Who are famous people born on December 12?

Famous people born on December 12 include: Michael Olise, Ed Oliver, Lucas Hedges.

What famous people died on December 12?

Notable historical figures who died on December 12 include: Vicente Fernández, Bernie Fowler, Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi.

December 12 in History

Q: What happened on December 12 in history?

On December 12, 2021: Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands.

2021 — Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands

December 12 spans 32 recorded events across recorded history — from 627 – 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · December 12 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 32 events 627 – 2024

Did you know

Max Verstappen won the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 12 December 2021 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Did you know

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the twenty-second and final round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.

Did you know

Mercedes-AMG Petronas won a record-breaking eighth consecutive Constructors' championship.

Did you know

The race was contested over 58 laps and decided both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships.

Did you know

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton entered the race with 369.5 points each, making it a highly competitive event.

Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.

Battle during the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628

The Battle of Nineveh was the climactic battle of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628.

627

Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.

14th-century Greek noblewoman

Maria of Enghien, also known as Marie of Enghien or d'Enghien, was the Lady of Argos and Nauplia in Frankish Greece from 1376 or 1377 to 1388. She inherited the estate from her father, Guy of Enghien, when she was a minor. Her paternal uncle, Louis of Enghien, served as her regent. Louis gave Maria in marriage to a Venetian patrician, Pietro Cornaro, in 1377. Maria moved to Venice, but she was involved in the administration of her lordship. After her husband died, she sold the lordship to the Republic of Venice for a regular income in 1388.

1388

Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.

U.S. state

Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, forming the Mason-Dixon Line, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio to its west, the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest via Lake Erie, New York to its north, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east. Pennsylvania's most populous city is Philadelphia, and the state capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the country, with over 13 million residents as of the 2020 United States census. Pennsylvania has the ninth-highest by population density, and is the 33rd-largest by land area. The largest metropolitan statistical area is the Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as the Delaware Valley and centered on Philadelphia, the sixth-most populous U.S. city. Pennsylvania's second-largest metropolitan area, Greater Pittsburgh, is centered in and around Pittsburgh, the commonwealth's second-largest city.

1787

American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.

1861–1865 conflict in the United States

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

1862

Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.

1866 British mining disaster

The Oaks explosion, which happened at a coal mine in South Yorkshire on 12 December 1866, remains the worst mining disaster in England. A series of explosions caused by firedamp ripped through the underground workings at the Oaks Colliery at Hoyle Mill near Stairfoot in Barnsley killing 361 miners and rescuers. It was the worst mining disaster in the United Kingdom until the 1913 Senghenydd explosion in Wales.

1866

Joseph H.

Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.

Joseph Hayne Rainey was an American politician. He was the first black person to serve in the United States House of Representatives and the second black person to serve in the United States Congress. His service included time as presiding officer of the House of Representatives.

1870

Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.

Italian radio-frequency engineer and inventor (1874–1937)

Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess was an Italian radio-frequency engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. This led to his being largely credited as the inventor of radio and sharing the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ferdinand Braun "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy."

1901

Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.

First president of the Republic of China (1859–1916)

Yuan Shikai was a Chinese general and statesman. As leader of the Beiyang Army, he played a decisive role in securing the abdication of the Qing court. He served as the second provisional president and the first formal president of the Republic of China, with his administration known as the Beiyang government. He declared himself Emperor of the Chinese Empire in December 1915 and abdicated in March 1916.

1915

Father Edward J.

Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.

Edward Joseph Flanagan was an Irish-born priest of the Catholic Church in the United States who served for decades in Nebraska. After serving as a parish priest in the Diocese of Omaha, he founded the orphanage and educational complex known as Boys Town, located west of the city in what is now Boys Town, Douglas County, Nebraska. In the 21st century, the complex also serves as a center for troubled youth.

1917

The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.

Nazi Germany eugenics program

Lebensborn e.V. was a secret, SS-initiated, state-registered association in Nazi Germany with the stated goal of increasing the number of children born who met the Nazi standards of "racially pure" and "healthy" Aryans, based on Nazi eugenics. Lebensborn was established by Heinrich Himmler, and provided welfare to its mostly unmarried mothers, encouraged anonymous births by unmarried women at their maternity homes, and mediated adoption of children by likewise "racially pure" and "healthy" parents, particularly SS members and their families. The Cross of Honour of the German Mother was given to the women who bore the most Aryan children.

1935

The beginning of Xi'an incident.

As a result, Chiang Kai Shek is captured.

The Xi'an Incident was a Chinese political crisis that lasted from 12 to 26 December 1936. Generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng seized Chiang Kai-shek in Xi'an, demanding the Nationalist government end the Chinese Civil War and ally with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against Japanese expansionism, resulting in the Second United Front.

1936

Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S.

gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China.

The Second Sino-Japanese War, known in China as the War of Resistance Against Japan, was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan and its puppet states between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is often regarded as the beginning of World War II in Asia, as the wars became heavily intertwined after Japan's entry into World War II. It was the largest Asian war in the 20th century.

1937

HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.

British D-class destroyer

HMS Duchess was a D-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. The ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935. She was temporarily deployed in the Red Sea during late 1935 during the Abyssinia Crisis, before returning to her duty station where she remained until mid-1939. Duchess was transferred back to the Mediterranean Fleet just before the Second World War began in September 1939. While escorting the battleship HMS Barham back to the British Isles, she was accidentally rammed by the battleship in thick fog and sank with heavy loss of life on 12 December 1939.

1939

Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.

1939–1940 war between the Soviet Union and Finland

The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. Despite superior military strength, especially in tanks and aircraft, the Soviet Union suffered severe losses and initially made little headway. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from its organization.

1939

World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines.

Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1941

The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.

Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered around six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, approximately two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war (POWs); the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs.

1941

The People's Republic of Korea is outlawed in the South, by order of the United States Army Military Government in Korea.

1945–1946 provisional government

The People's Republic of Korea (Korean: 조선인민공화국) was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided into two occupation zones, with the Soviet Union occupying the north and the United States occupying the south. Based on a network of people's committees, it presented a program of democratization of society and the economy.

1945

United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 relating to acceptance of Siam (now Thailand) to the United Nations is adopted.

1946 UN Security Council recommendation that Thailand be admitted to the UN

United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 was adopted unanimously on 12 December 1946. The Council recommended that the General Assembly admit Siam as a member state.

1946

United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.

1956 UN Security Council recommendation that Japan be admitted to the UN

United Nations Security Council Resolution 121, adopted unanimously on December 12, 1956, after examining the application of Japan for membership in the United Nations, the UN Security Council recommended to the General Assembly that Japan be admitted. The United States first invited Japan to join the UN in 1955 but their admission was vetoed by The Soviet Union in protest of the Republic of China vetoing membership for the Mongolian People's Republic as a part of a 18 nation membership nomination process. The USSR proposed a second resolution to admit both Mongolia and Japan together; the draft resolution was voted upon with only the USSR in favor, and the 10 other members abstaining.

1956

Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.

Country in East Africa

Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 53.3 million as of mid-2025, it is the 27th-most populous country in the world and the seventh-most populous in Africa. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi. The second-largest and oldest city is Mombasa, a port city located on Mombasa Island. Other major cities within the country include Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret. Going clockwise, Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest, Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, Tanzania to the southwest, and Lake Victoria and Uganda to the west. Its geography, climate and population vary. In western Rift Valley counties, the landscape includes cold, snow-capped mountaintops with surrounding forests, wildlife, and fertile agricultural regions in temperate climates. In other areas there are dry, arid, and semi-arid climates, as well as absolute deserts.

1963

The Piazza Fontana bombing; a bomb explodes at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura (the National Agricultural Bank) in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88.

The same afternoon, three more bombs are detonated in Rome and Milan, and another is found unexploded.

