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December 12

December 12 is the twelfth day of the month of December and the 346th day of the year (347th in ) in the , leaving 19 days until the year's end in common years and 20 in . The date holds international recognition through the ' observance of the International Day of Neutrality, established by resolution A/RES/71/275 on December 12, 2017, to promote neutrality's role in preventing conflicts, fostering dialogue, and supporting efforts amid global tensions. Historically, December 12 marks pivotal moments such as Pennsylvania's of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, the second state to do so after and enabling the document's path to implementation by advancing the required nine-state threshold. Other defining events include Kenya's from British rule in 1963, transitioning the nation to self-governance under as prime minister. The date also features notable births, including American singer and actor in 1915, whose career spanned standards, film roles, and cultural influence through mid-20th-century entertainment.

Events

Pre-1600

In 592, of , the 32nd emperor who reigned from 587 to 592, died at approximately age 72, marking the end of his tumultuous rule characterized by conflicts with the ; his assassination and subsequent deposition paved the way for Empress Suiko's ascension, the first reigning empress in Japanese history, which stabilized imperial succession amid clan rivalries. In 884, , co-king of from 879 and sole king from 882, died on December 12 near from wounds sustained in a hunting accident, when his servant Bertoldus accidentally stabbed him during a wild boar pursuit; his death without heirs facilitated the brief reunification of the under his cousin , delaying further fragmentation until Charles's deposition in 888. In 1112, , regent of , and a key leader in the who captured territories including Tarsus and , died at age 37, likely from illness; as a prominent Norman crusader without surviving legitimate sons, his passing shifted control of to his nephew Roger and eventually to , contributing to the consolidation of Latin Christian states in the amid ongoing threats from Muslim forces. In 1296, , Countess of Carrick and first wife of (later King Robert I of Scotland), died on December 12 shortly after giving birth to their daughter Marjorie at the Manor of ; her death at around age 19 left Bruce widowed during the , prompting his remarriage to and ensuring Marjorie's lineage through her descendants founded the Stuart dynasty, influencing long-term Scottish royal succession. In 1349, Joan of Burgundy, of as the first wife of King Philip VI and regent during his absences in the early , died at age 56 from the ; her demise amid the plague's devastation weakened Capetian administrative continuity, as Philip relied on her counsel for diplomacy with and internal governance, exacerbating 's vulnerabilities during the conflict's opening phases. In 1586, , King of and Grand Duke of from 1576, died at age 53 in , possibly from illness or poisoning; a skilled military leader who expanded Polish influence against and the Ottomans, his lack of direct heirs triggered a resolved by electing , which intertwined Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish crowns, altering Eastern European power balances in the subsequent decades.

1601–1900

Swiss anatomist, physiologist, poet, and botanist died on December 12, 1777, in at age 69; his empirical experiments on muscle irritability and circulation laid foundational work in modern , though some contemporaries criticized his vitalist interpretations as diverging from mechanistic views. English statesman, diplomat, and philosopher Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, died on December 12, 1751, in at age 73; a key figure in the Treaty of Utrecht negotiations, his opposition to the Hanoverian succession and advocacy for influenced later political thought, despite his exile for sympathies. William I, King of the and of from 1815 to 1840, died on December 12, 1843, in at age 71; his abdication followed the Belgian Revolution's loss of southern territories, amid criticisms of his centralizing policies and favoritism toward Dutch interests over Belgian ones in the . French-born British civil engineer Sir died on December 12, 1849, in at age 80; inventor of the tunneling shield used in the , his innovations facilitated imperial infrastructure projects, though financial overruns and technical delays highlighted risks in early . English poet died on December 12, 1889, in at age 77; renowned for dramatic monologues like "" that explored psychological depth and moral ambiguity, advancing Victorian poetic realism over romantic idealism, his works faced initial obscurity due to dense style but gained acclaim for intellectual rigor.

