Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your 12 December shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the 12 December offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of 12 December at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a 12 December? Wrong! If the 12 December is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about 12 December then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling 12 December? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about 12 December and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your 12 December wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your 12 December then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the 12 December site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about 12 December, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your 12 December, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

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Events

• 627 - Battle of Nineveh (627): A Byzantine Empire army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrau II's Persians forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
• 1098 - First Crusade: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan - Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to cannibalism.
• 1531 - Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in Mexico City.
• 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant - A Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory, defeats a France fleet.
• 1812 - French invasion of Russia comes to an end.
• 1862 - USS Cairo sank on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
• 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black Congress of the United States.
• 1897 - Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is inaugurated.
• 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signal at Signal Hill, Newfoundland and Labrador in St John's, Newfoundland.
• 1911 - Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
• 1914 - The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 24.39%.
• 1915 - President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China.
• 1917 - In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Girls and Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
• 1925 - The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Shah Pahlavi as the new Shah of Persia.
• 1936 - Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
• 1937 - Panay incident: Imperial Japan aircraft shell and sink US gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze River in China.
• 1939 - Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi - Finland forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
• 1940 - Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield as a result of a German air raid.
• 1941 - World War II: Fifty four Empire of Japan A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesus Villamor and four Philippine fighter pilots fend them off; Cesar Basa is killed.
• 1941 - World War II: USMC F4F Wildcat sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
• 1941 - Timeline of World War II: Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
• 1942 - A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland kills 100 people.
• 1946 - A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
• 1948 - Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre - 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
• 1950 - Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
• 1956 - Commencement of the Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)'s Border Campaign (IRA).
• 1963 - Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1964 - Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first Heads of State of Kenya of the Kenya.
• 1969 - Strategy of tension: Piazza Fontana bombing - The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
• 1979 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
• 1979 - Pakistan President Zia-ul-Haq conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
• 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe.
• 1982 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.
• 1984 - Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya become the third president of Mauritania after coup d'etat against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the later was attending a summit. Taya was ousted in March 2005 by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall in another coup.
• 1985 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
• 1988 - Clapham Junction rail crash killed 35 and injured 100's after two collisions of three commuter trains. One of the worst train crashes in Britain.
• 1991 - Russia gains independance from the USSR.
• 2000 - The Supreme Court of the United States released its decision in Bush v. Gore
• 2006 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton-on-Dunsmore signalling the end of mass car production in Coventry, formerly a major centre of the British motor industry.

