Did you know
North Korea's satellite launch was conducted using the Unha-3 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station
December 12 in History
2012 — North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2
December 12 spans 32 recorded events across recorded history, from 627 to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
32 events
627 – 2024
Today in history
More major events on December 12
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
Did you know
The launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 was initially reported as unsuccessful by North Korean state media
Did you know
The United Nations Security Council condemned the launch as a violation of Resolution 1718
Did you know
The successful launch made North Korea the tenth country to achieve orbital capability
Did you know
The launch was viewed as a demonstration of North Korea's ability to deliver a warhead over long distances
627
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
1388
Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
14th-century Greek noblewoman
1787
1862
American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1866
Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.
1866 British mining disaster
1901
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
Italian electrical engineer and inventor (1874–1937)
1915
Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.
First president of the Republic of China (1859–1916)
1917
1935
The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
Nazi Germany eugenics program
1937
Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S.
gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China.
1939
HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
British D-class destroyer
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
1941
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.
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
1945
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
1946
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
1956
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
1969
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.
1979
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
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
1985
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
1988
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
1999
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
2001
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
2015
The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.
2015 international treaty regarding climate change
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.
Motorsport championship held worldwide
2024
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