1901–present

Births

Pre-1600

In 592, of , the 32nd emperor who reigned from 587 to 592, died at approximately age 72, marking the end of his tumultuous rule characterized by conflicts with the ; his assassination and subsequent deposition paved the way for Empress Suiko's ascension, the first reigning empress in Japanese history, which stabilized imperial succession amid clan rivalries. In 884, , co-king of from 879 and sole king from 882, died on December 12 near from wounds sustained in a hunting accident, when his servant Bertoldus accidentally stabbed him during a wild boar pursuit; his death without heirs facilitated the brief reunification of the under his cousin , delaying further fragmentation until Charles's deposition in 888. In 1112, , regent of , and a key leader in the who captured territories including Tarsus and , died at age 37, likely from illness; as a prominent Norman crusader without surviving legitimate sons, his passing shifted control of to his nephew Roger and eventually to , contributing to the consolidation of Latin Christian states in the amid ongoing threats from Muslim forces. In 1296, , Countess of Carrick and first wife of (later King Robert I of Scotland), died on December 12 shortly after giving birth to their daughter Marjorie at the Manor of ; her death at around age 19 left Bruce widowed during the , prompting his remarriage to and ensuring Marjorie's lineage through her descendants founded the Stuart dynasty, influencing long-term Scottish royal succession. In 1349, Joan of Burgundy, of as the first wife of King Philip VI and regent during his absences in the early , died at age 56 from the ; her demise amid the plague's devastation weakened Capetian administrative continuity, as Philip relied on her counsel for diplomacy with and internal governance, exacerbating 's vulnerabilities during the conflict's opening phases. In 1586, , King of and Grand Duke of from 1576, died at age 53 in , possibly from illness or poisoning; a skilled military leader who expanded Polish influence against and the Ottomans, his lack of direct heirs triggered a resolved by electing , which intertwined Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish crowns, altering Eastern European power balances in the subsequent decades.

1601–1900

Swiss anatomist, physiologist, poet, and botanist died on December 12, 1777, in at age 69; his empirical experiments on muscle irritability and circulation laid foundational work in modern , though some contemporaries criticized his vitalist interpretations as diverging from mechanistic views. English statesman, diplomat, and philosopher Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, died on December 12, 1751, in at age 73; a key figure in the Treaty of negotiations, his opposition to the Hanoverian succession and advocacy for influenced later political thought, despite his exile for sympathies. William I, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of from 1815 to 1840, died on December 12, 1843, in at age 71; his abdication followed the Belgian Revolution's loss of southern territories, amid criticisms of his centralizing policies and favoritism toward Dutch interests over Belgian ones in the . French-born British civil engineer Sir died on December 12, 1849, in at age 80; inventor of the tunneling shield used in the , his innovations facilitated imperial infrastructure projects, though financial overruns and technical delays highlighted risks in early . English poet died on December 12, 1889, in at age 77; renowned for dramatic monologues like "" that explored psychological depth and moral ambiguity, advancing Victorian poetic realism over romantic idealism, his works faced initial obscurity due to dense style but gained acclaim for intellectual rigor.

1901–present

Deaths

Pre-1600

In 592, of , the 32nd emperor who reigned from 587 to 592, died at approximately age 72, marking the end of his tumultuous rule characterized by conflicts with the ; his assassination and subsequent deposition paved the way for Empress Suiko's ascension, the first reigning empress in Japanese history, which stabilized imperial succession amid clan rivalries. In 884, , co-king of from 879 and sole king from 882, died on December 12 near from wounds sustained in a hunting accident, when his servant Bertoldus accidentally stabbed him during a wild boar pursuit; his death without heirs facilitated the brief reunification of the under his cousin , delaying further fragmentation until Charles's deposition in 888. In 1112, , regent of , and a key leader in the who captured territories including Tarsus and , died at age 37, likely from illness; as a prominent Norman crusader without surviving legitimate sons, his passing shifted control of to his nephew Roger and eventually to , contributing to the consolidation of Latin Christian states in the amid ongoing threats from Muslim forces. In 1296, , Countess of Carrick and first wife of (later King Robert I of Scotland), died on December 12 shortly after giving birth to their daughter Marjorie at the Manor of ; her death at around age 19 left Bruce widowed during the , prompting his remarriage to and ensuring Marjorie's lineage through her descendants founded the Stuart dynasty, influencing long-term Scottish royal succession. In 1349, Joan of Burgundy, of as the first wife of King Philip VI and regent during his absences in the early , died at age 56 from the ; her demise amid the plague's devastation weakened Capetian administrative continuity, as Philip relied on her counsel for diplomacy with and internal governance, exacerbating 's vulnerabilities during the conflict's opening phases. In 1586, , King of and Grand Duke of from 1576, died at age 53 in , possibly from illness or poisoning; a skilled military leader who expanded Polish influence against and the Ottomans, his lack of direct heirs triggered a resolved by electing , which intertwined Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish crowns, altering Eastern European power balances in the subsequent decades.

1601–1900

Swiss anatomist, physiologist, poet, and botanist died on December 12, 1777, in at age 69; his empirical experiments on muscle irritability and circulation laid foundational work in modern , though some contemporaries criticized his vitalist interpretations as diverging from mechanistic views. English statesman, diplomat, and philosopher Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, died on December 12, 1751, in at age 73; a key figure in the Treaty of negotiations, his opposition to the Hanoverian succession and advocacy for influenced later political thought, despite his exile for sympathies. William I, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 to 1840, died on December 12, 1843, in at age 71; his abdication followed the Belgian Revolution's loss of southern territories, amid criticisms of his centralizing policies and favoritism toward Dutch interests over Belgian ones in the . French-born British civil engineer Sir died on December 12, 1849, in at age 80; inventor of the tunneling shield used in the , his innovations facilitated imperial infrastructure projects, though financial overruns and technical delays highlighted risks in early . English poet died on December 12, 1889, in at age 77; renowned for dramatic monologues like "" that explored psychological depth and moral ambiguity, advancing Victorian poetic realism over romantic idealism, his works faced initial obscurity due to dense style but gained acclaim for intellectual rigor.

1901–present

Holidays and observances

Religious observances

In the Roman Catholic Church, December 12 marks the Feast of , commemorating the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the Aztec convert Cuauhtlatoatzin on Hill near from December 9 to 12, 1531. During the final apparition on December 12, Mary directed to gather Castilian roses from the hilltop in winter and present them to Bishop ; upon unfolding his tilma before the bishop, the roses spilled out and the Virgin's image appeared imprinted on the fabric, an event credited with catalyzing mass conversions among indigenous Mexicans, numbering over nine million in the following decade. The feast, elevated to a mandatory observance for the by in 1754, centers on the Basilica of in , where the tilma is enshrined and draws millions of pilgrims each year for Masses, processions, and veneration of the icon, which has undergone scientific scrutiny revealing unexplained properties such as the image's formation without brushstrokes or known pigments. December 12 also observes the memorials of several saints in the Catholic tradition, including Finnian of Clonard (c. 470–549), an Irish abbot and monastic founder who established Clonard Abbey as a major center of learning, educating figures such as Columba of Iona and before his death from plague. In the , the day honors Spyridon of Trimithous (c. 270–348), a shepherd-turned-bishop of known for miracles at the First of Nicaea in 325, where he defended Trinitarian against by reportedly reducing a heretical to ash through ; his incorrupt relics, including worn during earthly life, are venerated on and in Orthodox liturgies emphasizing his role as a wonderworker. These commemorations underscore hagiographical accounts of ecclesiastical leadership and divine intervention, ratified through canonical processes rather than solely empirical verification.

National and international holidays

In , Jamhuri Day is observed annually on December 12 as a national , commemorating the attainment of from British colonial rule on December 12, 1963, and the formal transition to a republic within the on December 12, 1964. The date signifies the end of over six decades of British administration, initiated by the 1895 establishment of the and solidified through land expropriations and suppressive policies against indigenous populations, including the Mau Mau uprising suppressed in the 1950s. Post-independence, under pursued land redistribution favoring loyalists, contributing to ethnic favoritism and economic disparities that persisted into subsequent regimes marked by one-party dominance until multiparty elections in 1992. The International Day of Neutrality, proclaimed by 71/275 on February 2, 2017, is observed globally on December 12 to underscore the contribution of neutrality policies to international , , and prevention. Proposed by , the observance promotes non-alignment in interstate relations, drawing on historical precedents like Switzerland's armed neutrality since 1515 and 's own UN-recognized permanent neutrality status adopted in 1995, which mandates abstention from military alliances and foreign base hosting. Empirical assessments of neutrality's efficacy vary, with studies indicating it facilitates mediation in some conflicts—such as Switzerland's role in U.S.- talks—but offers limited deterrence against aggression by non-neutral powers, as evidenced by violations during despite declarations.

Unofficial and cultural observances

Gingerbread House Day promotes the seasonal tradition of baking and assembling edible houses from dough, typically flavored with ginger, , and according to standardized recipes that yield structurally sound constructions. This practice traces to early 19th-century , where it drew from the fairy tale "," depicting a house of confectionery that inspired physical replicas as festive decorations. Participants engage voluntarily in family-oriented building and decorating, emphasizing creativity over competition, though contests exist in some communities. National Poinsettia Day in the United States marks the death of , the botanist and diplomat who imported the pulcherrima plant from in 1828, naming it after himself despite its Aztec origins and prior cultivation. designated December 12 for this observance to honor his contributions, coinciding with his 1851 passing, and it celebrates the plant's role in holiday commercialization through for vibrant bracts rather than true flowers. The event highlights voluntary appreciation of the species' economic impact, with U.S. sales exceeding 30 million plants annually during winter. National Ding-a-Ling Day urges individuals to initiate phone calls to distant contacts, mimicking the "ding-a-ling" ring of traditional telephones to revive personal connections amid modern digital isolation. As a casual, non-binding custom, it focuses on spontaneous outreach without institutional backing, serving as a reminder of interpersonal in maintaining social ties through direct verbal exchange.

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