Births

• 1298 - Albert II of Austria (d. 1358)
• 1418 - Albert VI of Austria (d. 1463)
• 1610 - Saint Vasilije (d. 1671)
• 1659 - Francesco Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/designer (d. 1739)
• 1712 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (d. 1780)
• 1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (d. 1816)
• 1745 - John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
• 1779 - Madeleine Sophie Barat, French saint (d. 1865)
• 1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth, American politician (d. 1865)
• 1786 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (d. 1857)
• 1799 - Karl Briullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
• 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist (d. 1879)
• 1806 - Stand Watie, American Confederate general (d. 1871)
• 1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer (d. 1880)
• 1845 - Bruce Price, American architect (d. 1903)
• 1849 - William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1920)
• 1863 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
• 1864 - Paul Elmer More, American essayist (d. 1937)
• 1866 - Alfred Werner, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1919)
• 1870 - Walter Benona Sharp, American oil baron (d. 1912)
• 1875 - Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
• 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein, Olympic gold medalist (d. 1928)
• 1887 - Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (d. 1974)
• 1892 - Herman Potocnik, Austro-Hungarian-born rocket engineer (d. 1929)
• 1893 - Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
• 1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
• 1902 - Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter (d. 2003)
• 1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer (d. 1976)
• 1903 - Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese film director (d. 1963)
• 1904 - Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor and socialite (d. 1981)
• 1905 - Manes Sperber, Austro-Hungarian-born writer (d. 1984)
• 1907 - Roy Douglas, British composer and orchestrator
• 1909 - Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1914 - Patrick O'Brian (Richard Patrick Russ), British author (d. 2000)
• 1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
• 1918 - Joe Williams (jazz singer), American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Olivia Barclay, British astrologer (d. 2001)
• 1919 - Dan DeCarlo, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
• 1920 - Fred Kida, American comics artist
• 1923 - Bob Barker, American television game show host
• 1923 - Ken Kavanagh, Australian racing driver
• 1924 - Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City
• 1925 - Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer
• 1925 - Ahmad Shamlou, Iranian poet (d. 2000)
• 1927 - Honor Blackman, British actress
• 1927 - Robert Noyce, American inventor (d. 1990)
• 1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-born Kyrgyz writer
• 1929 - John Osborne, British dramatist (d. 1994)
• 1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese musician
• 1930 - Bill Beutel, American Journalist (d. 2006)
• 1931 - Lionel Blair, British actor and choreographer
• 1932 - Bob Pettit, American basketball player
• 1934 - Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, President of Mexico
• 1938 - Connie Francis, American singer
• 1940 - Sharad Pawar, Indian politician
• 1940 - Dionne Warwick, American singer
• 1943 - Dickey Betts, American musician (The Allman Brothers)
• 1943 - Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (d. 1999)
• 1944 - Kenneth Cranham, Scottish born actor
• 1944 - Jean Doré, Quebec politician, list of Montreal mayors
• 1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian 2 time Formula 1 World Champion
• 1946 - Paula Wagner, American film executive
• 1948 - Tom Wilkinson (actor), English actor
• 1949 - Rajnikanth, Indian(Tamil) actor also known as the Super Star of Indian Cinema
• 1949 - Bill Nighy, English actor
• 1950 - Billy Smith, National Hockey League goaltender
• 1952 - Herb Dhaliwal, Canadian politician
• 1952 - Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
• 1953 - Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (Kiss (band))
• 1954 - Liz Claman, American television anchor
• 1955 - Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek business woman
• 1956 - Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
• 1957 - Sheila E., American musician
• 1957 - Robert Lepage, Quebec playwright
• 1962 - Tracy Austin, American tennis player
• 1962 - Mike Golic, former NFL football player
• 1964 - Sabu (wrestler), American professional wrestler
• 1966 - Royce Gracie, Brazilian martial artist
• 1967 - John Randle, American football player
• 1967 - Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Japanese composer
• 1967 - Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer
• 1968 - Rory Kennedy, American documentarian
• 1968 - Laurie Williams, Indian cricket player
• 1970 - Mädchen Amick, American actress
• 1970 - Jennifer Connelly, American actress
• 1970 - Regina Hall, American actress
• 1972 - Nicky Eaden, English footballer
• 1972 - Wilson Kipketer, Danish former middle distance runner
• 1972 - Kevin Parent, Quebec singer and songwriter
• 1972 - Brandon Teena, American hate crime victim
• 1972 - Yeoryios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
• 1972 - Hank Williams III, grandson of Hank Williams
• 1973 - William Hutton, American engineer
• 1973 - Walter Otta, Argentine footballer
• 1974 - Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
• 1975 - Mayim Bialik, American actress
• 1975 - Craig Moore, Australian footballer
• 1976 - Dan Hawkins (musician), British guitarist (The Darkness)
• 1977 - Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
• 1977 - Bridget Hall, American supermodel
• 1977 - Colin White (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 - Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, American triplet Playboy models
• 1978 - Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
• 1978 - Evren Genis, Turkish composer
• 1979 - Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
• 1979 - Nate Clements, American football player
• 1979 - Sharin Foo, Danish singer and bassist
• 1981 - Jeret Peterson, American aerial skier
• 1981 - Ronnie Brown, American football player
• 1981 - Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricket player
• 1981 - Stephen Warnock, British footballer
• 1981 - Pedro Ríos Maestre, Spanish footballer
• 1982 - Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
• 1983 - Katrina Elam, American singer
• 1984 - Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
• 1986 - Perparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
• 1986 - Thomas Wansey, English television actor
• 1987 - Kate Todd, Canadian actress
• 1989 - Harry Eden, British actor
• 1991 - Daniel Magder, Canadian actor

Deaths

• 884 - Carloman, King of the West Franks
• 1212 - Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
• 1569 - Metropolitan Philip of Moscow (b. 1507)
• 1574 - Selim II, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1524)
• 1586 - Stefan Batory, King of Poland (b. 1533)
• 1685 - John Pell, English mathematician (b. 1610)
• 1751 - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English statesman and philosopher (b. 1678)
• 1754 - Wu Jingzi, Chinese writer (b. 1701)
• 1766 - Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer (b. 1700)
• 1789 - John Ponsonby, Irish politician (b. 1713)
• 1790 - Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher and writer (b. 1733)
• 1817 - Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia, (b. about 1751)
• 1843 - King William I of the Netherlands, (b. 1772)
• 1858 - Jacques Viger, antiquarian and archeologist, first list of Montreal mayors (b. 1787)
• 1889 - Robert Browning, British poet (b. 1812)
• 1889 - Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1804)
• 1894 - Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, fourth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
• 1913 - Emperor Menelek II of Ethiopia (b. 1844)
• 1923 - Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
• 1926 - Jean Richepin, French poet (b. 1849)
• 1929 - Charles Goodnight, American cattle baron (b. 1836)
• 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
• 1941 - Cesar Basa, Philippine Air Force and World War II hero (b. 1915)
• 1952 - Bedrich Hrozny, Austro-Hungarian-born Czechoslovak orientalist and linguist (b. 1879)
• 1963 - Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese film director (b. 1903)
• 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1970 - Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889)
• 1971 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born American General Manager of RCA (b. 1891)
• 1976 - Vinko Zganec, Croatian ethnomusicologist (b. 1890)
• 1977 - Clementine Hozier, wife of Winston Churchill (b. 1885)
• 1980 - Jean Lesage, politician, premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
• 1985 - Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
• 1985 - Ian Stewart (musician), Scottish musician (b. 1938)
• 1992 - Suzanne Lilar, Belgian esssayist, novelist and playwright (b. 1901)
• 1993 - József Antall, Hungarian politician (b. 1932)
• 1994 - Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (b. 1933)
• 1996 - Vance Packard, American author (b. 1914)
• 1997 - Yevgeniy Landis, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
• 1998 - Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
• 1999 - Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
• 2000 - George Montgomery, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2001 - Jean Richard, French actor (b. 1921)
• 2002 - Dee Brown (writer), American author (b. 1908)
• 2002 - Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted murderer (b. 1965)
• 2002 - Brad Dexter, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2003 - Heydar Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan
• 2003 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American Catholic prelate (b. 1926)
• 2005 - Gebran Tueni, Lebanese politician (b. 1957)
• 2005 - Annette Vadim, Danish actress (b. 1936)
• 2006 - Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
• 2006 - Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2006 - Raymond P. Shafer, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
• 2006 - Al Shugart, pioneering American computer engineer and co-founder of Seagate Technology (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Calendar of Saints - optional memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Masá'il (Questions) - First day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í Calendar
• Mexico - Our Lady of Guadalupe Day
• Kenya - Jamhuri Day: Independence Day (from Britain, 1963)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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Events

