On This Day in History — December 9

Highlights of December 9

• 2022 — Members of the European Parliament, including Vice President Eva Kaili (pictured), and their associates are arrested in connection with the Qatar corruption scandal. Read more
• 2017 — Same-sex marriage in Australia became legal as the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 came into effect. Read more
• 2016 — Park Geun-hye, the president of South Korea, was impeached, marking the culmination of the country's political scandal. Read more
• 2008 — Rod Blagojevich, the governor of Illinois, was arrested on corruption charges, including for attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by president-elect Barack Obama. Read more
• 1990 — In Serbia's first multi-party election, Slobodan Milošević won the presidential election and the Socialist Party of Serbia won the majority of seats in the National Assembly. Read more
• 1981 — Mumia Abu-Jamal was arrested for the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner; his subsequent conviction and death sentence generated controversy in the United States. Read more
• 1979 — A World Health Organization commission of scientists certified the global eradication of smallpox (virus pictured), making it the only human infectious disease to date to have been completely eradicated. Read more
• 1969 — U.S. secretary of state William P. Rogers proposed a plan, later called the Rogers Plan, for a ceasefire in the War of Attrition; Egypt's and Jordan's acceptance of the plan over Palestine Liberation Organization objections led to civil war in Jordan in September 1970. Read more
• 1968 — Douglas Engelbart gave what became known as "The Mother of All Demos", publicly debuting the computer mouse (pictured), hypertext, and the bit-mapped graphical user interface using the computer system NLS. Read more
• 1965 — A large, brilliant fireball was seen by thousands in midwestern North America before landing in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. Read more
• 1961 — Tanganyika Territory gained independence from Britain before becoming part of Tanzania three years later. Read more
• 1948 — The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Genocide Convention, which defines genocide in legal terms and obligates its signatories to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition. Read more
• 1940 — Second World War: British and Commonwealth forces began Operation Compass, the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert campaign. Read more
• 1917 — First World War: Hussein al-Husayni, the Ottoman mayor of Jerusalem, surrendered the city to British forces (pictured). Read more
• 1911 — A mine explosion near Briceville, Tennessee, killed 84 miners despite a well-organized rescue effort led by the United States Bureau of Mines. Read more
• 1897 — French actress, journalist and leading suffragette Marguerite Durand founded the feminist newspaper La Fronde. Read more
• 1892 — The English association football club Newcastle United was founded by the merger of Newcastle East End and West End. Read more
• 1888 — The first edition of the Argosy magazine was published under the title The Golden Argosy. Read more
• 1822 — In a memoir read to the French Academy of Sciences, Augustin-Jean Fresnel coined the terms linear, circular, and elliptical polarization, and reported a direct refraction experiment verifying his theory that optical rotation is a form of birefringence. Read more
• 1775 — American Revolutionary War: After their loss in the Battle of Great Bridge, British authorities were forced to evacuate from the Colony of Virginia. Read more
• 1688 — In one of two substantial military actions in England during the Glorious Revolution, forces loyal to William of Orange were decisively victorious at the Battle of Reading. Read more

Events

• 2021 — Fifty-five people are killed and more than 100 injured when a truck with 160 migrants from Central America overturned in Chiapas, Mexico. Read more
• 2019 — A volcano on Whakaari / White Island, New Zealand, kills 22 people after it erupts. Read more
• 2017 — The Marriage Amendment Bill receives royal assent and comes into effect, making Australia the 26th country to legalize same-sex marriage. Read more
• 2016 — President Park Geun-hye of South Korea is impeached by the country's National Assembly in response to a major political scandal. Read more
• 2016 — At least 57 people are killed and a further 177 injured when two schoolgirl suicide bombers attack a market area in Madagali, Adamawa, Nigeria in the Madagali suicide bombings. Read more
• 2013 — At least seven are dead and 63 are injured following a train accident near Bintaro, Indonesia. Read more
• 2012 — A plane crash in Mexico kills seven people including singer Jenni Rivera. Read more
• 2008 — Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is arrested by federal officials for crimes including attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Read more
• 2006 — Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-116 carrying the P5 truss segment of the International Space Station. Read more
• 2003 — A blast in the center of Moscow kills six people and wounds several more. Read more
• 1996 — Gwen Jacob is acquitted of committing an indecent act, giving women the right to be topless in Ontario, Canada. Read more
• 1992 — American troops land in Somalia for Operation Restore Hope. Read more
• 1987 — Israeli–Palestinian conflict: The First Intifada begins in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Read more
• 1979 — The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first of only two diseases that have been driven to extinction (with rinderpest in 2011 being the other). Read more
• 1973 — British and Irish authorities sign the Sunningdale Agreement in an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. Read more
• 1971 — Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Air Force executes an airdrop of Indian Army units, bypassing Pakistani defences. Read more
• 1969 — U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers proposes his plan for a ceasefire in the War of Attrition; Egypt and Jordan accept it over the objections of the PLO, which leads to civil war in Jordan in September 1970. Read more
• 1968 — Douglas Engelbart gave what became known as "The Mother of All Demos", publicly debuting the computer mouse, hypertext, and the bit-mapped graphical user interface using the oN-Line System (NLS). Read more
• 1965 — Kecksburg UFO incident: A fireball is seen from Michigan to Pennsylvania; with witnesses reporting something crashing in the woods near Pittsburgh. Read more
• 1961 — Tanganyika becomes independent from Britain. Read more
• 1960 — The first episode of Coronation Street, the world's longest-running television soap opera, is broadcast in the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1956 — Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810-9, a Canadair North Star, crashes near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board. Read more
• 1956 — An Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2 crashes near Anadyr, killing all 12 people on board. Read more
• 1953 — Red Scare: General Electric announces that all communist employees will be discharged from the company. Read more
• 1950 — Cold War: Harry Gold is sentenced to 30 years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union. His testimony is later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Read more
• 1948 — The Genocide Convention is adopted. Read more
• 1946 — The subsequent Nuremberg trials begin with the Doctors' Trial, prosecuting physicians and officers alleged to be involved in Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia. Read more
• 1946 — The Constituent Assembly of India meets for the first time to write the Constitution of India. Read more
• 1941 — World War II: China, Cuba, Guatemala, and the Philippine Commonwealth declare war on Germany and Japan. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: Operation Compass: British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt. Read more
• 1937 — Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanking: Japanese troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Yasuhiko Asaka launch an assault on the Chinese city of Nanking. Read more
• 1935 — Student protests occur in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and are subsequently dispersed by government authorities. Read more
• 1935 — Walter Liggett, an American newspaper editor and muckraker, is killed in a gangland murder. Read more
• 1931 — The Constituent Cortes approves a constitution which establishes the Second Spanish Republic. Read more
• 1922 — Gabriel Narutowicz is elected the first president of Poland. Read more
• 1917 — World War I: Field Marshal Allenby captures Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire. Read more
• 1917 — World War I: The Kingdom of Romania signs the Armistice of Focșani with the Central Powers. Read more
• 1911 — A mine explosion near Briceville, Tennessee, kills 84 miners despite rescue efforts led by the United States Bureau of Mines. Read more
• 1905 — In France, a law separating church and state is passed. Read more
• 1893 — National Assembly bombing by Auguste Vaillant during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). Read more
• 1872 — In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first African American governor of a U.S. state following the impeachment of Henry C. Warmoth. Read more
• 1868 — The first traffic lights are installed, outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps. Read more
• 1861 — American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by Congress. Read more
• 1856 — The Iranian city of Bushehr surrenders to occupying British forces. Read more
• 1851 — The first YMCA in North America is established in Montreal. Read more
• 1835 — Texas Revolution: The Texian Army captures San Antonio following the Siege of Béxar. Read more
• 1824 — Patriot forces led by General Antonio José de Sucre defeat a Royalist army in the Battle of Ayacucho, putting an end to the Peruvian War of Independence. Read more
• 1822 — French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, in a memoir read to the Academy of Sciences, coins the terms linear polarization, circular polarization, and elliptical polarization, and reports a direct refraction experiment verifying his theory that optical rotation is a form of birefringence. Read more
• 1775 — American Revolutionary War: British troops and Loyalists, misinformed about Patriot militia strength, lose the Battle of Great Bridge, ending British rule in Virginia. Read more
• 1636 — The Qing dynasty of China, led by Emperor Hong Taiji, invades Joseon. Read more
• 1531 — The Virgin of Guadalupe first appears to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico City. Read more
• 1432 — The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War. Read more
• 730 — Battle of Marj Ardabil: The Khazars annihilate an Umayyad army and kill its commander, al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah al-Hakami. Read more
• 536 — Gothic War: The Byzantine general Belisarius enters Rome unopposed; the Gothic garrison flees the capital. Read more

Born on December 9

• 2005 — Ni-Ki, Japanese singer Read more
• 2003 — Yuna, South Korean rapper, singer and dancer Read more
• 2000 — Diāna Ņikitina, Latvian figure skater Read more
• 1997 — Harvey Barnes, English footballer Read more
• 1996 — Mackenzie Blackwood, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1996 — Kyle Connor, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1996 — MyKayla Skinner, American gymnast Read more
• 1996 — AleXa, American singer based in South Korea Read more
• 1995 — Simone Fontecchio, Italian basketball player Read more
• 1995 — McKayla Maroney, American gymnast Read more
• 1995 — Kelly Oubre Jr., American basketball player Read more
• 1994 — Ryan Lomberg, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1993 — Cem Ince, German politician Read more
• 1993 — Mark McMorris, Canadian snowboarder Read more
• 1993 — Laura Smulders, Dutch cyclist Read more
• 1991 — Langston Galloway, American basketball player Read more
• 1991 — Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor Read more
• 1990 — Ashleigh Brewer, Australian actress Read more
• 1990 — SungWon Cho, American YouTuber and actor Read more
• 1990 — Denise Hannema, Dutch cricketer Read more
• 1989 — Eric Bledsoe, American basketball player Read more
• 1988 — Kwadwo Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer Read more
• 1987 — Kostas Giannoulis, Greek footballer Read more
• 1987 — Gerald Henderson Jr., American basketball player Read more
• 1987 — Mat Latos, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Hikaru Nakamura, Japanese-American chess player Read more
• 1987 — Jeff Petry, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1987 — Joshua Sasse, English actor Read more
• 1986 — Aron Baynes, Australian basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Wil Besseling, Dutch golfer Read more
• 1984 — Ángel Guirado, Spanish–Filipino footballer Read more
• 1984 — Leon Hall, American football player Read more
• 1983 — Jermaine Beckford, English-Jamaican footballer Read more
• 1983 — Neslihan Demir Darnel, Turkish volleyball player Read more
• 1983 — Dariusz Dudka, Polish footballer Read more
• 1983 — Jolene Purdy, American actress Read more
• 1982 — Tamilla Abassova, Russian cyclist Read more
• 1982 — Nathalie De Vos, Belgian runner Read more
• 1982 — Ryan Grant, American football player Read more
• 1982 — Jim Slater, American ice hockey player Read more

Died on December 9

• 2024 — Nikki Giovanni, American poet, writer and activist (born 1943) Read more
• 2022 — Jovit Baldivino, Filipino singer and actor (born 1993) Read more
• 2021 — Speedy Duncan, American football player (born 1942) Read more
• 2021 — Demaryius Thomas, American football player (born 1987) Read more
• 2015 — Soshana Afroyim, Austrian painter (born 1927) Read more
• 2015 — Norman Breslow, American statistician and academic (born 1941) Read more
• 2015 — Juvenal Juvêncio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (born 1934) Read more
• 2015 — Julio Terrazas Sandoval, Bolivian cardinal (born 1936) Read more
• 2014 — Sacvan Bercovitch, Canadian-American author, critic, and academic (born 1933) Read more
• 2014 — Jane Freilicher, American painter and poet (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Jorge María Mejía, Argentinian cardinal (born 1923) Read more
• 2014 — Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (born 1937) Read more
• 2014 — Blagoje Paunović, Serbian footballer and manager (born 1947) Read more
• 2014 — Jože Toporišič, Slovenian linguist and author (born 1926) Read more
• 2013 — Hristu Cândroveanu, Romanian editor, literary critic and writer (born 1928) Read more
• 2013 — John Gabbert, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (born 1909) Read more
• 2013 — Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, Polish pianist and educator (born 1930) Read more
• 2013 — Eleanor Parker, American actress (born 1922) Read more
• 2013 — John Wilbur, American football player (born 1943) Read more
• 2012 — Béla Nagy Abodi, Hungarian painter and academic (born 1918) Read more
• 2012 — Patrick Moore, English lieutenant, astronomer, and educator (born 1923) Read more
• 2012 — Alex Moulton, English engineer and businessman, founded the Moulton Bicycle Company (born 1920) Read more
• 2012 — Jenni Rivera, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (born 1969) Read more
• 2012 — Charles Rosen, American pianist and musicologist (born 1927) Read more
• 2012 — Riccardo Schicchi, Italian director and producer, co-founded Diva Futura (born 1953) Read more
• 2012 — Norman Joseph Woodland, American inventor, co-created the bar code (born 1921) Read more
• 2010 — James Moody, American saxophonist, flute player, and composer (born 1925) Read more
• 2010 — Dov Shilansky, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and politician, 10th Speaker of the Knesset (born 1924) Read more
• 2009 — Gene Barry, American actor (born 1919) Read more
• 2008 — Ibrahim Dossey, Ghanaian footballer (born 1972) Read more
• 2008 — Yury Glazkov, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1939) Read more
• 2007 — Rafael Sperafico, Brazilian race car driver (born 1981) Read more
• 2007 — Gordon Zahn, American sociologist, author, and academic (born 1918) Read more
• 2006 — Georgia Gibbs, American singer (born 1919) Read more
• 2005 — György Sándor, Hungarian-American pianist and educator (born 1912) Read more
• 2005 — Robert Sheckley, American author (born 1928) Read more
• 2003 — Norm Sloan, American basketball player and coach (born 1926) Read more
• 2003 — Paul Simon, American soldier, journalist, and politician, 39th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (born 1928) Read more
• 2002 — Mary Hansen, Australian singer and guitarist (born 1966) Read more
• 2002 — Ian Hornak, American painter and sculptor (born 1944) Read more

Holidays & observances

Anna's Day, marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve, as well as a Swedish name day, celebrating all people named Anna. (Sweden and Finland); Armed Forces Day (Peru); Christian feast day: Feast of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by St. Anne (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: Hannah (biblical figure) (Eastern Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: Juan Diego; Christian feast day: Leocadia; Christian feast day: Nectarius of Auvergne; Christian feast day: Peter Fourier; Christian feast day: December 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Fatherland's Heroes Day (Russia); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tanganyika from Britain in 1961. (Tanzania); International Anti-Corruption Day (United Nations); National Heroes Day, formerly V.C. Bird Day. (Antigua and Barbuda); Navy Day (Sri Lanka)

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