December 12
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Corentin of Quimper, Jane Frances de Chantal, Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet, Finnian of Clonard, Thomas Holland, Ida of Nivelles, Peter the Aleut, Vicelinus, Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Observances honoring multiple Christian saints and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe across Western and Eastern traditions.
Constitution Day(Russia)
Commemorates the adoption of the current Constitution of the Russian Federation on December 12, 1993.
Day of Neutrality(Turkmenistan)
Honors Turkmenistan’s status as a permanently neutral state, recognized by the United Nations in 1995.
Corentin of Quimper
Honors Saint Corentin, the first bishop of Quimper, revered for his missionary work in Brittany.
Jane Frances de Chantal
Commemorates Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, co-founder of the Order of the Visitation, known for her spiritual writings and charitable works.
Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
Honors Saint Edburga, the Anglo-Saxon abbess of Minster-in-Thanet, revered for her piety and monastic leadership.
Finnian of Clonard
Marks the feast of Saint Finnian, founder of Clonard Abbey and 'Tutor of the Saints of Ireland'.
Thomas Holland
Honors Blessed Thomas Holland, an English Franciscan friar and martyr, commemorated in the Orthodox Christian calendar.
Ida of Nivelles
Celebrates Saint Ida of Nivelles, a 13th-century beguine known for her mystical visions and care for the poor.
Events
Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
In December 627, Emperor Heraclius led a Byzantine army to a decisive victory over Persian forces at the Battle of Nineveh.
Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
In 1388, Maria of Enghien sold her lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice, extending Venetian reach in Greece.
Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.
In 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, bolstering support for the new federal government.
American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.
In 1862, the Union ironclad USS Cairo became the first U.S. Navy ship sunk by a naval mine on the Yazoo River during the Civil War.
Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.
The 1866 Oaks explosion in Yorkshire became England's worst mining disaster, killing 361 miners and rescuers.
Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.
In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the second African American elected to the U.S. Congress during Reconstruction.
Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi achieved the first transatlantic wireless signal by receiving the Morse code 'S' at Signal Hill in Newfoundland.
Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.
In 1915, Chinese President Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself Emperor, founding the short-lived Empire of China.
Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
In 1917, Father Edward J. Flanagan founded Boys Town as a farm community in Nebraska, offering care and education for troubled youths.
Births
Álvaro de Bazán
Spanish naval commander and aristocrat who became the 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz and remained undefeated in battle.
Lodovico Giustini
Italian composer and pianist remembered for publishing the first music specifically for the pianoforte.
Samuel Hood
British admiral and peer who served in multiple naval wars and was elevated to 1st Viscount Hood.
William L. Marcy
American lawyer and statesman who served as Governor of New York, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State.
Karl Bryullov
Russian Romantic painter renowned for his epic masterpiece The Last Day of Pompeii.
Henry Wells
Entrepreneur who co-founded the express companies American Express and Wells Fargo during the 19th-century Gold Rush.
Stand Watie
Cherokee leader and the only Native American to attain the rank of brigadier general in the Confederate Army.
John Sandfield Macdonald
Lawyer and politician who became the first Premier of Ontario after Canadian Confederation.
Gustave Flaubert
Influential French novelist celebrated for his masterpiece Madame Bovary and literary realism.
Deaths
Carloman II was King of West Francia from 884 until his untimely death in a hunting accident. He co-ruled with his brother Louis III and defended his realm against Viking raids.
Isabella of Mar
Isabella of Mar was a Scottish noblewoman and the first wife of Robert the Bruce. Daughter of the Earl of Mar, her marriage bolstered alliances during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Loredana Marcello
Loredana Marcello was the Dogaressa of Venice and an accomplished botanist and author. She translated and compiled influential herbal texts during the Renaissance.
Henry St John
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751) was an influential English philosopher and Tory politician who served as Secretary at War and Secretary of State under Queen Anne.
Johann Christoph Gottsched
Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700–1766) was a leading German philosopher, author, and literary critic who shaped Enlightenment-era drama and prose with his advocacy for clarity and classical form.
Meshullam Feivush Heller
Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden (1750–1803) was a Swedish prince and Duke of Östergötland, son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika. He held ceremonial roles at the royal court.
Jacques Viger
Jacques Viger (1787–1858) was a Canadian archaeologist, author, and the first Mayor of Montreal. He is regarded as a pioneer of Canadian archaeology and local history.
Viktor Bunyakovsky
Viktor Bunyakovsky (1804–1889) was a Ukrainian-Russian mathematician renowned for the generalization of the Cauchy–Bunyakovsky–Schwarz inequality and contributions to probability theory.