December 12 In History

December 12 in Pop Culture History

December 12th is…
National Ambrosia Day
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
National Ding-a-Ling Day
Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts
Gingerbread House Day
Poinsettia Day

1787 – Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1901 – Guglielmo Marconi sent the first Atlantic wireless (radio) transmission (three beeps) from Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada.

1913 – Stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris on August 11, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Mona Lisa was recovered from Vincenzo Peruggia. He was sentenced to 14 months in jail.

1917 – Father Edward J. Flanagan founded Boy’s Town in Omaha, Nebraska.

1925 – The Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California (between Los Angeles to San Francisco) opened as the first motel. The word Motel combines the words ‘Motorist’ and ‘Hotel.’

1953 – Chuck Yeager established the speed record (Mach 2.5) record flying a Bell X-1A, a slightly larger but much-modified version of the Bell X-1

1964 – #1 Hit December 12, 1964 – December 18, 1964: Bobby Vinton – Mr. Lonely

1967 – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton, opened in theaters.

1970 – #1 Hit December 12, 1970 – December 25, 1970: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – The Tears of a Clown

1980 – Leonardo da Vinci’s Leicester Codex was sold to Armand Hammer for $5.12 million. Bill Gates later bought it from the Hammer Estate for 30.8 million in 1994.

1986 – The Golden Child, King King Lives, and Three Amigos debuted in theaters.

1987 – #1 Hit December 12, 1987 – January 8, 1988: George Michael – Faith

1989 – 69-year-old Leona Helmsley, the “Queen of Mean,” received a four-year prison sentence, along with 750 hours of community service and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine in New York.

2003 – Keiko the Orca (or killer whale), star of the Free Willy movies, died in his home of Taknes fjord, in Norway.

2008 – The Day the Earth Stood Still and Gran Torino debuted in theaters.

2012 – 12/12/12/ The Concert for (Hurricane) Sandy Relief took place at Madison Square Garden.

2020 #1 Hit December 12, 2020 – December 18, 2020: Mood24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior

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