December 11
December 11 is the 346th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 20 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Sagittarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On December 11 the Sun's declination is approximately -23.2°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a December 11.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Cian
- Christian feast day: Daniel the Stylite
- Christian feast day: María de las Maravillas de Jesús
- Christian feast day: Pope Damasus I
- Christian feast day: Sabinus of Piacenza
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2020 — The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency. ↗(6 years ago)more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs...
2019 — The results of the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum are announced. The results are overwhelmingly one-sided. Over 98% of voters vote for Bougainville's independence. ↗(7 years ago)more
A non-binding independence referendum was held in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, between 23 November and 7 December 2019. The referendum question presented a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea and full independence; voters voted overwhelmingly (98.31%) for independence.
2017 — New York City Subway bombing: A pipe bomb partially detonates in the New York City Subway, in the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal. Four people are injured, including the perpetrator. ↗(9 years ago)more
On December 11, 2017, a pipe bomb partially detonated in a corridor between the Times Square–42nd Street and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal subway stations adjoining the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, injuring four people including the bomber.
- 2012 — At least 125 people are killed and up to 200 injured in bombings in the Alawite village of Aqrab, Syria. ↗(14 years ago)
more
The Aqrab massacre is a contested event which occurred on 10/11 December 2012, during the Syrian civil war, in the Alawite section of the mixed town of Aqrab, Hama Governorate, Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that 125 people were killed or wounded in those events, while other activists claimed that as many as 300 people were killed.
2009 — Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment releases the hit mobile game Angry Birds internationally on iOS. ↗(17 years ago)more
Rovio Entertainment Oy is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Founded in 2003 by Helsinki University of Technology students Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen and Kim Dikert, the company is best known for the Angry Birds franchise.
2008 — Bernie Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. ↗(18 years ago)more
Bernard Lawrence Madoff was an American financier and con artist who was the admitted mastermind of the largest-known Ponzi scheme in history, worth an estimated $65 billion. He was at one time chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange.
2007 — Insurgency in the Maghreb: Two car bombs explode in Algiers, Algeria, one near the Supreme Constitutional Court and the other near the offices of the United Nations. ↗(19 years ago)more
An Islamist insurgency is taking place in the Maghreb region of North Africa, followed on from the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002. The Algerian militant group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied itself with al-Qaeda to eventually become al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
- 2006 — The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust is opened in Tehran, Iran, by then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; nations such as Israel and the United States express concern. ↗(20 years ago)
more
The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust was a two-day meeting in Tehran, Iran, that began on 11 December 2006. It was hosted by the Iranian government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki stated that it had been organized "neither to deny nor prove the Holocaust...
2006 — Felipe Calderón, the president of Mexico, launches a military-led offensive to put down the drug cartel violence in the state of Michoacán. This effort is often regarded as the first event in the Mexican drug war. ↗(20 years ago)more
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. He was a member of the National Action Party for 30 years before quitting the party in November 2018.
2005 — The Buncefield Oil Depot catches fire in Hemel Hempstead, England. ↗(21 years ago)more
The Buncefield fire was a major fire at an oil storage facility that started at 06:01 UTC on Sunday 11 December 2005 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, located near the M1 motorway, Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, England.
2005 — Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese in Cronulla, New South Wales; these are followed up by retaliatory ethnic attacks on Cronulla. ↗(21 years ago)more
The Cronulla riots were a series of race riots in Sydney, Australia. They began in the beachside suburb of Cronulla on 11 December 2005, and over the following nights spread to additional suburbs. The instigating event was a physical altercation on 4 December between a group of youths of Middle Eastern descent and lifeguards at Cronulla beach, following r...
2001 — China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO). ↗(25 years ago)more
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. Established on 1 January 1995, pursuant to the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, it succeeded the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was created in 1948.
Notable births
2000 — Onyeka Okongwu, American basketball player ↗(26 years ago)more
Onyeka Okongwu is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans.
1997 — Matthew Tkachuk, American ice hockey player ↗(29 years ago)more
Matthew Brendan Tkachuk is an American professional ice hockey player who is a winger and alternate captain for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames. The Flames selected him in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2016 NHL entry draft.
1996 — Hailee Steinfeld, American actress, singer and songwriter ↗(30 years ago)more
Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress and singer. She had her breakthrough with the western film True Grit (2010), which earned her various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and an Actor Award.
- 1995 — Abbi Grant, Scottish footballer ↗(31 years ago)
more
Abbi Grant is a Scottish footballer who plays as a forward for Durham in the Women's Super League 2. Grant has previously played for various clubs in Scotland, Belgium and Greece, and represented the Scotland national team.
1993 — Yalitza Aparicio, Mexican actress ↗(33 years ago)more
Yalitza Aparicio Martínez is a Mexican actress. She made her film debut as Cleo in Alfonso Cuarón's 2018 drama Roma, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress; Aparicio was the first Indigenous Mexican woman to be nominated for that award. In 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
1992 — Tiffany Alvord, American singer-songwriter ↗(34 years ago)more
Tiffany Lynn Alvord is an American singer and songwriter. She has been cited as one of YouTube's first "home-grown celebrities". In December 2012, Alvord performed in Times Square on the Nivea stage with Carly Rae Jepsen, Train, PSY and Taylor Swift as part of the 2012 New Year's Eve celebration.
Notable deaths
2024 — David Bonderman, American billionaire businessman (born 1942) ↗(2 years ago)more
David Bonderman was an American billionaire businessman. He was the founding partner of TPG Inc., and its Asian affiliate, Newbridge Capital. He was also one of the minority owners of the NBA's Boston Celtics as well as the co-founder and co-majority owner of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League.
- 2024 — Khalil Haqqani, Afghan politician and warlord (born 1966) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Khalil Rahman Haqqani was an Afghan politician and military leader. A Pashtun mujahideen commander, he was designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States.
- 2024 — Purushottam Upadhyay, Indian musician, singer and composer (born 1934) ↗(2 years ago)
more
Purushottam Upadhyay was an Indian musician, singer and composer who primarily worked in Gujarati and Hindi languages. He was well known in Gujarati semi-classical music and composed music for over 20 films and 30 plays. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017.
2023 — Andre Braugher, American actor (born 1962) ↗(3 years ago)more
Andre Keith Braugher ( BROW-ər; was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Captain Raymond Holt in the Fox/NBC police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He won two Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.
2021 — Anne Rice, American author (born 1941) ↗(5 years ago)more
Anne Rice was an American author of Gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Bible fiction. She is best known for writing The Vampire Chronicles. She later adapted the first volume in the series into a commercially successful eponymous film, Interview with the Vampire (1994).
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (346) | 2 × 173 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (20) | 2^2 × 5 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 11122026 · next palindrome year: 2111 |
| Sun declination | -23.17° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 9 days |