627day.year
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.
In December 627, Emperor Heraclius led a Byzantine army against the Sasanian Persians at Nineveh, near modern-day Mosul.
Heraclius's troops executed a daring flanking maneuver that caught the Persians under General Rhahzadh off guard.
The Battle of Nineveh resulted in a decisive Byzantine victory, forcing Khosrau II's forces into a hasty retreat.
This triumph marked a turning point in the long Byzantine–Sasanian War, shifting momentum firmly in favor of Byzantium.
It enabled the Byzantines to recapture key territories in Mesopotamia and Syria over the following years.
Heraclius's success at Nineveh became legendary, celebrated in imperial chronicles and later military treatises.
The defeat also weakened Sasanian power on the eve of the Islamic conquests, altering the region's historical trajectory.
627
Battle of Nineveh
Byzantine
Heraclius
Khosrau II
Persian
General Rhahzadh
1862day.year
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.
On December 12, 1862, the Union ironclad USS Cairo struck a submerged torpedo (naval mine) in the Yazoo River, Mississippi.
She became the first U.S. Navy ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine during combat.
Built as part of the City-class ironclad fleet, the Cairo was tasked with securing river routes for Union forces.
The explosion caused catastrophic hull damage, and the vessel sank within minutes, fortunately with no loss of life.
Her wreck lay undiscovered for over a century until it was raised and conserved in 1964.
Today, the USS Cairo is preserved at the Vicksburg National Military Park as a testament to Civil War naval innovation.
1862
American Civil War
USS Cairo
Yazoo River
1936day.year
The beginning of Xi'an incident. As a result, Chiang Kai Shek is captured.
Chinese generals Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng kidnap Chiang Kai-shek in Xi'an, forcing him to cooperate with Communists against Japan.
On December 12, 1936, in Xi'an, marshal Zhang Xueliang and general Yang Hucheng detained national leader Chiang Kai-shek.
Under pressure, Chiang agreed to halt the civil war against the Communists to face the Japanese invasion.
The incident lasted two weeks before Chiang’s release, mediated by the Communist leader Zhou Enlai.
It led to the formation of the Second United Front between the Nationalists and Communists.
This pivotal event shifted the balance of power in pre-World War II China and reshaped its political landscape.
It remains a landmark moment of reluctant cooperation amid looming external threats.
1936
Xi'an incident
Chiang Kai Shek
1937day.year
Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze river in China.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese aircraft bomb the U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze River, straining US–Japan relations.
On December 12, 1937, Japanese Navy planes attacked USS Panay as it evacuated American diplomatic staff in Nanking.
Despite clear American markings, the gunboat was strafed and shelled, leading to its sinking and the loss of three lives.
The United States lodged formal protests, and Japan issued an apology along with indemnity payments.
The incident highlighted the volatility of China’s conflict and foreshadowed escalating tensions in the Pacific.
It remains a significant episode demonstrating the dangers faced by neutral vessels in wartime China.
The Panay’s sinking prompted the Navy to reassess protocols for flag display and ship movements in conflict zones.
1937
Second Sino-Japanese War
USS Panay incident
Japanese
USS Panay
Yangtze
1939day.year
Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.
Finland scores its first major victory against the Soviet Union at the Battle of Tolvajärvi during the Winter War.
On December 12, 1939, Finnish troops under Colonel Paavo Talvela launched a surprise attack at Tolvajärvi.
Using intimate knowledge of the forested terrain and swift ski-borne units, they outflanked larger Soviet forces.
The Soviets suffered heavy losses and were forced into a hasty retreat along frozen lakes.
This victory boosted Finnish morale and demonstrated effective small-unit tactics against a numerically superior enemy.
Tolvajärvi became an emblem of Finnish resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.
The battle set the tone for Finland’s spirited defense throughout the Winter War.
Winter War
Battle of Tolvajärvi
Finnish
1941day.year
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.
Filipino pilots led by Capt. Jesús Villamor defend Batangas Field from a Japanese Zero fighter raid, becoming early heroes of WWII in the Pacific.
On December 12, 1941, a force of 54 Japanese A6M Zero fighters attacked Batangas Field just after the outbreak of war in the Pacific.
Capt. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino pilots scrambled Boeing P-26 Peashooters to intercept the raiders.
Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, they managed to shoot down or damage several Zeros.
Second Lt. César Basa was killed while bravely engaging the enemy at low altitude.
Villamor’s leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Cross from the United States.
This engagement marked one of the first air combats of World War II in Southeast Asia.
1941
World War II
Japanese
A6M Zero
Batangas
Philippines
Jesús Villamor
Filipino
César Basa
1941day.year
The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
At a Reich Chancellery meeting, Adolf Hitler orders the impending genocide of European Jews, signalling the intensification of the Holocaust.
On December 12, 1941, Adolf Hitler convened top Nazi officials at the Reich Chancellery in Berlin.
In this meeting, he outlined the 'Final Solution' for the Jewish question, calling for their systematic extermination.
The declaration accelerated mass deportations to ghettos and subsequent death camps in occupied Europe.
It marked a turning point from persecution to industrial-scale genocide under the Nazi regime.
Over the next years, this policy led to the murder of six million Jews across Europe.
The meeting’s directive remains one of history’s darkest moments of state-sponsored atrocity.
The Holocaust
Adolf Hitler
meeting in the Reich Chancellery
1969day.year
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.
On December 12, 1969, a powerful bomb exploded at the National Agricultural Bank headquarters in Milan's Piazza Fontana, marking the beginning of Italy's Years of Lead. Seventeen people were killed and dozens wounded in a traumatic act of political violence.
The Piazza Fontana bombing on December 12, 1969 was a devastating act of domestic terrorism carried out at the headquarters of the National Agricultural Bank in Milan. A powerful explosive device detonated in the early afternoon, killing 17 people and injuring 88 others. In the chaotic aftermath, three more bombs went off in Rome and Milan, while a fourth device was discovered unexploded. The incident shocked Italy and marked the beginning of a period known as the Years of Lead, characterized by widespread political violence. The investigation into the bombing involved allegations of neofascist groups and possible state collusion, leading to decades of controversy and legal battles. The event remains a poignant symbol of Italy's turbulent political climate in the late 20th century.
1969
Piazza Fontana bombing
Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura