Events on Dec 11

• 0384St. Damasus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
• 1419Heretic Nicolaas Serrurier exiled from Florence
• 1572Spanish troops begin siege of Haarlem
• 1618Russia and Poland signs Peace treaty of Dailino
• 1620103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock (12 / 21 NS)
• 1665"Messiah" Sjabtai Tswi festival in Smyrna
• 1688King James II arrested
• 1710Battle of Villa Viciosa (France beat Habsburgers)
• 1718Battle at Frederikshall Norway
• 17191st recorded display of Aurora Borealis in US (New England)
• 18121st newspaper on Curacao (Curacao Gazette & Commercial Advertiser)
• 1816Citizens of Geneva thwarted Savoyard invaders
• 1816Indiana becomes 19th state
• 18441st dental use of nitrous oxide, Hartford, Connecticut
• 18661st yacht race across Atlantic Ocean
• 18721st black US gov took office, Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (La)
• 1882Victorien Sardous "Fedora, " with Sarah Bernhardt, premieres in Paris
• 1888French Panama Canal company fails
• 189311 fishing ships wash up at Wadden Sea, 22 killed
• 1901Marconi sends 1st transatlantic radio signal, Cornwall to Nfld
• 1903British forces under MacDonald and Young march into Tibet
• 1905British government of Campbell-Bannerman forms
• 1906US President Roosevelt attacks abuses in the Congo
• 1909Canadian Football exhibition game played in Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, Hamilton Tigers beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 11-6 before 15,000
• 1909Colored moving pictures demonstrated at Madison Square Garden, New York City
• 1914Stockton Street Tunnel (San Francisco) completed
• 1916David Lloyd George forms British war government
• 191713 black soldiers hanged for alleged participation in Houston riot
• 1917German-occupied Lithuania proclaims independence from Russia
• 1919Boll weevil monument dedicated in Enterprise, Ala

Born on Dec 11

• 1566Manuel Cardoso: Composer
• 1676Johann Georg Weichenberger: Composer
• 1712Francesco Algarotti: Italian Earl / encyclopedic (Viaggio in Russia)
• 1757Charles Wesley: Composer
• 1758Carl Friedrich Zelter: Composer
• 1781David Brewster: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Physicist / inventor (kaleidoscope)
• 1783Max von Schenkendorf: German poet
• 1793Pietro Coppola: Composer
• 1797Hiram Paulding: Rear Admiral (Union Navy), died in 1878
• 1801Grabbe: Writer
• 1810Alfred de Musset: Paris, France -- Writer (Un Caprice, Bettine)
• 1823Yury Nikolayevich Golitsin: Composer
• 1835Adolf Stoecker: German anti semite / Prime Minister
• 1836Jan Boissevain: Dutch politician / ship owner
• 1838Emil Rathenau: German industrialist (AEG)
• 1838Whitney Eugene Thayer: Composer
• 1840Kemal Bey: Turkey -- Poet / author (Fatherland-1872)
• 1843Robert Koch: German bacteriologist (TB, cholera, Nobel 1905)
• 1849Ellen Key: Swedish theory / author / feminist (Courageous Woman)
• 1855Julian Edwards: Composer
• 1856Georgi V Plechanov: Russian revolutionary theorist
• 1856Plechanow: Writer
• 1863Annie Jump Cannon: United States -- Stellar spectroscopist (Harvard-classification)
• 1868Ernst Henrik Ellberg: Composer
• 1874Paul Wegener: German actor / director (Student of Prag)
• 1876Mieczyslaw Karlowicz: Composer
• 1882Fiorello La Guardia: (Mayor-R-New York City, 1933-45)
• 1882Max Born: Germany -- Physicist (quantum mechanics, Nobel 1954)
• 1889Paul Kornfeld: Writer
• 1898Nils J E Ferlin: Swedish poet (Barfotabarn)

