What happened today in history
December
What happened on December 11
On December 11 history recorded 64 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 95 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 64events
- 160births
- 95deaths
- 13observances
Highlights
Highlights
861The Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil was assassinated by his guards, beginning the Anarchy at Samarra.
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire was the third Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty. The dynasty was descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, after whom it is named. The Abbasids rose to power in 750, when the Abbasid Revol
1640A crowd of 1,500 people presented the Root and Branch petition to the Long Parliament, calling for abolishing the episcopacy of the Church of England.
The Root and Branch Petition was a petition presented to the Long Parliament on 11 December 1640. The petition had been signed by 15,000 Londoners and was presented to the English Parliament by a crowd of 1,500. The petition called on Parliament to abolish epi
1789The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (structure pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century, was chartered.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university began enrolling students in 1795, making it one of the oldest public universities in the United Sta
December 11
On this day
III century
- 220
220Emperor Xian of Han is forced to abdicate the throne by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, ending the Han dynasty.
IV century
IX century
X century
XI century
XIII century
XIV century
XVII century
- 1602
1602A surprise attack by forces under the command of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva. (Commemorated annually by the Fête de l'Escalade.) - 1640
1640The Root and Branch petition, signed by 15,000 Londoners calling for the abolition of the episcopacy, is presented to the Long Parliament. - 1675
1675Antonio de Vea expedition enters San Rafael Lake in western Patagonia. - 1688
1688Glorious Revolution: James II of England, while trying to flee to France, throws the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames.
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1815
1815The U.S. Senate creates a select committee on finance and a uniform national currency, predecessor of the United States Senate Committee on Finance. - 1816
1816Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state. - 1862
1862American Civil War: The Battle of Fredericksburg begins as the Army of the Potomac under Union General Ambrose Burnside crosses the Rappahannock River to clash with the Army of Northern Virginia led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Fredericksburg, Virginia. - 1868
1868Paraguayan War: Brazilian troops defeat the Paraguayan Army at the Battle of Avay. - 1899
1899Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein the Boers commanded by general Piet Cronjé inflict a defeat on the forces of the British Empire commanded by Lord Methuen trying to relieve the Siege of Kimberley.
XX century
- 1901
1901Guglielmo Marconi transmits the first transatlantic radio signal from Poldhu, Cornwall, England to St. John's, Newfoundland. - 1905
1905A workers' uprising occurs in Kyiv, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), and establishes the Shuliavka Republic. - 1907
1907The New Zealand Parliament Buildings are almost completely destroyed by fire. - 1913
1913More than two years after it was stolen from the Louvre, Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa is recovered in Florence, Italy. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, is immediately arrested. - 1917
1917World War I: British General Edmund Allenby enters Jerusalem on foot and declares martial law. - 1920
1920Irish War of Independence: In retaliation for a recent IRA ambush, British forces burn and loot numerous buildings in Cork city. Many civilians report being beaten, shot at, robbed and verbally abused by British forces. - 1925
1925Roman Catholic papal encyclical Quas primas introduces the Feast of Christ the King. - 1927
1927Guangzhou Uprising: Communist Red Guards launch an uprising in Guangzhou, China, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet. - 1931
1931Statute of Westminster 1931: The British Parliament establishes legislative equality between the UK and the Dominions of the Commonwealth—Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland. - 1934
1934Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the final time. - 1936
1936Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII's abdication as King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India, becomes effective. - 1937
1937Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations. - 1941
1941World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans' declaration of war on the Empire of Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declares war on them. - 1941
1941World War II: Poland declares war on the Empire of Japan. - 1941
1941World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy suffers its first loss of surface vessels during the Battle of Wake Island. - 1946
1946The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established. - 1948
1948Arab–Israeli War: The United Nations passes General Assembly Resolution 194, creating a Conciliation Commission to mediate the conflict. - 1958
1958French Upper Volta and French Dahomey gain self-government from France, becoming the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin), respectively, and joining the French Community. - 1960
1960French forces crack down in a violent clash with protesters in French Algeria during a visit by French president Charles de Gaulle. - 1962
1962Arthur Lucas, convicted of murder, is the last person to be executed in Canada. - 1964
1964Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. - 1972
1972Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and final Apollo mission to land on the Moon. - 1978
1978The Lufthansa heist is committed by a group led by Lucchese family associate Jimmy Burke. It was the largest cash robbery ever committed on American soil, at that time. - 1980
1980The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as Superfund) is enacted by the U.S. Congress. - 1981
1981El Mozote massacre: Armed forces in El Salvador kill an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran Civil War. - 1988
1988A Soviet Air Force Il-76 aircraft crashes while participating in the Armenian earthquake relief, killing 78 people. - 1990
1990Demonstrations by students and workers across Albania begin, which eventually trigger the fall of communism in Albania. - 1990
1990Several fatal collisions in the 1990 Interstate 75 fog disaster result in a total of 12 deaths and 42 being injured - 1993
1993A block of the Highland Towers condominium complex collapses following a landslide caused by heavy rain and water flowing from a construction site at Ampang district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 48 of its residents die, including one who died in hospital after being rescued alive, leaving only two survivors. - 1994
1994First Chechen War: Russian president Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya. - 1994
1994A bomb explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, en route from Manila, Philippines, to Tokyo, Japan, killing one. The captain is able to land the plane safely. - 1997
1997The Kyoto Protocol, an agreement committing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, opens for signature. - 1998
1998Thai Airways Flight 261 crashes near Surat Thani Airport, killing 101. The pilot flying the Airbus A310-200 is thought to have suffered spatial disorientation. - 1999
1999SATA Air Açores Flight 530M crashes into Pico da Esperança on São Jorge Island in the Azores, killing 35.
XXI century
- 2001
2001China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO). - 2005
2005The Buncefield Oil Depot catches fire in Hemel Hempstead, England. - 2005
2005Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese in Cronulla, New South Wales; these are followed up by retaliatory ethnic attacks on Cronulla. - 2006
2006The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust is opened in Tehran, Iran, by then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; nations such as Israel and the United States express concern. - 2006
2006Felipe Calderón, the president of Mexico, launches a military-led offensive to put down the drug cartel violence in the state of Michoacán. This effort is often regarded as the first event in the Mexican drug war. - 2007
2007Insurgency in the Maghreb: Two car bombs explode in Algiers, Algeria, one near the Supreme Constitutional Court and the other near the offices of the United Nations. - 2008
2008Bernie Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. - 2009
2009Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment releases the hit mobile game Angry Birds internationally on iOS. - 2012
2012At least 125 people are killed and up to 200 injured in bombings in the Alawite village of Aqrab, Syria. - 2017
2017New York City Subway bombing: A pipe bomb partially detonates in the New York City Subway, in the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal. Four people are injured, including the perpetrator. - 2019
2019The results of the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum are announced. The results are overwhelmingly one-sided. Over 98% of voters vote for Bougainville's independence. - 2020
2020The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency.
Best known
Born on December 11
Best known
Died on December 11
384Pope Damasus I
Head of the Catholic Church from 366 to 384
969Nikephoros II Phokas
Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969
1198Averroes
Andalusian Muslim polymath
1241Ögedei Khan
Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1229 to 1241
1282Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Prince of Gwynedd from 1255 to 1282
1282Michael VIII Palaiologos
Byzantine emperor from 1261 to 1282
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Cian
- Christian feast day: Daniel the Stylite
- Christian feast day: María de las Maravillas de Jesús
- Christian feast day: Pope Damasus I
- Christian feast day: Sabinus of Piacenza
- Christian feast day: Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian
- Christian feast day: December 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Establishment of Kurdish Women's Union (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Indiana Day (United States)
- International Mountain Day
- National Tango Day (Argentina)
- Pampanga Day (Pampanga province, Philippines)
- Republic Day, the day when Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community in 1958. (Burkina Faso)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on December 11?
64 documented historical events happened on December 11, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: The Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil was assassinated by his guards, beginning the Anarchy at Samarra. On the same day, in another year: A crowd of 1,500 people presented the Root and Branch petition to the Long Parliament, calling for abolishing the episcopacy of the Church of England. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on December 11?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on December 11, including Marie Windsor, Denis Jenkinson, Liz Smith (actress). The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on December 11?
95 people with a Wikipedia article died on December 11, including Pope Damasus I, Nikephoros II Phokas, Averroes. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on December 11?
13 observances are celebrated on December 11 around the world: Christian feast day: Cian, Christian feast day: Daniel the Stylite, Christian feast day: María de las Maravillas de Jesús, Christian feast day: Pope Damasus I, Christian feast day: Sabinus of Piacenza, Christian feast day: Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar