December 12th in History

Michael Dobson | December 12
Soviet T-26 light tanks in action at the Battle of Tolvajärvi, part of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, December 12, 1939.

Today in History

  • Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transcontinental radio signal (1901)
  • Delhi replaces Kolkata as the capital of India (1911)
  • Boys Town is founded (1917)
  • Second Sino-Japanese War: The US gunboat Panay is bombed by Japanese aircraft (1937)
  • Winter War: Finnish forces defeat Soviets at the Battle of Tolvajärvi (1939)
  • World War II: Four Filipino fighter pilots successfully fight off 54 Japanese Zeros; one Filipino pilot is killed (1941)
  • Holocaust: In a meeting at the Reich Chancellery, Adolf Hitler declares his plan for the annihilation of the Jews (1941)
  • The Russian Federation becomes independent of the USSR (1991)
  • The US Supreme Court decides Bush v. Gore (2000)
  • North Korea successfully launches its first satellite (2012)

Birthdays

  • John Jay, first US Chief Justice (1745)
  • William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist (1805)
  • Henry Wells, co-founder of Wells Fargo and American Express (1805)
  • Gustave Flaubert, author and playwright (1821)
  • J. Bruce Ismay, executive of RMS Titanic owner White Star Line (1862)
  • Edvard Munch, painter (1863)
  • Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (1875)
  • Harry Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers (1881)
  • Edward G. Robinson, actor (1893)
  • Patrick O’Brian, author (1914)
  • Frank Sinatra, singer and actor (1915)
  • Dan DeCarlo, comics artist who developed the style for Archie Comics (1919)
  • Fred Kida, comics artist for Airboy (1920)
  • Buford Pusser, police officer, subject of Walking Tall (1937)
  • Connie Francis, singer and actress (1938)
  • Dionne Warwick, singer and actress (1940)
  • Grover Washington, Jr., musician (1943)
  • Bill Nighy, actor (1949)
  • Cathy Rigby, gymnast (1952)
  • Sheila E, drummer (1957)
  • Tracy Austin, tennis player (1962)
  • Mädchen Amick, actress (1970)
  • Jennifer Connelly, actress (1970)
  • Hank Williams III, singer-songwriter (1972)
  • Mayim Bialik, actress (1975)

Deaths

  • Robert Browning, poet (1889)
  • Douglas Fairbanks, actor (1939)
  • Tallulah Bankhead, actress (1968)
  • David Sarnoff, radio and television executive (1971)
  • Jack Cassidy, actor (1976)
  • Ian Stewart, member of the Rolling Stones (1986)
  • Vance Packard, author (1996)
  • Lawton Chiles, politician (1998)
  • Mo Udall, politician (1998)
  • Joseph Heller, author (1999)
  • Keiko, whale (2003)
  • Peter Boyle, actor (2006)
  • Ike Turner, musician (2007)
  • Van Johnson, actor (2008)
  • Mac McGarry, game show host (2013)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Constitution Day (Russia, from 1993 to 2005)
  • Feast of Masá’il (Bahá’í)
  • Jamhuri Day (Kenya)
  • Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)
Informal and made-up holidays include Gingerbread House Day, National Ambrosia Day, National Ding-a-Ling Day, National 12-Hour Fresh Breath Day, and Poinsettia Day.
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December 12 is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years). There are 19 days remaining until the end of the year.