Died on Dec 11

• 0711Justitianus II: Emperor of Byzantium, dies at about 42
• 1282Llywelyn ab Gruffydd: Monarch of North Wales (1246-77)
• 1282Michael VIII: Paleologus, Byzantine Emperor (1259-82)
• 1573Alardus / Eilard de Waterlant: Duke of Alva, hanged
• 1582Fernando Alvarez de Toledo: Marquis of Soria, dies at about 75
• 1595Philip III van Croij: Prince of Chimay / General, dies at 69
• 1610Adam Elsheimer: German Painter / cartoonist / etcher, buried at 32
• 1610Forges Dimitri 2: Czar of Russia, murdered
• 1748Ewald G von Kleist: German lawyer / inventor of condensator, dies at 55
• 1756Theodor A Freiherr von Neuhoff: German adventurer / King
• 1817Max von Schenkendorf: German poet, dies at 34
• 1831John George Schetky: Composer, dies at 55
• 1847Moritz Grave von Strachwitz: German poet, dies at 25
• 1857Francois Henri Joseph Castil-Blaze: Composer, dies at 73
• 1891Johan C J van Schagen: Dutch Poet / writer (Narrenwijsheid)
• 1899Andrew "Andy" Wauchope: British General Major, dies in battle
• 1899Lord Winchester: British Marquis / major, dies in battle
• 1902Matthias Hohner: German manufacturer (harmonica), dies at 68
• 1911Thomas Ball: US Sculptor / Painter / singer, dies at 92
• 1918Ivan Cankar: Slavic Author (Hlapec Jernej), dies at 42
• 1930Friedrich von Bernhardi: German war theorist / historian, dies at 81
• 1933Emile C Wauters: Belgian Painter (Van der Goes Klooster), dies at 87
• 1955Franz Adolf Syberg: Composer, dies at 51
• 1955Johan C Altorf: Sculptor (October 3 Monument), dies at 79
• 1964Percy Kilbride: Actor (Ma & Pa Kettle), dies at 76
• 1964Sam Cooke: Rock vocalist, shot to death at 29
• 1967Howard Freeman: Actor (Double Dynamite), dies after illness in New York City
• 1967Richard Stohr: Composer, dies at 93
• 1967Victor De Sabata: Composer, dies at 75
• 1968Nadine Riga: Dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 59

Historical events on December 12

• 0627Battle at Nineveh: Byzantine Emperor Heraclius beats Perzen
• 10981st Crusaders capture and plunder Mara Syria
• 1479Jews are expelled from Schlettstadt Alsace by Emperor Frederick III
• 1524Pope Clement VII approves Organization of Jewish Community of Rome
• 1527Composer Adrian Willaert moves from Milan to Venice
• 1653Barebone-parliament ends
• 1677Brandenburgs army occupies Stettin
• 1700Utrecht / Overijssel / Buren / Leerdam / Ijsselstein adopt Gregorian calendar
• 1787Pennsylvania becomes 2nd state to ratify US constitution
• 1791Bank of US opens
• 1792In Vienna, Ludwig Von Beethoven (22) receives 1st lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn
• 1800Washington DC established as capital of US
• 1822Mexico officially recognized as an independent nation by US
• 1862Battle of Dumfries, Virginia
• 1862Naval Engagement at Yazoo River, MS (USS CAIRO torpedoed)
• 1870Joseph Rainey (SC) became 1st black sworn into House of Reps
• 1871Jules Janssen discovers dark lines in solar corona spectrum
• 1878Joseph Pulitzer begins publishing "St. Louis Dispatch"
• 18841st Test match played at the Adelaide Oval
• 1897Anti-Jewish violence breaks out in Bucharest Romania
• 18981st 1st-class game between NSW and Tasmania
• 18991st case of plague on Oahu, Hawaii
• 1899George F Bryant of Boston patents the wooden golf tee
• 1900National Negro Anthem, "Lift Every Voice & Sing, " composed
• 1901Marconi receives 1st transatlantic radio signal, England to US
• 1903Roger Casement completes report about abuses in Belgian Congo
• 1904CMS McClellans "Leah Kleschna, " premieres in New York City
• 1906Oscar Straus, 1st Jewish government member, appointed Secretary of Commerce
• 1912R Friml / O Harbachs musical "Firefly, " premieres in New York City
• 1913"Mona Lisa, " stolen from Louvre Museum in 1911, recovered

Born on December 12

• 1574Anne van Denemarken: Daughter of Danish King Frederik II
• 1579Heinrich Steuccius: Composer
• 1630Olof Rudbeck: Composer
• 1660Peter Rabus: Poet / translator (Liberated Britanje)
• 1673Ahmed III: 23rd Sultan of Turkey (1703-30)
• 1685Lodovico Giustini: Composer
• 1712Charles Alexander: Duke of Lotharingen
• 1715Gennaro Manna: Composer
• 1745John Jay: Diplomat / Governor (NY)
• 1792Alexandros Ypsilanti: Greek resistance fighter
• 1805Henry Wells: Founder (American Express Co and Wells Fargo & Co)
• 1806Stand Watie: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1871
• 1818Paul Octave Hebert: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1880
• 1821Gustave Flaubert: France -- Novelist (Madame Bovary)
• 1830Joseph Orville Shelby: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1897
• 1832Abraham C Wertheim: Dutch banker / MP (liberal)
• 1833Matthias Hohner: German manufacturer (harmonica)
• 1835Georges Jean Pfeiffer: Composer
• 1838Sherburne W Burnham: United States -- Astronomer (binary stars)
• 1848William Vanderbilt: Yachtsman (donated Vanderbilt Cup)
• 1859Edward Bradley: Horse owner (1st to own 4 Kentucky Derby winners)
• 1859Maurice Donnay: French playwright (Lovers)
• 1863Edvard Munch: Norway -- Painter / print maker (The Scream)
• 1866Alfred Werner: Switzerland -- Chemist (Nobel 1913)
• 1874Volter A Kilpi: Finnish writer (Alastalon salissa)
• 1875Desiderius A Stracke: Flemish Jesuit / literature historian
• 1875Karl R G von Rundstedt: German gen-Field Marshal (Normandy)
• 1879Friedrich Christiansen: Nazi Commander Wehrmacht Netherland
• 1879Laura Hope Crews: United States -- Actress (Camille, Gone with the Wind)
• 1879Percy Fletcher: Composer