• 627 - Battle of Nineveh (627): A Byzantine Empire army under Emperor Heraclius defeated Emperor Khosrau II's Persians forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
• 1098 - First Crusade: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan - Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to cannibalism.
• 1531 - Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in Mexico City.
• 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant - A Royal Navy squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt in HMS Victory, defeats a France fleet.
• 1812 - French invasion of Russia comes to an end.
• 1862 - USS Cairo sank on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
• 1870 - Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black Congress of the United States.
• 1897 - Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is inaugurated.
• 1901 - Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic radio signal at Signal Hill, Newfoundland and Labrador in St John's, Newfoundland.
• 1911 - Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
• 1914 - The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average, down 24.39%.
• 1915 - President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China.
• 1917 - In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Girls and Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
• 1925 - The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Shah Pahlavi as the new Shah of Persia.
• 1936 - Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
• 1937 - Panay incident: Imperial Japan aircraft shell and sink US gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze River in China.
• 1939 - Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi - Finland forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
• 1940 - Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield as a result of a German air raid.
• 1941 - World War II: Fifty four Empire of Japan A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesus Villamor and four Philippine fighter pilots fend them off; Cesar Basa is killed.
• 1941 - World War II: USMC F4F Wildcat sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
• 1941 - Timeline of World War II: Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
• 1942 - A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland kills 100 people.
• 1946 - A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement killing 37 people.
• 1948 - Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre - 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
• 1950 - Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
• 1956 - Commencement of the Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)'s Border Campaign (IRA).
• 1963 - Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
• 1964 - Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first Heads of State of Kenya of the Kenya.
• 1969 - Strategy of tension: Piazza Fontana bombing - The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
• 1979 - Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff General Jeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
• 1979 - Pakistan President Zia-ul-Haq conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
• 1979 - Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe.
• 1982 - Women's peace protest at Greenham Common - 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain around the 14.5 km (9 mi) perimeter fence.
• 1984 - Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya become the third president of Mauritania after coup d'etat against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the later was attending a summit. Taya was ousted in March 2005 by Ely Ould Mohamed Vall in another coup.
• 1985 - Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador killing 256, including 248 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
• 1988 - Clapham Junction rail crash killed 35 and injured 100's after two collisions of three commuter trains. One of the worst train crashes in Britain.
• 1991 - Russia gains independance from the USSR.
• 2000 - The Supreme Court of the United States released its decision in Bush v. Gore
• 2006 - Peugeot produce their last car at the Ryton-on-Dunsmore signalling the end of mass car production in Coventry, formerly a major centre of the British motor industry.

