December 12

Pre-1600

 * 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
 * 1388 – Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.

1601–1900

 * 1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the US Constitution.
 * 1862 – American Civil War: USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River.
 * 1866 – Oaks explosion: The worst mining disaster in England kills 361 miners and rescuers.
 * 1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.

1901–present

 * 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [•••] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
 * 1915 – Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.
 * 1917 – Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
 * 1935 – The Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
 * 1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident: Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay (PR-5) on the Yangtze river in China.
 * 1939 – HMS Duchess (H64) sinks after a collision with HMS Barham (04) off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
 * 1939  – Winter War: The Battle of Tolvajärvi, also known as the first major Finnish victory in the Winter War, begins.
 * 1941 – World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
 * 1941  – The Holocaust: Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
 * 1945 – The People's Republic of Korea is outlawed in the South, by order of the United States Army Military Government in Korea.
 * 1946 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 13 relating to acceptance of Siam (now Thailand) to the United Nations is adopted.
 * 1956 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 121 relating to acceptance of Japan to the United Nations is adopted.
 * 1963 – Kenya declares independence from Great Britain.
 * 1969 – The Piazza Fontana bombing; a bomb explodes at the headquarters of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura (the National Agricultural Bank) in Piazza Fontana in Milan, Italy, killing 17 people and wounding 88. The same afternoon, three more bombs are detonated in Rome and Milan, and another is found unexploded.
 * 1979 – The 8.2 Tumaco earthquake shakes Colombia and Ecuador with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 300–600, and generating a large tsunami.
 * 1979 – Coup d'état of December Twelfth occurs in South Korea.
 * 1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285R, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing all 256 people on board, including 236 members of the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division.
 * 1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains&mdash;one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
 * 1999 – A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits the Philippines's main island of Luzon, killing six people, injuring 40, and causing power outages that affected the capital Manila.
 * 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
 * 2001 – Prime Minister of Vietnam Phan Văn Khải announces the decision on upgrading the Phong Nha–Kẻ Bàng nature reserve to a national park, providing information on projects for the conservation and development of the park and revised maps.
 * 2012 – North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.
 * 2015 – The Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.
 * 2021 – Dutch Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen wins the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton to become the first Formula One World Champion to come from the Netherlands.

Pre-1600

 * 1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (d. 1588)

1601–1900

 * 1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian pianist and composer (d. 1743)
 * 1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral and politician (d. 1816)
 * 1786 – William L. Marcy, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (d. 1857)
 * 1799 – Karl Bryullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
 * 1805 – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878)
 * 1806 – Stand Watie, American general (d. 1871)
 * 1812 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (d. 1872)
 * 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (d. 1880)
 * 1830 – Joseph Orville Shelby, Confederate general (d. 1897)
 * 1842 – Adolf Bötticher, German journalist and historian (d. 1901)
 * 1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (d. 1903)
 * 1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
 * 1866 – Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
 * 1870 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (d. 1912)
 * 1876 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928)
 * 1881 – Louise Thuliez, French school teacher, resistance fighter during World War I and World War II and author (d. 1966)
 * 1893 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Harald Kaarmann, Estonian footballer (d. 1942)
 * 1907 – Roy Douglas, English pianist and composer (d. 2015)
 * 1912 – Henry Armstrong, American boxer (d. 1988)
 * 1914 – Patrick O'Brian, English author (d. 2000)
 * 1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (d. 1998)
 * 1918 – Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (d. 1999)
 * 1920 – Josef Doležal, Czech race walker (d. 1999)
 * 1923 – Bob Barker, American game show host and producer (d. 2023)
 * 1923  – Bob Dorough, American musician, composer, and producer (d. 2018)
 * 1923  – Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Ethiopian pianist, composer and nun (d. 2023)
 * 1924 – Ed Koch, American politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013)
 * 1925 – Ted Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2009)
 * 1925  – Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (d. 1985)
 * 1925  – Vladimir Shainsky, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (d. 2017)
 * 1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990)
 * 1928 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (d. 2011)
 * 1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer
 * 1932 – Bob Pettit, American basketball player and coach
 * 1933 – Christa Stubnick, German sprinter (d. 2021)
 * 1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican lawyer and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012)
 * 1936 – Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (d. 2016)
 * 1937 – Connie Francis, American singer, musician, and actress
 * 1937  – Philip Ledger, English pianist, composer, and academic (d. 2012)
 * 1940 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Agriculture
 * 1940  – Dionne Warwick, American singer
 * 1942 – Bob Thompson, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger
 * 1943 – Dickey Betts, American musician and songwriter (d. 2024)
 * 1943  – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999)
 * 1945 – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (d. 1997)
 * 1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian racing driver
 * 1947 – Wings Hauser, American actor
 * 1947  – Don Keith, American writer
 * 1947  – Chris Mullin, English journalist and politician
 * 1948 – Randy Smith, American basketball player (d. 2009)
 * 1948  – Colin Todd, English football player and coach
 * 1949 – Bill Nighy, English actor
 * 1949  – Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy businessman and politician, President of Madagascar
 * 1950 – Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist
 * 1950  – Heiner Flassbeck, German economist and academic
 * 1950  – Rajinikanth, Indian actor
 * 1950  – Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
 * 1950  – Gorman Thomas, American baseball player
 * 1951 – Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, Pakistani Minister of Interior (d. 2022)
 * 1952 – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
 * 1953 – Martin Ferguson, Australian lawyer and politician
 * 1953  – Rafael Septién, Mexican-American football player
 * 1955 – Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist
 * 1955  – Stephen Smith, Australian politician
 * 1956 – Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
 * 1957 – Sheila E., American singer and musician
 * 1958 – Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
 * 1960 – Martina Hellmann, German discus thrower
 * 1961 – Andrey Perlov, Russian race walker
 * 1962 – Tracy Austin, American tennis player and sportscaster
 * 1962  – Arturo Barrios, Mexican-American runner
 * 1962  – Mike Golic, American football player and radio host
 * 1963 – Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican businessman and politician (d. 2012)
 * 1964 – Haywood Jeffires, American football player and coach
 * 1964  – Sabu, American wrestler
 * 1965 – Russell Batiste Jr., American funk and R&B drummer (d. 2023)
 * 1967 – John Randle, American football player
 * 1968 – Sašo Udovič, Slovenian footballer
 * 1969 – Wilfred Kirochi, Kenyan runner
 * 1969  – Fiona May, English-Italian long jumper
 * 1969  – Michael Möllenbeck, German discus thrower
 * 1970 – Mädchen Amick, American actress and director
 * 1970  – Jennifer Connelly, American actress
 * 1970  – Regina Hall, American actress
 * 1971 – Sammy Korir, Kenyan runner
 * 1972 – Nicky Eaden, English footballer and coach
 * 1972  – Craig Field, Australian rugby league player
 * 1972  – Wilson Kipketer, Kenyan-Danish runner
 * 1972  – Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
 * 1974 – Bernard Lagat, Kenyan-American runner
 * 1974  – Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer and manager
 * 1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress, neuroscientist, and author
 * 1975  – Craig Moore, Australian footballer and manager
 * 1977 – Yoel Hernández, Cuban hurdler
 * 1977  – Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
 * 1977  – Dean Macey, English decathlete and bobsledder
 * 1977  – Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1979 – Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
 * 1979  – Nate Clements, American football player
 * 1979  – John Salmons, American basketball player
 * 1980 – Dejene Berhanu, Ethiopian runner (d. 2010)
 * 1980  – Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer
 * 1981 – Eddie Kingston, American wrestler
 * 1981  – Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
 * 1981  – Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
 * 1981  – Stephen Warnock, English footballer
 * 1981  – Andrew Whitworth, American football player and commentator
 * 1982 – Ervin Santana, Dominican baseball player
 * 1982  – Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player and coach
 * 1983 – Roni Porokara, Finnish footballer
 * 1984 – Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
 * 1985 – Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
 * 1985  – Andrew Ladd, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1986 – Daddy Birori, Rwandan footballer
 * 1986  – Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
 * 1986  – Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper
 * 1986  – T. J. Ward, American football player
 * 1988 – Isaac John, New Zealand rugby league player
 * 1988  – Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Israeli Olympic marathon runner
 * 1990 – Nixon Chepseba, Kenyan runner
 * 1990  – Dawin, American singer-songwriter
 * 1990  – Tyron Smith, American football player
 * 1991 – Joseph Leilua, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
 * 1993 – Zeli Ismail, English footballer
 * 1994 – Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (d. 2017)
 * 1996 – Lucas Hedges, American actor
 * 1997 – Ed Oliver, American football player

Pre-1600

 * 884 – King Carloman II of the Franks (born c.866; hunting accident)
 * 1296 – Isabella of Mar, first wife of Robert Bruce VII (b. 1277)
 * 1572 – Loredana Marcello, Dogaressa of Venice, botanist, author

1601–1900

 * 1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English philosopher and politician, Secretary at War (b. 1678)
 * 1766 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1700)
 * 1794 – Meshullam Feivush Heller, Ukrainian author (b. 1742)
 * 1803 – Prince Frederick Adolf of Sweden (b. 1750)
 * 1858 – Jacques Viger, Canadian archeologist and politician, 1st Mayor of Montreal (b. 1787)
 * 1889 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
 * 1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)

1901–present

 * 1913 – Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1844)
 * 1921 – Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer and academic (b. 1868)
 * 1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author and poet (b. 1903)
 * 1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (b. 1894)
 * 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1883)
 * 1941 – César Basa, Filipino lieutenant and pilot (b. 1915)
 * 1951 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (b. 1907)
 * 1958 – Albert Walsh, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1900)
 * 1966 – Karl Ruberl, Austrian-American swimmer (b. 1880)
 * 1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
 * 1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician (b. 1889)
 * 1975 – Richard Baggallay, English colonel and cricketer (b. 1884)
 * 1980 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
 * 1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
 * 1993 – József Antall, Hungarian historian and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932)
 * 1994 – Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
 * 1996 – Vance Packard, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1914)
 * 1997 – Evgenii Landis, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
 * 1998 – Lawton Chiles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
 * 1998  – Morris Udall, American captain and politician (b. 1922)
 * 1999 – Paul Cadmus, American painter and illustrator (b. 1904)
 * 1999  – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright(b. 1923)
 * 2001 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (b. 1897)
 * 2002 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (b. 1908)
 * 2003 – Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani general and politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
 * 2005 – Robert Newmyer, American actor and producer (b. 1956)
 * 2005  – Annette Stroyberg, Danish actress (b. 1936)
 * 2005  – Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (b. 1957)
 * 2006 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
 * 2006  – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
 * 2006   – Raymond P. Shafer, American attorney and politician, 39th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
 * 2006  – Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (b. 1930)
 * 2007 – François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (b. 1953)
 * 2007  – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1931)
 * 2008 – Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (b. 1918)
 * 2008  – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916)
 * 2010 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish race car driver, founded Tom Walkinshaw Racing (b. 1946)
 * 2012 – Joe Allbritton, American banker, publisher, and philanthropist, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (b. 1924)
 * 2012  – David Tait, English rugby player (b. 1987)
 * 2013 – Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator, and activist (b. 1931)
 * 2013  – Abdul Quader Molla, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (b. 1948)
 * 2013  – Audrey Totter, American actress (b. 1917)
 * 2014 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (b. 1928)
 * 2014  – Ivor Grattan-Guinness, English mathematician, historian, and academic (b. 1941)
 * 2014  – Herb Plews, American baseball player (b. 1928)
 * 2015 – Frans Geurtsen, Dutch footballer (b. 1942)
 * 2015  – Evelyn S. Lieberman, American politician, White House Deputy Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
 * 2016 – Shirley Hazzard, Australian-American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1931)
 * 2017 – Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1952)
 * 2017  – Pat DiNizio, American singer and songwriter  (b. 1955)
 * 2019 – Danny Aiello, American actor (b. 1933)
 * 2020 – John le Carré, English author (b. 1931)
 * 2020  – Ann Reinking, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1949)
 * 2021 – Vicente Fernández, Mexican actor, ranchera singer, and film producer (b, 1940)
 * 2021 – Bernie Fowler, American politician and environmental advocate (b. 1924)
 * 2021 – Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, Tongan politician and military officer, Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1955)

Holidays and observances

 * Christian feast day:
 * Corentin of Quimper
 * Jane Frances de Chantal
 * Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
 * Finnian of Clonard
 * Thomas Holland
 * Ida of Nivelles
 * Peter the Aleut
 * Vicelinus
 * December 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Constitution Day (Russia)
 * Day of Neutrality (Turkmenistan)