What Happened on Dec 12

Rinaldo di Jene (Alexander IV) elected Pope

Pope from 1254-61 (Rinaldo Conti), of the house of Segni, which had already given two illustrious sons to the Papacy, Innocent III and Gregory IX,... Read more

John Jay Is Born

John Jay, one of the nation's founding fathers, was born on December 12, 1745, to a prominent and wealthy family in New York City. He attended... Read more

Battle Of Ushant

The Second Battle of Ushant was a naval battle fought between French and British squadrons near Ushant on 12 December 1781, during the American War... Read more

Pennsylvania Ratifies the US Constitution and is the 2nd State Admitted to the Union

In the Name of the People of Pennsylvania Be it Known unto all Men that We the Delegates of the People of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in... Read more

The Battle of Fort Branch

Fort Branch was a fort built by the Confederate Army especially to defend against attacks from the Union Army along the Roanoke River in North... Read more

Laura Hope Crews Is Born

Laura Hope Crews (San Francisco, December 12, 1879—November 12, 1942 in New York City) was a character actress of movies and stage. The daughter of... Read more

Frank Sinatra is born

Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the only child of Italian/Sicilian immigrants Natalie Della (née Garaventa) and Antonio Martino Sinatra.... Read more

Germany Makes First Peace Proposal to Allied Nations

Allies Restate Their War Aims Upon Invitation of President Wilson In the closing days of 1916, bedeviled Germany donned the livery of Heaven,... Read more

"Camille" Is Released

Camille is a 1936 American romantic drama film directed by George Cukor and produced by Irving Thalberg and Bernard H. Hyman, from a screenplay by... Read more

Japanese Attack on United States Gunboat Panay

A flat-bottomed craft built in Shanghai specifically for river duty, Panay served as part of the U.S. Navy's Yangtze Patrol in the Asiatic Fleet,... Read more

Battle of Tolvajärvi

The Battle of Tolvajärvi ['tol.va.jær.vi] was fought on 12 December 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large victory for... Read more

Sheffield Blitz

The Sheffield Blitz is the name given to the worst nights of German Luftwaffe bombing in Sheffield, England during the Second World War. It took... Read more

Operation Winter Storm

Operation Winter Storm (German: Unternehmen Wintergewitter) was a German offensive in World War II undertaken between 12–23 December 1942, in which... Read more

Knights of Columbus Hostel Fire

The most deadly structural fire in what is now Canada consumed the Knights of Columbus hostel in St John's, Nfld, on 12 December 1942. An arsonist... Read more

Angelo Bertelli Wins Heisman Trophy

He made the T-Formation click for the Fighting Irish until his entry into the Marine Corps in 1943. Bertelli completed 169 of 324 passes in 26... Read more

Vic Janowicz Wins Heisman Trophy

Invaluable as a defensive player, he was the key factor in the Buckeyes' success in 1950. He was the third junior to win the Heisman Trophy. The... Read more

"The Rose Tattoo" Is Released

The Rose Tattoo is a 1955 film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play of the same name. It was adapted by Williams and Hal Kanter and directed... Read more

Paul Hornung Wins Heisman Trophy

The blond, 220-pound Golden Boy, despite a mediocre Notre Dame team, carried the ball 94 times his senior year for 420 yards for an average of 4.5... Read more

Hanoi forms National Liberation Front for South Vietnam

Observing the increasing unpopularity of the Diem regime, on 12 December 1960, Hanoi authorized the creation of the National Liberation Front as a... Read more

Royce Gracie Is Born

Royce is a member of the Gracie family. He is the son of Hélio Gracie (Helio, along with his older brother Carlos Gracie, are the originators of... Read more

"A Man For All Seasons" Is Released

A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt's play of the same name about Sir Thomas More. Paul Scofield, who had played More in the... Read more

Archie Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy

As a junior at Ohio State Archie was named to every All-American team and was called "the greatest football player I've ever coached" by Woody... Read more

"The Godfather Part II" Is Released

The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both... Read more

Charles White Wins Heisman Trophy

Coach John Robinson stated, "Charlie is simply the most competitive athlete I've ever seen." Incredibly, as USC's all-purpose back, White averaged... Read more

The Clash release Sandinista!

Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36... Read more