The Piazza Fontana bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred on 12 December 1969 when a bomb exploded at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88. The same afternoon, another bomb exploded in a bank in Rome, and another was found unexploded in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The attack was carried out by the neo-fascist paramilitary terrorist group Ordine Nuovo, and possibly undetermined collaborators.

1969

The 8.2 Mw  Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.

Earthquake near Colombia and Peru

An earthquake occurred at 02:59 local time on 12 December 1979, with the epicenter just offshore from the border between Ecuador and Colombia, near the port city of Tumaco. With a moment magnitude of 8.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), it triggered a major tsunami, which was responsible for most of the estimated 300–600 deaths. The hardest hit area was Colombia's Nariño Department.

1979

Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.

1979 coup d'état in South Korea that brought Chun Doo-hwan to power

The coup d'état of December Twelfth or the 12·12 Military Insurrection was a mutiny which took place on 12 December 1979, in South Korea, where a secret society of military officers known as Hanahoe led by Major General Chun Doo-hwan mutinied against the Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Army General Jeong Seung-hwa. The coup led to Chun strengthening his military and political position in South Korea, leading to his outright seizure of power as president in 1980.

1979

Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.

1985 aviation accident in Canada

Arrow Air Flight 1285R was an international charter flight carrying U.S. Army personnel from Cairo, Egypt, to their home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, US, via Cologne, West Germany, and Gander, Newfoundland. On the morning of Thursday, 12 December 1985, shortly after takeoff from Canada's Gander International Airport en route to Fort Campbell, the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 serving the flight stalled, crashed, and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 248 passengers and 8 crew members on board. As of 2026, it is the deadliest aviation accident to occur on Canadian soil. At the time of the crash, it was the deadliest aviation accident involving a DC-8; its death toll was surpassed by the crash of Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 nearly six years later.

1985

The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.

1988 rail crash in London

The Clapham Junction rail crash occurred on the morning of 12 December 1988, when a crowded British Rail passenger train crashed into the rear of another train that had stopped at a signal just south of Clapham Junction railway station in London, England, and subsequently sideswiped an empty train travelling in the opposite direction. A total of 35 people died in the collision, while 484 were injured.

1988

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits the Philippines's main island of Luzon, killing six people, injuring 40, and causing power outages that affected the capital Manila.

Earthquake in the Philippines

On 12 December 1999, a Mw7.3 earthquake struck the northern coast of Zambales in the Philippines. It was felt in various provinces on the island of Luzon including as far north as Ilocos Norte and as far south as Quezon. This is the second earthquake with a magnitude of 7 to hit the area in 10 years with a Mw7.7 earthquake having occurred in 1990 which killed more than 2,000 people.

1999

The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v.

Gore.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on questions of U.S. constitutional or federal law. It also has original jurisdiction over a narrow range of cases, specifically "all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party". In 1803, the court asserted itself the power of judicial review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law.

2000

Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.

Head of government of Vietnam

The prime minister of Vietnam is the head of government of Vietnam who presides over the meetings of the Government. The prime minister directs the work of government members, and may propose deputy prime ministers to the National Assembly.

2001

North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.

Country in East Asia

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu (Amnok) and Tumen rivers, and South Korea to the south at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The country's western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eastern border is defined by the Sea of Japan. Pyongyang is the capital and largest city.

2012

The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.

2015 international treaty regarding climate change

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was negotiated by 196 parties at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference near Paris, France. As of January 2026, 194 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are parties to the agreement. Of the three UNFCCC member states which have not ratified the agreement, the only major emitter is Iran. The United States, the second largest emitter, withdrew from the agreement in 2020, rejoined in 2021, and withdrew again in 2026.

2015

Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju became the undisputed World Chess Champion in a tournament held in Singapore, making him the 18th and the youngest champion in chess history.

Title in chess awarded by FIDE

Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life, though on rare occasions the title has been revoked for cheating.

2024

Born on December 12

20 people 1984 – 2001

Michael Olise

French footballer

Michael Akpovie Olise is a professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Born in England, he plays for the France national team. Considered one of the best…

2001

Ed Oliver

American football player

Edward Oliver is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, winning numerous awards, and was…

1997

Lucas Hedges

American actor

Lucas Hedges is an American actor. A son of filmmaker Peter Hedges, he studied theater at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges began his acting career with a supporting role in Wes Anderson's…

1996

Otto Warmbier

American student imprisoned in North Korea (died 2017)

Otto Frederick Warmbier was an American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 on a charge of subversion. In June 2017, he was released by North Korea in a vegetative state, and died shortly…

1994

Zeli Ismail

English footballer

Zeli Ismail is a professional footballer who plays as a right midfielder for Cymru Premier club Connah's Quay Nomads. Born in Albania, he has represented England at both under-16 and under-17 level.

1993

Shohjahon Ergashev

Uzbek professional boxer

Shohjahon Ergashev is an Uzbek professional boxer. He challenged for the IBF super-lightweight title in 2023.

1991

Joseph Leilua

Australian-Samoan rugby league player

Joseph Leilua is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays centre for the Wyong Roos in the Central Coast Division Rugby League.

1991

Nixon Chepseba

Kenyan runner

Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba is a Kenyan middle-distance runner (1.84m) who specializes in the 1500 metres. He was the 2011 Diamond League series winner of that event and has a personal best of 3:29.90 minutes.

1990

Dawin

American singer-songwriter

Dawin Polanco, known mononymously as Dawin, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for the song "Dessert", which reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot…

1990

Victor Moses

Nigerian footballer

Victor Moses is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Kazakhstan Premier League club Kaisar. He has also been deployed as a wing-back at times during his career.

1990

Tyron Smith

American football player

Tyron Jerrar Smith is an American former professional football player who played offensive tackle in the National Football League for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans where he won the Morris…

1990

Isaac John

New Zealand rugby league player

Isaac John is a former professional rugby league footballer who previously played for the Mount Pritchard Mounties in the Intrust Super Premiership. A Cook Islands and New Zealand international representative, he played…

1988

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter

Israeli Olympic marathon runner

Lonah Korlima Chemtai Salpeter is an Israeli Olympic runner. Born in Kenya, she represents Israel internationally. She won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. At the European…

1988

Daddy Birori

Rwandan footballer

Daddy Birori, also known as Etekiama Agiti Tady, is a footballer who plays as a forward for AS Vita Club. Born in Zaire, he made 18 appearances for the Rwanda national team scoring five goals.

1986

Përparim Hetemaj

Finnish footballer

Përparim Hetemaj is a Finnish football coach and a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Kosovo, Hetemaj arrived in Finland when he was six years old and played for HJK's youth teams;…

1986

Nina Kolarič

Slovenian long jumper

Nina Kolarič is a Slovenian long jumper. She holds both the indoor and outdoor national records with jumps of 6.67 and 6.78 metres respectively.

1986

T. J. Ward

American football player

Terrell Ray Williams "T. J." Ward Jr. is an American former professional football safety who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, and was…

1986

Pat Calathes

Greek-American basketball player

Patrick Sean Calathes is a Greek-American former professional basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, he played at both the small forward and power forward positions. He was the 2013 Israeli…

1985

Andrew Ladd

Canadian ice hockey player

Andrew Joseph Ladd is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, New York Islanders and Arizona Coyotes of the National…

1985

Daniel Agger

Danish footballer

Daniel Munthe Agger is a Danish professional football coach and former player who is the assistant manager of the Danish national football team. As a player, he played as a centre-back for Brøndby and Liverpool and…

1984

See all birthdays on December 12

Died on December 12

20 people 2010 – 2021

Vicente Fernández

Mexican actor, ranchera singer, and film producer (born 1940)

