December 12 facts for kids

2025 Calendar

December 12 in recent years

December 12 is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 19 days remain until the end of the year.

December 12 is the 346th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. If it's a leap year, it's the 347th day. There are just 19 days left until the end of the year! Many interesting events have happened on this day throughout history, and many famous people were born or passed away.

Important Events in History
Famous Birthdays
Notable Deaths
Holidays and Observances
Images for kids
See also

Important Events in History

Early History (Before 1600)

627 – The Byzantine army, led by Emperor Heraclius, won a big battle called the Battle of Nineveh. They defeated the Persian forces.
1388 – Maria of Enghien sold her land, the lordship of Argos and Nauplia, to the Republic of Venice.

From 1601 to 1900

1787 – Pennsylvania became the second state to officially agree to the U.S. Constitution. This was a big step in forming the United States.
1862 – During the American Civil War, a ship called USS Cairo sank in the Yazoo River.
1866 – A terrible mining accident, known as the Oaks explosion, happened in England. It was one of the worst mining disasters there.
1870 – Joseph H. Rainey from South Carolina made history. He became the second black person to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Modern Times (1901 to Present)

1901 – Guglielmo Marconi achieved something amazing. He received the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic Ocean. It was the letter "S" in Morse Code, received at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
1915 – Yuan Shikai announced the start of the Empire of China and declared himself Emperor.
1917 – Father Edward J. Flanagan started Boys Town. It was a special farm village for boys who needed help and guidance.
1935 – The Lebensborn Project was created. This was a program by the Nazi government.
1937 – During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese planes attacked and sank the U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China. This event is known as the USS Panay incident.
1939 – The ship HMS Duchess sank after hitting another ship, HMS Barham, near Scotland. Many lives were lost.
1939 – The Winter War began. This was a major conflict where Finnish forces achieved their first big victory at the Battle of Tolvajärvi.
1941 – During World War II, Japanese fighter planes attacked Batangas Field in the Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four other Filipino pilots bravely fought them off.
1945 – The People's Republic of Korea was made illegal in the South by the United States Army Military Government in Korea.
1946 – The United Nations Security Council voted to accept Siam (now Thailand) into the United Nations.
1956 – The United Nations Security Council also voted to accept Japan into the United Nations.
1963 – Kenya gained its independence from Great Britain.
1969 – A bomb exploded at a bank in Milan, Italy, in an event known as the Piazza Fontana bombing.
1979 – A very strong earthquake, the Tumaco earthquake, shook Colombia and Ecuador. It also caused a large tsunami.
1979 – A significant political event, the Coup d'état of December Twelfth, took place in South Korea.
1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashed after taking off in Gander, Newfoundland.
1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash happened in the United Kingdom. It was a serious train accident involving multiple collisions.
1999 – A strong earthquake hit Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. It caused power outages in the capital, Manila.
2000 – The United States Supreme Court announced its decision in the important case of Bush v. Gore.
2001 – Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải decided to make the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve a national park. This helps protect the area.
2012 – North Korea successfully launched its first satellite, called Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.
2015 – The Paris Agreement was adopted. This important agreement is about fighting climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
2021 – Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen won the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He became the first Formula One World Champion from the Netherlands.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1600

1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, a Spanish admiral.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

1685 – Lodovico Giustini, an Italian pianist and composer.
1786 – William L. Marcy, an American lawyer and politician who became the 21st United States Secretary of State.
1799 – Karl Bryullov, a Russian painter.
1805 – Henry Wells, an American businessman who helped start Wells Fargo and American Express.
1821 – Gustave Flaubert, a famous French novelist.
1863 – Edvard Munch, a well-known Norwegian painter.
1866 – Alfred Werner, a Swiss chemist who won the Nobel Prize.
1893 – Edward G. Robinson, a famous American actor.

Born After 1900

1915 – Frank Sinatra, a legendary American singer, actor, and producer.
1923 – Bob Barker, a popular American game show host.
1927 – Robert Noyce, an American inventor who co-founded the Intel Corporation.
1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, who became the 52nd President of Mexico.
1937 – Connie Francis, a well-known American singer and actress.
1940 – Dionne Warwick, a famous American singer.
1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, a Brazilian racing driver.
1949 – Bill Nighy, an English actor.
1950 – Rajinikanth, a popular Indian actor.
1957 – Sheila E., an American singer and musician.
1962 – Tracy Austin, an American tennis player.
1970 – Jennifer Connelly, an American actress.
1975 – Mayim Bialik, an American actress and neuroscientist.
1981 – Yuvraj Singh, a famous Indian cricketer.
1984 – Daniel Agger, a Danish footballer.
1996 – Lucas Hedges, an American actor.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1600

884 – King Carloman II of the Franks.
1296 – Isabella of Mar, the first wife of Robert Bruce VII.

Died Between 1601 and 1900

1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, an English philosopher and politician.
1858 – Jacques Viger, the first Mayor of Montreal.
1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, the 4th Prime Minister of Canada.

Died After 1900

1913 – Menelik II, an Ethiopian emperor.
1921 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, an American astronomer.
1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., a famous American actor and producer.
1951 – Mildred Bailey, an American singer.
1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, an American actress.
1985 – Anne Baxter, an American actress.
1994 – Stuart Roosa, an American astronaut.
1999 – Joseph Heller, an American novelist, known for Catch-22.
2003 – Heydar Aliyev, the 3rd President of Azerbaijan.
2006 – Peter Boyle, an American actor.
2007 – Ike Turner, an American singer and musician.
2008 – Van Johnson, an American actor.
2014 – Norman Bridwell, the American author and illustrator who created Clifford the Big Red Dog.
2017 – Ed Lee, the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco.
2019 – Danny Aiello, an American actor.
2020 – John le Carré, a famous English author.
2021 – Vicente Fernández, a beloved Mexican singer and actor.

Holidays and Observances

Christian feast day:
- Corentin of Quimper
- Jane Frances de Chantal
- Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
- Finnian of Clonard
- Thomas Holland
- Ida of Nivelles
- Peter the Aleut
- Vicelinus
- December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Russia)
Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)

Images for kids

A friendly robot, representing learning and discovery.