December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar , with 19 days remaining.
- army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
- - Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to Cannibalism .
- 1531 - Apparition of Our Lady Of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in Mexico City .
- 1719 - The '' Boston Gazette '' is published for the first time.
- - A Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in '' HMS Victory '', defeats a French fleet.
- 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black U.S. Congressman .
- 1897 - Belo Horizonte , the first Planned City of Brazil , is inaugurated.
- 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first Trans-Atlantic Radio signal at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland .
- 1903 - The city of Fairfield, California is incorporated.
- 1911 - Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India .
- 1915 - President of the Republic Of China , Yuan Shikai , reinstates the monarchy and proclaims himself Emperor Of China .
- 1917 - In Nebraska , Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
- 1925 - The Majlis Of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah Of Persia .
- of the Republic Of China , Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang .
- aircraft shell and sink US gunboat '' Panay '' on the Yangtze River in China .
- - Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
- 1940 - Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square , Sheffield as a result of a German air raid.
- declares war on Bulgaria . Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States . India declares war on Japan .
- 1942 - A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland kills 100 people.
- 1946 - A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
- - 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
- 1950 - Paula Ackerman , the first woman appointed to perform Rabbi nical functions in the United States , leads the congregation in her first services.
- 1963 - Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom .
- 1964 - Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic Of Kenya .
- - The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan , are bombed.
- military officer 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 .
- 1979 - Pakistan President Zia-ul-Haq conferred ''Nishan-e-Imtiaz'' on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam .
- 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe .
- 1982 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.
- 1985 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army 's 101st Airborne Division .
- 1988 - Clapham Junction Rail Crash killed 35 and injured 100's after two collisions of three commuter trains. One of the worst train crashes in Britain.
- 1990 - Pakistan became the 37th country in the world to send an expedition to Antarctica .
- 1996 - Uday Hussein is seriously injured in an assassination attempt.
- 2000 - The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in '' Bush V. Gore ''
- 2003 - Paul Martin, Jr. is sworn-in as the 21st Prime Minister Of Canada .
- 1298 - Archduke Albert II Of Austria (d. 1358 )
- 1418 - Archduke Albert VI Of Austria (d. 1463 )
- 1574 - Anne Of Denmark , wife of James I Of England (d. 1619 )
- 1610 - Saint Vasilije (d. 1671 )
- 1712 - Prince Charles Alexander Of Lorraine , Austrian military leader (d. 1780 )
- 1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood , British admiral (d. 1816 )
- 1745 - John Jay , Chief Justice Of The United States (d. 1829 )
- 1779 - Madeline Sophie Barat , French saint (d. 1865 )
- 1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth , American politician (d. 1865)
- 1786 - William L. Marcy , American statesman (d. 1857 )
- 1799 - Karl Briullov , Russian painter (d. 1852 )
- 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison , American abolitionist (d. 1879 )
- 1806 - Stand Watie , American Confederate general and Cherokee leader (d. 1871 )
- 1821 - Gustave Flaubert , French writer (d. 1880 )
- 1863 - Edvard Munch , Norwegian expressionist painter (d. 1944 )
- 1864 - Paul Elmer More , American critic and essayist (d. 1937 )
- 1866 - Alfred Werner , German chemist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919 )
- 1870 - Walter Benona Sharp , American oil baron (d. 1912 )
- 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein , American athlete and Olympic gold medalist (d. 1928 )
- 1887 - Kurt Atterberg , Swedish composer (d. 1974 )
- 1892 - Herman Potočnik Noordung , Austro-Hungarian-born rocket engineer (d. 1929 )
- 1893 - Edward G. Robinson , American actor (d. 1973 )
- 1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr. , American dancer (d. 1988 )
- 1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom , American composer and pianist (d. 1976 )
- 1903 - Yasujiro Ozu , Japanese film director (d. 1963 )
- 1904 - Baron Nicolas De Gunzburg , magazine editor and socialite (d. 1981 )
- 1905 - Mànes Sperber , Austro-Hungarian-born writer (d. 1984 )
- 1914 - Patrick O'Brian (Richard Patrick Russ), British author (d. 2000 )
- 1915 - Frank Sinatra , American singer and actor (d. 1998 )
- 1918 - Joe Williams , American singer (d. 1999 )
- 1919 - Olivia Barclay , British astrologer (d. 2001 )
- 1923 - Bob Barker , American television game show host
- 1924 - Ed Koch , Mayor of New York City
- 1927 - Honor Blackman , British actress
- 1927 - Robert Noyce , American inventor (d. 1990 )
- 1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov , Soviet-born Kyrgyz writer
- 1929 - John Osborne , British dramatist (d. 1994 )
- 1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi , Japanese musician
- 1931 - Lionel Blair , British actor, choreographer, tap dancer and television presenter
- 1932 - Bob Pettit , American basketball player
- 1934 - Miguel De La Madrid , President Of Mexico
- 1938 - Connie Francis , American singer
- 1940 - Sharad Pawar , Indian politician
- 1940 - Dionne Warwick , American singer
- 1943 - Dickey Betts , American guitarist and singer ( The Allman Brothers )
- 1943 - Grover Washington, Jr. , American saxophonist (d. 1999 )
- 1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi , Brazilian racing driver and Formula 1 World Champion
- 1950 - Rajnikanth (Shivaji Rao Gaekwad), Indian actor
- 1952 - Cathy Rigby , American gymnast and actress
- 1956 - Johan Van Der Velde , Dutch cyclist
- 1957 - Sheila E. , American musician
- 1962 - Tracy Austin , American tennis player
- 1964 - Terry Brunk , Professional wrestler who uses the stage name "Sabu"
- 1966 - Royce Gracie , Brazilian martial artist
- 1967 - John Randle , American football player
- 1968 - Laurie Williams , Indian cricket player
- 1970 - Jennifer Connelly , American actress
- 1970 - Madchen Amick , American actress
- 1974 - Rey Mysterio, Jr. , American wrestler
- 1974 - Nolberto Solano , Peruvian footballer
- 1975 - Mayim Bialik , American actress
- 1976 - Dan Hawkins , British guitarist ( The Darkness )
- 1977 - Orlando Hudson , American baseball player
- 1978 - Monica Barladeanu , Romanian actress
- 1978 - Evren Genis , Turkish composer
- 1979 - Garrett Atkins , American baseball player
- 1979 - Nate Clements , American football player
- 1981 - Jeret Peterson , American aerial skier
- 1981 - Yuvraj Singh , Indian cricket player
- 1981 - Stephen Warnock , British footballer
- 1983 - Katrina Elam , American singer
- 1983 - Brad Smith , American football player
- 1989 - Harry Eden , British actor
- 884 - Carloman, King Of The West Franks
- 1212 - Geoffrey, Archbishop Of York
- 1569 - Metropolitan Philip of Moscow (b. 1507 )
- 1574 - Selim II , Ottoman Sultan (b. 1524 )
- 1685 - John Pell , English mathematician (b. 1610 )
- 1751 - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke , English statesman and philosopher (b. 1678 )
- 1754 - Wu Jingzi , Chinese writer (b. 1701 )
- 1766 - Johann Christoph Gottsched , German writer (b. 1700 )
- 1789 - John Ponsonby , Irish politician (b. 1713 )
- 1790 - Mikhail Shcherbatov , Russian philosopher and writer (b. 1733 )
- 1843 - King William I Of The Netherlands , (b. 1772 )
- 1889 - Robert Browning , British poet (b. 1812 )
- 1894 - Sir John Thompson , fourth Prime Minister Of Canada (b. 1845 )
- 1913 - Emperor Menelek II Of Ethiopia (b. 1844 )
- 1923 - Raymond Radiguet , French author (b. 1903 )
- 1926 - Jean Richepin , French poet (b. 1849 )
- 1929 - Charles Goodnight , American cattle baron (b. 1836 )
- 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks , American actor (b. 1883 )
- 1952 - Bedřich Hrozný , Austro-Hungarian-born Czechoslovak orientalist and linguist (b. 1879 )
- 1963 - Ozu Yasujiro , Japanese film director (b. 1903 )
- 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead , American actress (b. 1902 )
- 1970 - Doris Blackburn , Australian politician (b. 1889 )
- 1971 - David Sarnoff , Russian-born American General Manager of RCA (b. 1891 )
- 1976 - Vinko Zganec , Croatian Ethnomusicologist (b. 1890 )
- 1985 - Anne Baxter , American actress (b. 1923 )
- 1994 - Stuart Roosa , American astronaut (b. 1933 )
- 1996 - Vance Packard , American author (b. 1914 )
- 1999 - Joseph Heller , American author (b. 1923 )
- 2001 - Jean Richard , French actor (b. 1921 )
- 2002 - Dee Brown , American author (b. 1908 )
- 2003 - Geidar Aliev , President Of Azerbaijan
- 2003 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario , American Catholic prelate (b. 1926 )
December 11 - December 13 - November 12 - January 12 -- Listing Of All Days
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