeated by Democrat Doug Jones for Alabama Senate
201. December 12, 2018 – Michael Cohen, earlier advocate for US President Donald Trump awarded a 3-year jail term for campaign and financial irregularities and fraud in tax dealings
202. December 12, 2018 – during the year 2018, China built 88 out of the world’s 143 high-rise buildings (buildings over 200 meters/656 ft)
203. December 12, 2018 – American Media Inc, publisher of “National Enquirer” confesses paying hush monetary considerations to lovers of US President Donald Trump
204. December 12, 2018 – finding of seven mass burials in the former Islamic State with several hundreds of bodies near Albu Kamal, eastern Syria
205. December 12, 2018 – Oleg Konoenko and Sergey Prokopyev, Russian cosmonauts, make several spacewalks to repair a hole in Soyuz space capsule
206. December 12, 2018 – A no-confidence motion from her Conservative Party against British Prime Minister Theresa May was defeated by 200-117 votes
See Also: