On This Day: 12 December

12 December in Indian history

• 2024Indian 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.India

12 December in world history

• 2021At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to become World Drivers' Champion.
• 2015The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.
• 2000The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush the winner.
• 1985Arrow 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.
• 1979The 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.
• 1969The Greek junta announced its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after the junta was found guilty of torture and other human-rights violations by the European Commission of Human Rights.
• 1963Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.
• 1956United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.
• 1942World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
• 1941The Holocaust: At a Nazi Party meeting in the Reich Chancellery, Adolf Hitler declared the imminent destruction of the Jewish people.
• 1941World 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.
• 1939The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess collided with HMS Barham, the battleship she was escorting, and Duchess sank with heavy loss of life.
• 1939Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.
• 1937Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China.
• 1936Republic of China leader Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang, a former warlord of Manchuria.
• 1935The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
• 627At the Battle of Nineveh, the Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeated the forces of Sasanian emperor Khosrow II, commanded by Rhahzadh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq.

Born on 12 December

• 1981Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1972Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner
• 1970Mädchen Amick, American actress and director
• 1950Rajinikanth, Indian actorIndia
• 1940Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of AgricultureIndia
• 1928Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (died 2011)

Died on 12 December

• 2014Herb Plews, American baseball player (born 1928)
• 1980Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (born 1912)
• 1970Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (born 1889)
• 1751Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (born 1678)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 12 December in history?

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. 2021: At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the final lap to become World Drivers' Champion. 2015: The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted. 2000: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bush v. Gore that the recount of ballots cast in Florida for the presidential election be stopped, effectively making George W. Bush the winner.

What happened on 12 December in Indian history?

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.

Which famous people were born on 12 December?

Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer (1981); Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner (1972); Mädchen Amick, American actress and director (1970); Rajinikanth, Indian actor (1950).

Which day is observed on 12 December?

Constitution Day (Russia); Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan).