What happened today in history
What happened on December 7
On December 7 history recorded 45 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 121 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 45events
- 160births
- 121deaths
- 12observances
Highlights
Highlights
Cicero, widely considered one of ancient Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists, was killed after having been proscribed as an enemy of the state.
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, and writer who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises of the Roman Republic that led to the establishment of the Roman Empire. The extensive writings of
Suffering from mental illness, Eastern Roman emperor Justin II had his general Tiberius proclaimed Caesar, adopting him as his own son.
Justin II was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of Justinian's wife Theodora.
British troops swiftly defeated rebels led by William Lyon Mackenzie and Anthony Van Egmond at the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern, the only major confrontation of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify the establishment of Upper Canada. He represented York County in the Legislative Assembly of U
December 7
On this day
I century BC
- 43 BC
43 BCMarcus Tullius Cicero is assassinated in Formia on orders of Marcus Antonius.
VI century
X century
XVIII century
- 1703
1703The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, makes landfall. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people die. - 1724
1724Tumult of Thorn: Religious unrest is followed by the execution of nine Protestant citizens and the mayor of Thorn (Toruń) by Polish authorities. - 1732
1732The Royal Opera House opens at Covent Garden, London, England. - 1776
1776Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arranges to enter the American military as a major general. - 1787
1787Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.
XIX century
XX century
- 1904
1904Comparative fuel trials begin between warships HMS Spiteful and HMS Peterel: Spiteful was the first warship powered solely by fuel oil, and the trials led to the obsolescence of coal in ships of the Royal Navy. - 1917
1917World War I: The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary. - 1922
1922The Parliament of Northern Ireland votes to remain a part of the United Kingdom and not unify with Southern Ireland. - 1930
1930W1XAV in Boston, Massachusetts telecasts video from the CBS radio orchestra program, The Fox Trappers. The telecast also includes the first television advertisement in the United States, for I.J. Fox Furriers, which also sponsored the radio show. - 1932
1932German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa. - 1936
1936Australian cricketer Jack Fingleton becomes the first player to score centuries in four consecutive Test innings. - 1941
1941World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor: The Imperial Japanese Navy carries out a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (For Japan's near-simultaneous attacks on Eastern Hemisphere targets, see December 8.) - 1942
1942World War II: British commandos conduct Operation Frankton, a raid on shipping in Bordeaux harbour. - 1944
1944An earthquake along the coast of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan causes a tsunami which kills 1,223 people. - 1946
1946A fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia kills 119 people, the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history. - 1949
1949Chinese Civil War: The Government of the Republic of China moves from Nanjing to Taipei, Taiwan. - 1962
1962Prince Rainier III of Monaco revises the principality's constitution, devolving some of his power to advisory and legislative councils. - 1963
1963Instant replay makes its debut during the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. - 1965
1965Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously revoke mutual excommunications that had been in place since 1054. - 1971
1971The Battle of Sylhet is fought between the Pakistani military and the Indian Army. - 1971
1971Pakistan President Yahya Khan announces the formation of a coalition government with Nurul Amin as Prime Minister and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as Deputy Prime Minister. - 1972
1972Apollo 17, the last Apollo Moon mission, is launched. The crew takes the photograph known as The Blue Marble as they leave the Earth. - 1982
1982In Texas, Charles Brooks Jr., becomes the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States. - 1982
1982The Senior Road Tower collapses in less than 17 seconds. Five workers on the tower are killed and three workers on a building nearby are injured. - 1983
1983An Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC-9 in dense fog while the two airliners are taxiing down the runway at Madrid–Barajas Airport, killing 93 people. - 1987
1987Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, a British Aerospace 146-200A, crashes near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shoots his ex-boss traveling on the flight, then shoots both pilots and steers the plane into the ground. - 1988
1988The 6.8 Ms Armenian earthquake shakes the northern part of the country with a maximum MSK intensity of X (Devastating), killing 25,000–50,000 and injuring 31,000–130,000. - 1993
1993Long Island Rail Road shooting: Passenger Colin Ferguson murders six people and injures 19 others on the LIRR in Nassau County, New York. - 1995
1995The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34. - 1995
1995Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949 crashes into the Bo-Dzhausa Mountain, killing 98. - 1995
1995An Air Saint Martin (now Air Caraïbes) Beechcraft 1900 crashes near the Haitian commune of Belle Anse, killing 20.
XXI century
- 2003
2003The Conservative Party of Canada is officially registered, following the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. - 2005
2005Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, is shot and killed by a team of U.S. federal air marshals at Miami International Airport. - 2014
2014The annual furry convention Midwest FurFest is targeted in an unsolved chlorine gas attack. - 2015
2015The JAXA probe Akatsuki successfully enters orbit around Venus five years after the first attempt. - 2016
2016Pakistan International Airlines Flight 661, a domestic passenger flight from Chitral to Islamabad, operated by an ATR-42-500 crashes near Havelian, killing all 47 on board. - 2017
2017Aztec High School shooting: William Atchison kills two students at his former high school. - 2024
2024Battle of Damascus (2024): Syrian opposition forces enter the Rif Dimashq Governorate, reaching within 20 km of the capital Damascus. - 2025
2025British racing driver Lando Norris wins the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2025 with McLaren. - 2025
2025An attempted coup takes place in Benin, but is thwarted, and order restored.
Best known
Born on December 7
Best known
Died on December 7
Cicero
Roman statesman and lawyer (106–43 BC)
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor from 973 to 983
Pope Innocent IV
Head of the Catholic Church from 1243 to 1254
Bolesław V the Chaste
High Duke of Poland from 1243 to 1279
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester
English nobleman
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg
Count of Luxembourg, Arlon and Durbuy
Holidays and observances
- Armed Forces Flag Day (India)
- Christian feast day: Aemilianus (Greek Church)
- Christian feast day: Ambrose
- Christian feast day: Buíte of Monasterboice
- Christian feast day: Maria Giuseppa Rossello
- Christian feast day: Sabinus of Spoleto
- Christian feast day: December 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Eve of the Immaculate Conception-related observances: Day of the Little Candles, begins after sunset (Colombia)
- International Civil Aviation Day
- National Heroes Day (East Timor)
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (United States)
- Spitak Remembrance Day (Armenia)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on December 7?
45 documented historical events happened on December 7, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Cicero, widely considered one of ancient Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists, was killed after having been proscribed as an enemy of the state. On the same day, in another year: Suffering from mental illness, Eastern Roman emperor Justin II had his general Tiberius proclaimed Caesar, adopting him as his own son. 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 7?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on December 7, including Joyce Cary, Stuart Davis (painter), Fay Bainter. 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 7?
121 people with a Wikipedia article died on December 7, including Cicero, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor, Pope Innocent IV. 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 7?
12 observances are celebrated on December 7 around the world: Armed Forces Flag Day (India), Christian feast day: Aemilianus (Greek Church), Christian feast day: Ambrose, Christian feast day: Buíte of Monasterboice, Christian feast day: Maria Giuseppa Rossello, Christian feast day: Sabinus of Spoleto. 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