Births

• 1298 - Albert II of Austria (d. 1358)
• 1418 - Albert VI of Austria (d. 1463)
• 1610 - Saint Vasilije (d. 1671)
• 1659 - Francesco Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/designer (d. 1739)
• 1712 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (d. 1780)
• 1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (d. 1816)
• 1745 - John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
• 1779 - Madeleine Sophie Barat, French saint (d. 1865)
• 1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth, American politician (d. 1865)
• 1786 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (d. 1857)
• 1799 - Karl Briullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
• 1805 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist (d. 1879)
• 1806 - Stand Watie, American Confederate general (d. 1871)
• 1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer (d. 1880)
• 1845 - Bruce Price, American architect (d. 1903)
• 1849 - William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1920)
• 1863 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
• 1864 - Paul Elmer More, American essayist (d. 1937)
• 1866 - Alfred Werner, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (d. 1919)
• 1870 - Walter Benona Sharp, American oil baron (d. 1912)
• 1875 - Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
• 1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein, Olympic gold medalist (d. 1928)
• 1887 - Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (d. 1974)
• 1892 - Herman Potocnik, Austro-Hungarian-born rocket engineer (d. 1929)
• 1893 - Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
• 1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
• 1902 - Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter (d. 2003)
• 1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer (d. 1976)
• 1903 - Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese film director (d. 1963)
• 1904 - Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor and socialite (d. 1981)
• 1905 - Manes Sperber, Austro-Hungarian-born writer (d. 1984)
• 1907 - Roy Douglas, British composer and orchestrator
• 1909 - Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1914 - Patrick O'Brian (Richard Patrick Russ), British author (d. 2000)
• 1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
• 1918 - Joe Williams (jazz singer), American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Olivia Barclay, British astrologer (d. 2001)
• 1919 - Dan DeCarlo, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
• 1920 - Fred Kida, American comics artist
• 1923 - Bob Barker, American television game show host
• 1923 - Ken Kavanagh, Australian racing driver
• 1924 - Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City
• 1925 - Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer
• 1925 - Ahmad Shamlou, Iranian poet (d. 2000)
• 1927 - Honor Blackman, British actress
• 1927 - Robert Noyce, American inventor (d. 1990)
• 1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-born Kyrgyz writer
• 1929 - John Osborne, British dramatist (d. 1994)
• 1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese musician
• 1930 - Bill Beutel, American Journalist (d. 2006)
• 1931 - Lionel Blair, British actor and choreographer
• 1932 - Bob Pettit, American basketball player
• 1934 - Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, President of Mexico
• 1938 - Connie Francis, American singer
• 1940 - Sharad Pawar, Indian politician
• 1940 - Dionne Warwick, American singer
• 1943 - Dickey Betts, American musician (The Allman Brothers)
• 1943 - Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (d. 1999)
• 1944 - Kenneth Cranham, Scottish born actor
• 1944 - Jean Doré, Quebec politician, list of Montreal mayors
• 1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian 2 time Formula 1 World Champion
• 1946 - Paula Wagner, American film executive
• 1948 - Tom Wilkinson (actor), English actor
• 1949 - Rajnikanth, Indian(Tamil) actor also known as the Super Star of Indian Cinema
• 1949 - Bill Nighy, English actor
• 1950 - Billy Smith, National Hockey League goaltender
• 1952 - Herb Dhaliwal, Canadian politician
• 1952 - Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
• 1953 - Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (Kiss (band))
• 1954 - Liz Claman, American television anchor
• 1955 - Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek business woman
• 1956 - Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
• 1957 - Sheila E., American musician
• 1957 - Robert Lepage, Quebec playwright
• 1962 - Tracy Austin, American tennis player
• 1962 - Mike Golic, former NFL football player
• 1964 - Sabu (wrestler), American professional wrestler
• 1966 - Royce Gracie, Brazilian martial artist
• 1967 - John Randle, American football player
• 1967 - Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Japanese composer
• 1967 - Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer
• 1968 - Rory Kennedy, American documentarian
• 1968 - Laurie Williams, Indian cricket player
• 1970 - Mädchen Amick, American actress
• 1970 - Jennifer Connelly, American actress
• 1970 - Regina Hall, American actress
• 1972 - Nicky Eaden, English footballer
• 1972 - Wilson Kipketer, Danish former middle distance runner
• 1972 - Kevin Parent, Quebec singer and songwriter
• 1972 - Brandon Teena, American hate crime victim
• 1972 - Yeoryios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
• 1972 - Hank Williams III, grandson of Hank Williams
• 1973 - William Hutton, American engineer
• 1973 - Walter Otta, Argentine footballer
• 1974 - Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
• 1975 - Mayim Bialik, American actress
• 1975 - Craig Moore, Australian footballer
• 1976 - Dan Hawkins (musician), British guitarist (The Darkness)
• 1977 - Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
• 1977 - Bridget Hall, American supermodel
• 1977 - Colin White (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 - Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, American triplet Playboy models
• 1978 - Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
• 1978 - Evren Genis, Turkish composer
• 1979 - Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
• 1979 - Nate Clements, American football player
• 1979 - Sharin Foo, Danish singer and bassist
• 1981 - Jeret Peterson, American aerial skier
• 1981 - Ronnie Brown, American football player
• 1981 - Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricket player
• 1981 - Stephen Warnock, British footballer
• 1981 - Pedro Ríos Maestre, Spanish footballer
• 1982 - Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
• 1983 - Katrina Elam, American singer
• 1984 - Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
• 1986 - Perparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
• 1986 - Thomas Wansey, English television actor
• 1987 - Kate Todd, Canadian actress
• 1989 - Harry Eden, British actor
• 1991 - Daniel Magder, Canadian actor

