133 things happened on 11 December, from AD 220 to 2021. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1936 · 90 years ago
King Edward VIII's abdication became official. To abdicate means to give up being king or queen. Edward had wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced, and this caused a crisis. His brother became King George VI, and Edward was later kn…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, known as Llywelyn the Last, died at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, during the Battle of Orewin Bridge. He was the last native Prince of Wales, a title King Henry III of England had accepted in 1267. His death was one of the final events in King Edward I's conquest of Wales. Within months, Edward's armies had defeated the remaining Welsh forces.
UK story
King James II threw the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames as he tried to flee to France. James was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland. He lost his throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III, became joint rulers in his place.
UK story
The football club now known as Arsenal played its very first match, on the Isle of Dogs in London. At the time the team was called Dial Square. Arsenal is now based in Islington, North London, and plays in the Premier League. It has won a record 14 FA Cups and is one of the most successful clubs in English football.
UK story
The British Parliament made the Statute of Westminster 1931 law. It gave the Dominions of the British Commonwealth the same power as the United Kingdom to make their own laws. The Dominions were Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland. The new law gave them much more freedom to govern themselves.
UK story
King Edward VIII's abdication became official. To abdicate means to give up being king or queen. Edward had wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced, and this caused a crisis. His brother became King George VI, and Edward was later known as the Duke of Windsor.
UK story
A crowd of 1,500 people presented the Root and Branch petition to the Long Parliament, calling for abolishing the episcopacy of the Church of England.
UK story
Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein, Boers defeated British forces trying to relieve the Siege of Kimberley.
UK story
Guglielmo Marconi transmits the first transatlantic radio signal from Poldhu, Cornwall, England to St. John's, Newfoundland.
UK story
The New Zealand Parliament Buildings are almost completely destroyed by fire.
UK story
World War I: British General Edmund Allenby enters Jerusalem on foot and declares martial law.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting the Mona Lisa was found in Florence, Italy. It had been stolen from the Louvre in Paris more than two years before. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, was arrested straight away. The Mona Lisa is now back in the Louvre, France's national art museum.
The United Nations set up UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. Since 1953 its official name has been the United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF helps children all over the world and works in 192 countries and territories. Its work includes vaccinations, healthy food, education and emergency help.
Apollo 17, the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, landed on the Moon. It is the most recent time that people have walked there. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored the surface, driving a battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle nicknamed the 'Moon buggy'. Meanwhile, Ronald Evans orbited above them.
Countries meeting in Kyoto, Japan, adopted the Kyoto Protocol, promising to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the air and warm the Earth. Scientists agree that carbon dioxide released by people is driving global warming. The agreement came into force in 2005.
Emperor Xian of Han is forced to abdicate the throne by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, ending the Han dynasty.
Julian enters Constantinople as sole Roman Emperor.
Michael V, adoptive son of Empress Zoë of Byzantium, is proclaimed emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Treaty of Benavente: the heiresses of the Kingdom of León renounce their throne to King Ferdinand III of Castile
A surprise attack by forces under the command of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva. (Commemorated annually by the Fête de l'Escalade.)
Antonio de Vea expedition enters San Rafael Lake in western Patagonia.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (structure pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century, was chartered.
French Revolution: King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention.
The U.S. Senate creates a select committee on finance and a uniform national currency, predecessor of the United States Senate Committee on Finance.
Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.
American Civil War: The Battle of Fredericksburg begins as the Army of the Potomac under Union General Ambrose Burnside crosses the Rappahannock River to clash with the Army of Northern Virginia led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Paraguayan War: Brazilian troops defeat the Paraguayan Army at the Battle of Avay.
A workers' uprising occurs in Kyiv, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), and establishes the Shuliavka Republic.
The original Parliament House in Wellington, New Zealand, was destroyed by fire (pictured).
Pope Pius XI promulgated the encyclical Quas primas, establishing the Feast of Christ the King.
Guangzhou Uprising: Communist Red Guards launch an uprising in Guangzhou, China, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet.
Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the final time.
Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations.
World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans' declaration of war on the Empire of Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declares war on them.
World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy suffers its first loss of surface vessels during the Battle of Wake Island.
World War II: Poland declares war on the Empire of Japan.
Arab–Israeli War: The United Nations passes General Assembly Resolution 194, creating a Conciliation Commission to mediate the conflict.
French Upper Volta and French Dahomey gain self-government from France, becoming the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) and the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin), respectively, and joining the French Community.
French forces crack down in a violent clash with protesters in French Algeria during a visit by French president Charles de Gaulle.
Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (also known as Superfund) is enacted by the U.S. Congress.
Demonstrations by students and workers across Albania begin, which eventually trigger the fall of communism in Albania.
First Chechen War: Russian president Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya.
China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment releases the hit mobile game Angry Birds internationally on iOS.
The results of the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum are announced. The results are overwhelmingly one-sided. Over 98% of voters vote for Bougainville's independence.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Arsenal, then called Dial Square, plays its first football match”?
C: 1886. 1886 — that’s 140 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “James II throws the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames”?
C: 1688. 1688 — that’s 338 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: James II throws the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames. 1931: The Statute of Westminster gives the Dominions equal law-making power · 1886: Arsenal, then called Dial Square, plays its first football match · 1688: James II throws the Great Seal of the Realm into the River Thames Find it on the page
“The Statute of Westminster gives the Dominions equal law-making power” happened in 1931. How many years ago was that?
C: 95 years. 2026 − 1931 = 95. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 11 December.
UK story
Sir David Brewster was a Scottish scientist and inventor who studied light. In about 1815 he invented the kaleidoscope. It was a huge success, with 200,000 sold in London and Paris in just three months. Brewster also worked hard to improve the lights used in British lighthouses.
Well-known people who died on 11 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 11 December somewhere in the world.
International Mountain Day is held every year on 11 December. The United Nations General Assembly set it up in 2003. The day encourages people to develop mountain areas in ways that look after them and can last into the future.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “December 11” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.