Vicente Fernández Gómez was a Mexican mariachi singer, actor and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente", "El Charro de Huentitán", "El Ídolo de México", and "El Rey de la Música Ranchera", Fernández started his career as a…

2021

Bernie Fowler

American politician and environmental advocate (born 1924)

Clyde Bernard Fowler was an American politician from Maryland. He was a Calvert County Commissioner from 1970 to 1982, and served in the Maryland Senate between 1983 and 1994. Fowler is best known for his advocacy for…

2021

Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi

Tongan politician and military officer, Deputy Prime Minister (born 1955)

'Siosaʻia Lausiʻi, Lord Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, also known as Lord Maʻafu, was a Tongan politician, military officer, and member of the Tongan nobility.

2021

John le Carré

English author (born 1931)

David John Moore Cornwell, known by his pen name John le Carré, was an English author. Many of his espionage novels have been adapted for film or television. He has been described as a "sophisticated, morally ambiguous…

2020

Ann Reinking

American actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1949)

Ann Reinking was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. As a star of Broadway musicals, her credits include Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity…

2020

Danny Aiello

American actor (born 1933)

Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including The Godfather Part II (1974), The Front (1976), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Hide in Plain Sight (1984), The…

2019

Ed Lee

American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (born 1952)

Edwin Mah Lee was an American politician and attorney who served as the 43rd Mayor of San Francisco from 2011 until his death in 2017.

2017

Pat DiNizio

American singer and songwriter (born 1955)

Patrick Michael DiNizio was an American musician. He was most notable for being the lead singer, songwriter and founding member of the band The Smithereens, which he formed in 1980 with Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken and Mike…

2017

Shirley Hazzard

Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (born 1931)

Shirley Hazzard was an Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She was born in Australia and also held U.S. citizenship.

2016

Frans Geurtsen

Dutch footballer (born 1942)

Frans Geurtsen was a Dutch footballer, who played at both professional and international levels as a striker.

2015

Evelyn S. Lieberman

American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (born 1944)

Evelyn May Lieberman was an American public affairs professional who, during the Clinton administration, became the first woman to serve as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, and was the first United States Under…

2015

Norman Bridwell

American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (born 1928)

Norman Ray Bridwell was an American author and cartoonist best known for creating the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series.

2014

Ivor Grattan-Guinness

English mathematician, historian, and academic (born 1941)

Ivor Owen Grattan-Guinness was a historian of mathematics and logic.

2014

Herb Plews

American baseball player (born 1928)

Herbert Eugene Plews was an American Major League Baseball second baseman. He played four years in the majors, from 1956 to 1959 with the Washington Senators and in 1959 for the Boston Red Sox. In the minor leagues he…

2014

Tom Laughlin

American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist (born 1931)

Thomas Robert Laughlin Jr. was an American actor, filmmaker, educator, activist, and perennial candidate. He was best known as the star and director of the Billy Jack tetralogy of action drama films, produced between…

2013

Abdul Quader Molla

Bangladeshi journalist and politician (born 1948)

Abdul Quader Mollah was a Bangladeshi Islamist leader, writer, and politician of the far-right Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal,…

2013

Audrey Totter

American actress (born 1917)

Audrey Mary Totter was an American radio, film, and television actor and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s.

2013

Joe Allbritton

American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (born 1924)

Joe Lewis Allbritton was an American banker, publisher and philanthropist.

2012

David Tait

English rugby player (born 1987)

David Tait was a professional rugby union player for Sale Sharks in the Guinness Premiership.

2012

Tom Walkinshaw

Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (born 1946)

Thomas Dobbie Thomson Walkinshaw was a British racing car driver from Scotland and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). He was also involved in professional rugby union, as owner of Gloucester…

2010

See all deaths on December 12

What happened on December 12 in history?

On December 12, one notable event in history was 2021: Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands..

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2021 — Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands

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December 12 in History

2021 — Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands

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Explore December 12

Explore December 12

History runs on facts, and this project runs on coffee!