December 11: Republic Day in Burkina Faso (1958).

[chandoo]

December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 20 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

* 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, took office.

* 1282 - Llywelyn the Last (b. c. 1228), the last native Prince of Wales, is killed at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales.

* 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. 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 becomes the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

* 1886 - Dial Square FC, a football club from Woolwich, London that will eventually become known as Arsenal FC, play their first match.

* 1917 - British troops take Jerusalem from the troops of the Ottoman Empire

* 1925 - Quas Primas encyclical was promulgated, introducing the Feast of Christ the King.

* 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, establishing 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.

* 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.

* 1958 - Upper Volta declares its independence from France, and becomes an autonomous republic in the French Community.

* 1961 - Melvin Calvin awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry for process of photosynthesis.

* 1964 - Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. An unknown terrorist fired a mortar shell at the building during the speech.

* 1971 - The Libertarian Party of the United States is formed.

* 1972 - Apollo 17 becomes the sixth mission to land on the Moon.

* 1980 - The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (known as either CERCLA or Superfund) is enacted by the U.S. Congress.

* 1981 - El Mozote massacre: Salvadoran armed forces kill an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the country's civil war.

* 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

* 1997 - The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opens for signature.

* 1998 - A Thai Airways Airbus A310-200 crashes near Surat Thani Airport, killing 101.

* 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 - Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate 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.

* 2006 - The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust is opened in Tehran, Iran by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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 (d. 1736)

* 1709 - Louise Elisabeth of Orléans, queen consort of Spain (d. 1742)

* 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, Scottish 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)

* 1838 - John Labatt, Irish-Canadian brewer (d. 1915)

* 1843 - Robert Koch, German bacteriologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1910)

* 1858 - Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Russian theatre director (d. 1943)

* 1863 - Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer (d. 1941)

* 1873 - Josip Plemelj, Slovenian mathematician (d. 1967)

* 1880 - Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer (d. 1951)

* 1882 - Subramanya Bharathy, Indian poet (d. 1921)

* 1882 - Max Born, German physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1970)

* 1882 - Fiorello LaGuardia, American statesman (d. 1947)

* 1883 - Victor McLaglen, English-born American actor (d. 1959)

* 1889 - Walter Knott, American farmer (d. 1981)

* 1890 - Carlos Gardel, tango singer (d. 1935)

* 1890 - Mark Tobey, American painter (d. 1976)

* 1905 - Robert Henriques, English writer (d. 1967)

* 1905 - Gilbert Roland, American actor (d. 1994)

* 1908 - Elliott Carter, American composer

* 1910 - Noel Rosa, Brazilian songwriter (d. 1937)

* 1911 - Val Guest, English film director (d. 2006)

* 1911 - Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer, Nobel laureate (d. 2006)

* 1912 - Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer (d. 2007)

* 1913 - Jean Marais, French actor (d. 1998)

* 1916 - Dámaso Pérez Prado, Cuban-born bandleader (d. 1989)

* 1918 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian writer, Nobel laureate

* 1919 - Marie Windsor, American actress (d. 2000)

* 1922 - Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer (d. 2005)

* 1922 - Dilip Kumar, Indian actor

* 1922 - Grace Paley, American writer

* 1923 - Betsy Blair, American actress

* 1925 - Paul Greengard, American neuroscientist, Nobel laureate

* 1926 - Big Mama Thornton, American singer (d. 1984)

* 1927 - John Buscema, American comics artist (d. 2002)

* 1930 - Chus Lampreave, Spanish actress

* 1930 - Jean-Louis Trintignant, French actor

* 1931 - Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican actress

* 1931 - Pierre Pilote, Canadian ice hockey player

* 1931 - Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian guru (d. 1990)

* 1932 - Anne Heywood, English actress

* 1933 - Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Filipino politician

* 1935 - Ron Carey, American actor (d. 2007)

* 1935 - Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician

* 1935 - Elmer Vasko, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1998)

* 1936 - Taku Yamasaki, Japanese politician

* 1937 - Jim Harrison, American writer

* 1938 - Enrico Macias, Algerian-born French singer

* 1938 - McCoy Tyner, American jazz pianist

* 1939 - Tom Hayden, American politician and activist

* 1939 - Thomas McGuane, American writer

* 1940 - David Gates, American musician (Bread)

* 1941 - Jean-Paul Parise, Canadian ice hockey player

* 1942 - Donna Mills, American actress

* 1943 - John Kerry, American politician

* 1944 - Teri Garr, American film actress

* 1944 - Jon Garrison, American tenor

* 1944 - Lynda Day George, American actress

* 1944 - Brenda Lee, American singer

* 1948 - Stamatis Spanoudakis, Greek composer

* 1950 - Christina Onassis, American heiress (d. 1988)

* 1953 - Bess Armstrong, American actress

* 1954 - Jermaine Jackson, American singer

* 1954 - Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson, Icelandic engineer

* 1956 - Lani Brockman, Playwright

* 1958 - Nikki Sixx, American musician (Mötley Crüe)

* 1959 - Lisa Gastineau, American reality show star

* 1962 - Ben Browder, American actor

* 1962 - Nele Karajlić, Bosnian singer

* 1963 - Jon Brion, American musician/record producer

* 1964 - Michel Courtemanche, Quebec comedian

* 1964 - John Mark Karr, American who claimed involvement in JonBenét Ramsey case

* 1964 - David Schools, American musician (Widespread Panic)

* 1964 - Cosy Sheridan, American singer

* 1964 - Carolyn Waldo, Canadian synchronized swimmer

* 1966 - Gary Dourdan, American actor

* 1966 - Leon Lai, Cantonese singer/actor

* 1967 - Mo'Nique, American actress/comedienne

* 1967 - DJ Yella, American DJ and music producer (N.W.A.)

