(no subject)
December 11
Events
1282 - Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Gruffudd (b. c. 1228) the last native Prince of Wales, was killed at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales. He was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by King Edward I of England. Some would say he was the penultimate, but in effect he was the last ruler. In Welsh, he is remembered by the alliterative soubriquet Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (Llywelyn, Our Last Leader).
1602 - A surprise attack by forces under the command of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva. (This actually takes place after midnight, in the early morning of December 12, but commemorations/celebrations on Fête de l'Escalade are usually held on December 11 or the closest weekend.)
1792 - French Revolution: King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention.
1816 - Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.
1872 - P.B.S. Pinchback is sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1927 - Guangzhou Uprising: Communist militia and worker red guards launch an uprising in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet.
1931 - The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.
1934 - A fire at the Hotel Kerns in Lansing, Michigan, kills 34 people.
1936 - Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII's abdication as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India becomes effective.
1937 - Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations
1941 - World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established.
1951 - Joe Dimaggio announces his retirement from baseball.
1954 - The American Nuclear Society is founded.
1958 - Upper Volta declares its independence from France, and becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community.
1970 - John Lennon releases the album Plastic Ono Band.
1971 - The United States Libertarian Party is formed.
1972 - Apollo 17 becomes the sixth mission to land on the Moon.
1981 - In his last fight, Muhammad Ali is defeated by Trevor Berbick.
1981 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes UN Secretary-General
1981 - El Mozote massacre: Salvadoran armed forces kill an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the country's civil war.
1981 - Clube de Regatas do Flamengo defeat Liverpool F.C in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.
1990 - Mafia: New York mafioso John Gotti is arrested.
1993 - Forty-eight people are killed when a block of the Highland Towers collapses near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1994 - First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya
1994 - A bomb assembled by Ramzi Yousef explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, killing a Japanese businessman.
1998 - A Thai Airways Airbus A310-200 crashes near Surat Thani Airport, killing 101.
2001 - Members of the DrinkOrDie warez group are arrested in police raids.
2001 - The People's Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.
2005 - The Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead is rocked by explosions, causing a huge oil fire.
2005 - Vengeance of Rain becomes Hong Kong's first World Racing Championship winner after winning the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.
2005 - Sydney race riots: Thousands of Australians demonstate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese (and many who were not) in Cronulla Sydney. These are followed up by ethnic attacks on Cronulla.
[edit]
Births
1465 - Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shogun (d. 1489)
1475 - Pope Leo X (d. 1521)
1566 - Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese composer (d. 1650)
1680 - Emanuele d'Astorga, Italian composer
1712 - Francesco Algarotti. Italian philosopher (d. 1764)
1725 - George Mason, American statesman (d. 1792)
1761 - Gian Domenico Romagnosi, Italian physicist (d. 1835)
1781 - Sir David Brewster, British physicist (d. 1868)
1801 - Christian Dietrich Grabbe, German writer (d. 1836)
1803 - Hector Berlioz, French composer (d. 1869)
1810 - Alfred de Musset, French poet (d. 1857)
1843 - Robert Koch, German bacteriologist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1858 - Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian-born Soviet theatre director (d. 1943)
1863 - Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer (d. 1941)
1873 - Josip Plemelj, Austro-Hungarian-born Yugoslav mathematician (d. 1967)
1880 - Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)
1882 - Subramanya Bharathy, Indian poet (d. 1921)
1882 - Max Born, German physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
1882 - Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City (d. 1947)
1883 - Victor McLaglen, British-born American actor (d. 1959)
1889 - Walter Knott, farmer and creator of Knott's Berry Farm (d. 1981).
1890 - Mark Tobey, American painter (d. 1976)
1905 - Gilbert Roland, American actor (d. 1994)
1908 - Elliott Carter, American composer
1911 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer and Nobel Prize laureate
1912 - Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer
1913 - Jean Marais, French actor (d. 1998)
1916 - Dámaso Pérez Prado, Cuban-born bandleader and composer (d. 1989)
1918 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Soviet-born Russian writer and Nobel Prize laureate
1919 - Marie Windsor, American actress (d. 2000)
1920 - Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton), American blues singer (d. 1984)
1922 - Grace Paley, American writer
1925 - Paul Greengard, American neuroscientist and Nobel Prize laureate
1930 - Jean-Louis Trintignant, French actor
1931 - Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actress
1933 - Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Filipino politician
1935 - Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician
1936 - Taku Yamasaki, Japanese politician
1938 - McCoy Tyner, American jazz pianist
1939 - Tom Hayden, American politician
1942 - Donna Mills, American actress
1943 - John Kerry, American politician and Presidential candidate
1944 - Teri Garr, American film actress
1944 - Brenda Lee, American singer
1950 - Christina Onassis American heiress (d. 1988)
1954 - Jermaine Jackson, American singer and bassist
1954 - Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, Icelandic guitar player, polytechnic engineer and inventor
1958 - Nikki Sixx, American bassist (Mötley Crüe)
1959 - Lisa Gastineau, American reality show star
1962 - Ben Browder, American actor
1964 - Cosy Sheridan, American singer and songwriter
1966 - Gary Dourdan, American actor
1966 - Leon Lai, Beijing-born Canadian actor and Cantopop singer
1969 - Vishwanathan Anand, Indian chess grandmaster
1972 - Dana Macsim, Romanian television news reporter
1979 - Rider Strong, American actor
1981 - Zachary Jonathon "Zacky Vengeance" Baker, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold)
1981 - Javier Saviola, Argentine international footballer and Olympic gold medalist
1988 - Murugan Thiruchelvam, chess prodigy
[edit]
Deaths
384 - Pope Damasus I
1121 - Al-Afdal Shahanshah, Caliph of Egypt (b. 1066)
1226 - Robert de Ros, English politician (b. 1177)
1282 - Llywelyn the Last, Welsh Prince of Gwynedd
1282 - Michael VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1225)
1532 - Pietro Accolti, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1455)
1694 - Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1630)
1737 - John Strype, English historian and biographer (b. 1643)
1757 - Edmund Curll, English bookseller and publisher (b. 1675)
1797 - Richard Brocklesby, British physician (b. 1722)
1840 - Emperor Kokaku of Japan (b. 1771)
1909 - Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet (b. 1855)
1920 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (b. 1855)
1938 - Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist and recipient of Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
1941 - John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (b. 1922)
1945 - Charles Fabry, French physicist (b. 1867)
1950 - Leslie Comrie, New Zealand-born astronomer and computing pioneer (b. 1893)
1957 - Musidora (Jeanne Roques), French actress and director (b. 1889)
1964 - Sam Cooke, American singer (b. 1931)
1978 - Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
1983 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British General. (b. 1897)
1994 - Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (b. 1900)
1996 - Willie Rushton, British cartoonist, satirist, and actor (b. 1937)
1998 - André Lichnerowicz, Polish-French physicist (b. 1915)
2003 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Côte d'Ivoire writer (b. 1927)
2004 - M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (b. 1916)
Events
1282 - Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Gruffudd (b. c. 1228) the last native Prince of Wales, was killed at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales. He was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by King Edward I of England. Some would say he was the penultimate, but in effect he was the last ruler. In Welsh, he is remembered by the alliterative soubriquet Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (Llywelyn, Our Last Leader).
1602 - A surprise attack by forces under the command of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva. (This actually takes place after midnight, in the early morning of December 12, but commemorations/celebrations on Fête de l'Escalade are usually held on December 11 or the closest weekend.)
1792 - French Revolution: King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention.
1816 - Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.
1872 - P.B.S. Pinchback is sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1927 - Guangzhou Uprising: Communist militia and worker red guards launch an uprising in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet.
1931 - The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.
1934 - A fire at the Hotel Kerns in Lansing, Michigan, kills 34 people.
1936 - Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII's abdication as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India becomes effective.
1937 - Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations
1941 - World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established.
1951 - Joe Dimaggio announces his retirement from baseball.
1954 - The American Nuclear Society is founded.
1958 - Upper Volta declares its independence from France, and becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community.
1970 - John Lennon releases the album Plastic Ono Band.
1971 - The United States Libertarian Party is formed.
1972 - Apollo 17 becomes the sixth mission to land on the Moon.
1981 - In his last fight, Muhammad Ali is defeated by Trevor Berbick.
1981 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes UN Secretary-General
1981 - El Mozote massacre: Salvadoran armed forces kill an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the country's civil war.
1981 - Clube de Regatas do Flamengo defeat Liverpool F.C in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo.
1990 - Mafia: New York mafioso John Gotti is arrested.
1993 - Forty-eight people are killed when a block of the Highland Towers collapses near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1994 - First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya
1994 - A bomb assembled by Ramzi Yousef explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, killing a Japanese businessman.
1998 - A Thai Airways Airbus A310-200 crashes near Surat Thani Airport, killing 101.
2001 - Members of the DrinkOrDie warez group are arrested in police raids.
2001 - The People's Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.
2005 - The Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead is rocked by explosions, causing a huge oil fire.
2005 - Vengeance of Rain becomes Hong Kong's first World Racing Championship winner after winning the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.
2005 - Sydney race riots: Thousands of Australians demonstate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese (and many who were not) in Cronulla Sydney. These are followed up by ethnic attacks on Cronulla.
[edit]
Births
1465 - Ashikaga Yoshihisa, Japanese shogun (d. 1489)
1475 - Pope Leo X (d. 1521)
1566 - Manuel Cardoso, Portuguese composer (d. 1650)
1680 - Emanuele d'Astorga, Italian composer
1712 - Francesco Algarotti. Italian philosopher (d. 1764)
1725 - George Mason, American statesman (d. 1792)
1761 - Gian Domenico Romagnosi, Italian physicist (d. 1835)
1781 - Sir David Brewster, British physicist (d. 1868)
1801 - Christian Dietrich Grabbe, German writer (d. 1836)
1803 - Hector Berlioz, French composer (d. 1869)
1810 - Alfred de Musset, French poet (d. 1857)
1843 - Robert Koch, German bacteriologist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910)
1858 - Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian-born Soviet theatre director (d. 1943)
1863 - Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer (d. 1941)
1873 - Josip Plemelj, Austro-Hungarian-born Yugoslav mathematician (d. 1967)
1880 - Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)
1882 - Subramanya Bharathy, Indian poet (d. 1921)
1882 - Max Born, German physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
1882 - Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City (d. 1947)
1883 - Victor McLaglen, British-born American actor (d. 1959)
1889 - Walter Knott, farmer and creator of Knott's Berry Farm (d. 1981).
1890 - Mark Tobey, American painter (d. 1976)
1905 - Gilbert Roland, American actor (d. 1994)
1908 - Elliott Carter, American composer
1911 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer and Nobel Prize laureate
1912 - Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer
1913 - Jean Marais, French actor (d. 1998)
1916 - Dámaso Pérez Prado, Cuban-born bandleader and composer (d. 1989)
1918 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Soviet-born Russian writer and Nobel Prize laureate
1919 - Marie Windsor, American actress (d. 2000)
1920 - Big Mama Thornton (Willie Mae Thornton), American blues singer (d. 1984)
1922 - Grace Paley, American writer
1925 - Paul Greengard, American neuroscientist and Nobel Prize laureate
1930 - Jean-Louis Trintignant, French actor
1931 - Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actress
1933 - Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Filipino politician
1935 - Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician
1936 - Taku Yamasaki, Japanese politician
1938 - McCoy Tyner, American jazz pianist
1939 - Tom Hayden, American politician
1942 - Donna Mills, American actress
1943 - John Kerry, American politician and Presidential candidate
1944 - Teri Garr, American film actress
1944 - Brenda Lee, American singer
1950 - Christina Onassis American heiress (d. 1988)
1954 - Jermaine Jackson, American singer and bassist
1954 - Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, Icelandic guitar player, polytechnic engineer and inventor
1958 - Nikki Sixx, American bassist (Mötley Crüe)
1959 - Lisa Gastineau, American reality show star
1962 - Ben Browder, American actor
1964 - Cosy Sheridan, American singer and songwriter
1966 - Gary Dourdan, American actor
1966 - Leon Lai, Beijing-born Canadian actor and Cantopop singer
1969 - Vishwanathan Anand, Indian chess grandmaster
1972 - Dana Macsim, Romanian television news reporter
1979 - Rider Strong, American actor
1981 - Zachary Jonathon "Zacky Vengeance" Baker, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold)
1981 - Javier Saviola, Argentine international footballer and Olympic gold medalist
1988 - Murugan Thiruchelvam, chess prodigy
[edit]
Deaths
384 - Pope Damasus I
1121 - Al-Afdal Shahanshah, Caliph of Egypt (b. 1066)
1226 - Robert de Ros, English politician (b. 1177)
1282 - Llywelyn the Last, Welsh Prince of Gwynedd
1282 - Michael VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1225)
1532 - Pietro Accolti, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1455)
1694 - Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1630)
1737 - John Strype, English historian and biographer (b. 1643)
1757 - Edmund Curll, English bookseller and publisher (b. 1675)
1797 - Richard Brocklesby, British physician (b. 1722)
1840 - Emperor Kokaku of Japan (b. 1771)
1909 - Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet (b. 1855)
1920 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (b. 1855)
1938 - Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist and recipient of Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
1941 - John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (b. 1922)
1945 - Charles Fabry, French physicist (b. 1867)
1950 - Leslie Comrie, New Zealand-born astronomer and computing pioneer (b. 1893)
1957 - Musidora (Jeanne Roques), French actress and director (b. 1889)
1964 - Sam Cooke, American singer (b. 1931)
1978 - Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
1983 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British General. (b. 1897)
1994 - Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (b. 1900)
1996 - Willie Rushton, British cartoonist, satirist, and actor (b. 1937)
1998 - André Lichnerowicz, Polish-French physicist (b. 1915)
2003 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Côte d'Ivoire writer (b. 1927)
2004 - M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (b. 1916)