Died on December 12

• 0884Carloman: Co-king of France (879, 882-884)
• 1112Tancred: Monarch of Galilea / Edessa / Antioch
• 1263Hakon IV: Gamli, King of Norway (1217-63)
• 1677Jacob Binckes / Benckes: Dutch Admiral (Chatham), dies in battle
• 1772Johann Gottfried Seyfert: Composer, dies at 41
• 1777Albrecht von Haller: Swiss Physician / biologist / author, dies at 69
• 1777Benjamin Russen: Rev, executed at Tyburn England for rape
• 1788Joseph Gibbs: Composer, dies at 88
• 1812John Malchair: Composer, dies at 82
• 1836Giuseppe Farinelli: Composer, dies at 67
• 1843Willem I Frederik: King of the Netherlands (1814-40), dies at 71
• 1872Willem A Schimmelpenninck van der Oye: Dutch politician, dies at 72
• 1877Jose M de Alencar: Brazilian writer / Minister of Justice, dies at 48
• 1880Michel Chasles: French Mathematician (geometry), dies at 83
• 1889Robert Browning: English Poet (Ring & Book), dies at 77
• 1912Luitpold von Bayern: Prince-regent of Bayern, dies at 91
• 1914Watkins Lewis: Black man lynched in Shrevport, Louisiana
• 1920Olive Schreiner: South African writer (Healing Imagination), dies at 75
• 1920Paul Lacome: Composer, dies at 82
• 1921Henrietta Leavitt: Cepheid period-luminosity relation discover
• 1923Raymond Radiguet: French journalist / writer (Ball du Comte), dies at 20
• 1926Jean Richepin: French Poet / writer (Contes sans morale), dies at 77
• 1927Heinrich Reitsch: Composer, dies at 67
• 1932Egon Richter: Writer
• 1933Theodore Moses Tobani: Composer, dies at 78
• 1937Alfred Abel: Actor (Dr Mabuse, Metropolis), dies at 57
• 1939Douglas Fairbanks: Actor (Zorro, 3 Musketeers, Robin Hood), dies at 56
• 1956Lorenzo Perosi: Composer, dies at 83
• 1957Robert Frank Kurka: Composer, dies at 35
• 1959Russell Simpson: Actor (Abraham Lincoln), dies at 79

Events on Dec 13

• 1294Pope Coelestinus V ends term
• 1545Council of Trent (19th ecumenical council) opens
• 1570Sweden / Denmark signs Peace of Stettin
• 1572Spanish army beats Geuzen fleet under Admiral Lumey
• 1577Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England to go around world
• 1621Emperor Ferdinand II delegates 1st anti-Reformation decree
• 1642New Zealand discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman
• 1668Jean Racines "Britannicus, " premieres in Paris
• 1734England and Russia sign trade agreement
• 1742Willem KH Friso tests his mothers potatoes
• 17591st music store in America opens (Philadelphia)
• 1769Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter
• 17741st incident of Revolution-400 attack Ft William and Mary, New Hampshire
• 1816Patent for a dry dock issued to John Adamson, Boston
• 1823Gioacchino Rossini arrives in London
• 1843"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold
• 1861Battle of Alleghany Summit, West Virginia
• 1864Battle of Ft McAllister, Georgia
• 18791st federal fish hatching steamer lauched (Wilmington Delaware)
• 1889Belgium rules on women / child labor law
• 18951st complete execution of Gustav Mahlers 2nd Symphony
• 1900Battle at Nooitgedacht: generals The la Rey / Smuts beat Britten
• 1901Test debut of S F Barnes vs. Aust SCG, took 5-65 in 1st innings
• 1903Italo Marcioni patents ice cream cone (NJ)
• 1903Wright Bros make 1st flight at Kittyhawk
• 1907George Gunn scores 119 on Test debut vs. Australia SCG
• 1907German Emperor Wilhelm II visits Amsterdam
• 1913Mona Lisa stolen in August 1911 returned to Louvre
• 1916Avalanche kills 10,000 Austrian and Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol
• 1916Esme Stuart Lennox Robinsons premieres in Dublin

Born on Dec 13

• 1521Sixtus V [Felice Peretti / "Montalto"]: Bishop of Fermo / Pope (1585-90)
• 1533Erik XIV Wasa: King of Sweden (1560-69)
• 1553Henry IV: 1st Bourbon-king of Navarre / France (1572 / 89-1610)
• 1724Aepinus [Franz UT Hoch]: German Physician / physicist
• 1732Jean-Claude Trial: Composer
• 1740Franz Xaver Schnitzer: Composer
• 1770John Clarke-Whitfeld: Composer
• 1797Heinrich Heine: Germany -- Poet / lyricist (Schubert, Liszt)
• 1810Clark Mills: United States -- Sculptor (Freedom, Armed Liberty)
• 1816Clement Claiborne Clay: MC (Confederacy), died in 1882
• 1816E Werner von Siemens: German artillery officer / inventor
• 1818Mary Todd Lincoln: 1st lady (1861-65)
• 1819Edwin George Monk: Composer
• 1835Phillips Brooks: Episcopal Bishop / composer (Little Town of Bethlehem)
• 1838Marie-Alexis Castillon de Saint-Victor: Composer
• 1843George Stephanescu: Composer
• 1850Iver Paul Fredrik Holter: Composer
• 1853Joseph Sickman Corsen: Musician / composer / screenwriter
• 1858Jakab Gyula Major: Composer
• 1863Johannes Weiss: German New Testament Scholar
• 1865Gustav Luders: Composer
• 1871Herman T Colenbrander: Dutch historian
• 1871Russell W Porter: Vermont, United States -- Explorer (Alaska)
• 1874Ludwig Curtius: German archaeologist (Die antike Kunst)
• 1877Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych: Composer
• 1886Lambertus J van Apeldoorn: Lawyer (martial law)
• 1889Clarence Loomis: Composer
• 1890Marc Connelly: McKeesport, Pennsylvania -- Playwright (One Minute Please)
• 1892Brand Dirck Ochse: Filmer / co-founder (Polygoon)
• 1893Curt Jurgens: Munich, Germany -- Actor (Enemy Below, Longest Day)

Died on Dec 13

• 0838Pippijn I: King of Aquitania
• 1048Al-Biruni: Arabic royal astrologer, dies at 74
• 1124Callistus II [Guido di Borgogna]: Italian Pope (1119-24)
• 1126Hendrik IX [the Black]: Duke of Bayern (1120-26)
• 1250Frederick II: German Emperor (1212-1250), dies at 55
• 1404Albrecht: Duke of Bavaria, dies at 74
• 1521Manoel I "the Great": King of Portugal (1495-1521), dies at 52
• 1565Konrad von Gesner: Naturalist, dies at 49
• 1603Franciscus Vieta: Mathematician, dies in Paris at 63
• 1622Jan Campanus: Composer, dies at 50
• 1672Jan II Kazimierz: King of Poland (1648-68), dies at 63
• 1693Dodoftei: Romanian metropolitan of Moldavia / writer (Saint Lives)
• 1729Anthony Collins: Engl philosopher (On Liberty & Necessity), dies at 53
• 1738Gotthard Wagner: Composer, dies at 59
• 1769C F Gellert: Writer, dies at 54
• 1774Susanne K von Klettenberg: German friend of Goethes mother, dies at 50
• 1793Johann Joachim Christoph Bode: Composer, dies at 63
• 1812Marianne von Martinez: Composer, dies at 68
• 1814Charles Joseph Prince of Ligne: Belg Field Marshal / author, dies at 79
• 1862Conrad Feger Jackson: US Union Brigadier General, dies in battle at 49
• 1862Maxcy Gregg: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 48
• 1862Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb: Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 39
• 1863Friedrich Hebbel: Writer, dies at 50
• 1881August Senoa: Croatian writer (Kletva [The Curse]), dies at 43
• 1894Sarah Parker Remond: US / Italian abolitionist, dies at 68
• 1898George Frederick Bristow: Composer, dies at 72
• 1919Amintore Galli: Composer, dies at 74
• 1924Samuel Gompers: Organizer (American Federation of Labor), dies at 74
• 1929Knut Algot Hakanson: Composer, dies at 42
• 1942Eleanor Everest Freer: Composer, dies at 78