96 things happened on 12 December, from AD 627 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1901 · 125 years ago
Guglielmo Marconi received the first radio signal ever sent across the Atlantic Ocean. It was sent from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, and picked up at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland. The message was the letter 'S' in Morse code: three dots. Marconi is …
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Guglielmo Marconi received the first radio signal ever sent across the Atlantic Ocean. It was sent from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, and picked up at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland. The message was the letter 'S' in Morse code: three dots. Marconi is often called the inventor of radio, and he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Joseph Rainey, from South Carolina, took his seat in the United States House of Representatives. He was the first black person to serve in the House, and the second black person in the US Congress. Congress is the part of the US government that makes laws. Rainey also served for a time as the House's presiding officer, who runs its meetings.
Yuan Shikai, the president of the Republic of China, declared that China was an empire again, with himself as emperor. He was a powerful general who had helped end the rule of the Qing emperors. His attempt to bring back the monarchy failed, and he had to give up the throne in March 1916. China then broke up into areas run by rival warlords.
Edward Flanagan, an Irish-born Catholic priest, founded Boys Town, a farm village for boys who were in trouble or homeless. It was near the city of Omaha, in Nebraska in the United States. Boys Town grew into an orphanage and school, and the charity still cares for children and families. The place where it stands is now a village called Boys Town.
Kenya, in East Africa, became independent after being a colony of the British Empire. Jomo Kenyatta, who had campaigned against colonial rule, led the country as prime minister. Exactly one year later, Kenya became a republic and Kenyatta became its first president. Nairobi is Kenya's capital and largest city.
Countries meeting near Paris, France, adopted the Paris Agreement, a treaty about climate change. It was worked out by 196 parties at a United Nations climate conference. The agreement aims to slow climate change, mainly by cutting the greenhouse gases that people release into the air. It also covers helping countries cope with a changing climate.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the last race of the 2021 Formula One season. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton started the race level on 369.5 points each. Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the final lap to win his first Drivers' Championship. Hamilton's team, Mercedes, still won a record eighth Constructors' Championship in a row.
Indian chess player Gukesh Dommaraju won a contest in Singapore to become World Chess Champion. He became the 18th undisputed world champion and the youngest in the history of chess. Gukesh was a chess prodigy, which means a young person with an amazing talent. He had earned the title of grandmaster when he was just 12.
At 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.
Unable to defend her possessions, Maria of Enghien sold the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.
Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.
World War II: German troops began Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
The People's Republic of Korea is outlawed in the South, by order of the United States Army Military Government in Korea.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 relating to acceptance of Siam (now Thailand) to the United Nations is adopted.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.
Jomo Kenyatta became the first president of the Republic of Kenya.
Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.
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 (pictured) the winner.
Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.
North Korea made its first successful satellite launch, as Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 reached orbit.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic”?
C: 1901. 1901 — that’s 125 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year was Patrick O'Brian born?
B: 1914. 1914 — that’s 112 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
B: Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic. 1963: Kenya becomes independent from Britain · 1901: Marconi receives the first radio signal sent across the Atlantic · 2021: Max Verstappen wins the Formula One title on the final lap Find it on the page
“Fiona May” happened in 1969. How many years ago was that?
B: 57 years. 2026 − 1969 = 57. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 12 December.
UK story
Patrick O'Brian was an English novelist and translator. He is best known for his series of 20 sea novels about Captain Jack Aubrey and the doctor Stephen Maturin. The stories are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The first book in the series is Master and Commander.
UK story
Fiona May is a long jumper who competed first for the United Kingdom and later for Italy. She won the World Championships twice, as well as two Olympic silver medals. Her best ever jump was 7.11 metres, which won her a silver medal at the 1998 European Championships.
Well-known people who died on 12 December.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 12 December somewhere in the world.
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 12” 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.