Deaths

• 884 - Carloman, King of the West Franks
• 1212 - Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
• 1569 - Metropolitan Philip of Moscow (b. 1507)
• 1574 - Selim II, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1524)
• 1586 - Stefan Batory, King of Poland (b. 1533)
• 1685 - John Pell, English mathematician (b. 1610)
• 1751 - Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English statesman and philosopher (b. 1678)
• 1754 - Wu Jingzi, Chinese writer (b. 1701)
• 1766 - Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer (b. 1700)
• 1789 - John Ponsonby, Irish politician (b. 1713)
• 1790 - Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher and writer (b. 1733)
• 1817 - Emperor Tekle Giyorgis I of Ethiopia, (b. about 1751)
• 1843 - King William I of the Netherlands, (b. 1772)
• 1858 - Jacques Viger, antiquarian and archeologist, first list of Montreal mayors (b. 1787)
• 1889 - Robert Browning, British poet (b. 1812)
• 1889 - Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1804)
• 1894 - Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, fourth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
• 1913 - Emperor Menelek II of Ethiopia (b. 1844)
• 1923 - Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
• 1926 - Jean Richepin, French poet (b. 1849)
• 1929 - Charles Goodnight, American cattle baron (b. 1836)
• 1939 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
• 1941 - Cesar Basa, Philippine Air Force and World War II hero (b. 1915)
• 1952 - Bedrich Hrozny, Austro-Hungarian-born Czechoslovak orientalist and linguist (b. 1879)
• 1963 - Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese film director (b. 1903)
• 1968 - Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1970 - Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889)
• 1971 - David Sarnoff, Russian-born American General Manager of RCA (b. 1891)
• 1976 - Vinko Zganec, Croatian ethnomusicologist (b. 1890)
• 1977 - Clementine Hozier, wife of Winston Churchill (b. 1885)
• 1980 - Jean Lesage, politician, premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
• 1985 - Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
• 1985 - Ian Stewart (musician), Scottish musician (b. 1938)
• 1992 - Suzanne Lilar, Belgian esssayist, novelist and playwright (b. 1901)
• 1993 - József Antall, Hungarian politician (b. 1932)
• 1994 - Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (b. 1933)
• 1996 - Vance Packard, American author (b. 1914)
• 1997 - Yevgeniy Landis, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
• 1998 - Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida and Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
• 1999 - Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
• 2000 - George Montgomery, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2001 - Jean Richard, French actor (b. 1921)
• 2002 - Dee Brown (writer), American author (b. 1908)
• 2002 - Jay Wesley Neill, American convicted murderer (b. 1965)
• 2002 - Brad Dexter, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2003 - Heydar Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan
• 2003 - Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American Catholic prelate (b. 1926)
• 2005 - Gebran Tueni, Lebanese politician (b. 1957)
• 2005 - Annette Vadim, Danish actress (b. 1936)
• 2006 - Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
• 2006 - Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2006 - Raymond P. Shafer, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
• 2006 - Al Shugart, pioneering American computer engineer and co-founder of Seagate Technology (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Calendar of Saints - optional memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Masá'il (Questions) - First day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í Calendar
• Mexico - Our Lady of Guadalupe Day
• Kenya - Jamhuri Day: Independence Day (from Britain, 1963)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

December 12 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 12 is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 19 days remaining until the end of the year.

BBC NEWS | Business | Why Christmas falls on 12 December
There may be gloom in shopping centres around the world, but in the online world Christmas shopping is booming.

Teachernet, Document bank
Announcement of re-opening of the School profile site 12 December 2006 : Note: You can download a copy of this document by right clicking your mouse.

12 December 2006
Do men have less psychological gender than women? When women and men, or boys and girls, are found to differ psychologically, which group seems responsible for the difference?

Learning English | BBC World Service
Words in the News Wednesday 12 December 2001 Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.

2007:12 December 2007
APA COMMENT ON POLICE PAY AWARD Bob Jones, Chairman of the Association of Police Authorities said: “ The APA welcomed the recommendation from the Police Arbitration Tribunal and ...

Intel confirms 12 December price cuts • The Register
As reported here earlier, Intel has now confirmed to its distributor and dealer channel that it will cut prices on the 12th of December next. That will also be the date that its ...

BBC NEWS | Talk about Newsnight | Wednesday, 12 December, 2007
Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives.

12 December 2006
The University of Surrey catches high speed tube to success. Leading UK technology venture company IP Group has teamed up with scientists from the University of Surrey’s Advanced ...

BBC ON THIS DAY | 12
1988: 35 dead in Clapham rail collision. Up to 35 people die and 100 others are injured after three trains are involved in a collision during morning rush hour in south London.