* 1969 - Vishwanathan Anand, Indian chess grandmaster

* 1969 - Stig Inge Bjørnebye, Norwegian footballer

* 1969 - Sean Grande, American sportscaster

* 1972 - Daniel Alfredsson, Swedish ice hockey player

* 1972 - Sami Al-Jaber, Saudi Arabian footballer

* 1972 - Dana Macsim, Romanian television news reporter

* 1973 - Mos Def, American rapper and actor

* 1974 - Rey Mysterio, American professional wrestler

* 1974 - Ben Shephard, English TV personality

* 1975 - Gerben de Knegt, Dutch cyclist

* 1975 - Tomoka Kurotani, Japanese actress

* 1976 - Shareef Abdur-Rahim, American basketball player

* 1977 - Mark Streit, Swiss ice hockey player

* 1979 - Rider Strong, American actor

* 1980 - Arya, Indian actor

* 1981 - Nikki Benz, Canadian actress

* 1981 - Hamish Blake, Australian comedian

* 1981 - Paul Medhurst, Australian rules footballer

* 1981 - Javier Saviola, Argentine footballer

* 1981 - Zacky Vengeance, American musician (Avenged Sevenfold)

* 1982 - Pablo Pérez Companc, Argentine racing driver

* 1984 - Leighton Baines, English footballer

* 1987 - Natalia Gordienko, Moldovan singer and dancer

* 1988 - Murugan Thiruchelvam, English chess prodigy

* 1993 - Gina Miele, American singer and actress

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, Prince of Gwynedd

* 1282 - Michael VIII Palaiologos, Greek 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 (b. 1643)

* 1757 - Edmund Curll, English bookseller (b. 1675)

* 1797 - Richard Brocklesby, English physician (b. 1722)

* 1840 - Emperor Kokaku of Japan (b. 1771)

* 1880 - Oliver Fisher Winchester, American businessman and politician (b. 1810)

* 1892 - William Milligan, Scottish theologian (b. 1821)

* 1909 - Innokenty Annensky, Russian poet (b. 1855)

* 1918 - Ivan Cankar, Slovenian writer (b. 1876)

* 1920 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (b. 1855)

* 1938 - Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1869)

* 1941

o John Gillespie Magee, Jr., American poet and aviator (b. 1922)

o Charles Émile Picard, French mathematician (b. 1856)

* 1945 - Charles Fabry, French physicist (b. 1867)

* 1950 - Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1893)

* 1957 - Musidora (Jeanne Roques), French actress (b. 1889)

* 1959 - Jim Bottomley, American baseball player (b. 1900)

* 1964 - Sam Cooke, American singer (b. 1931)

* 1971 - Maurice "Mac" McDonald, American fast-food pioneer (b. 1902)

* 1978

o Vincent du Vigneaud, American chemist and Nobel laureate (b. 1901)

o Paul O'Dea, American baseball player (b. 1920)
* 1983 - Sir Neil Ritchie, British General (b. 1897)

* 1984 - Oskar Seidlin, German-born American scholar (b. 1911)

* 1987 - G. A. Kulkarni, Indian (Marathi) writer (b. 1923)

* 1989 - Louise Dahl-Wolfe, American photographer (b. 1895)

* 1991

o Robert Q. Lewis, American game show host and actor (b. 1921)

o Artur Lundkvist, Swedish author and critic (b. 1906)

* 1994 - Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (b. 1900)

* 1993 - Elvira Popescu, Romanian-born French actress (b. 1894)

* 1996 - Willie Rushton, English cartoonist (b. 1937)

* 1998 - André Lichnerowicz, Polish-French physicist (b. 1915)

* 1999 - Kami, Japanese drummer (Malice Mizer) (b. 1972)

* 2000 - Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, Pakistani politician, diplomat and author (b. 1915)

* 2003 - Ahmadou Kourouma, Côte d'Ivoire writer (b. 1927)

* 2004 - José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (b. 1962)

* 2004 - Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand running coach (b. 1917)

* 2004 - M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indian singer (b. 1916)

* 2006 - Elizabeth Bolden, American, oldest verified person in the world at the time of her death (b. 1890)

Holidays and Observances

* Roman festivals - One of the four Agonalia, this day in honour of Sol Indiges; also the Septimontium festival

* R.C. Saints - Pope Damasus I: optional memorial; Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian

* Argentina - Tango Day, Buenos Aires

* Burkina Faso - Republic Day (1958, Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community.)

* USA - Admission day for Indiana (19th state, 1816)

* USA - Governor Ralph Carr Day, Colorado's State Holiday since 2002

* Wales - Remembrance Day of Llywelyn II

* Philippines - Pampanga Day, local official holiday

[Ahmad]

He are ever Green Hero.