12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for December 6, 2025
Today’s History
- 1240 – Mongol forces of Batu Khan capture and devastate Kyiv, dealing a major blow to the Kievan Rus’ states.
- 1492 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Hispaniola during his first voyage, establishing a foothold for Spanish colonization in the Caribbean.
- 1534 – The Spanish found the city of Quito (in present-day Ecuador), which later becomes the nation’s capital.
- 1865 – The U.S. 13th Amendment is ratified when Georgia becomes the decisive state, formally abolishing slavery throughout the United States.
- 1907 – An explosion at the Monongah mines in West Virginia kills more than 360 miners, the deadliest mining disaster in U.S. history.
- 1912 – German archaeologists discover the now-iconic painted bust of Queen Nefertiti in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose at Amarna, Egypt.
- 1917 – The Parliament of Finland passes the Finnish Declaration of Independence, breaking away from the collapsing Russian Empire.
- 1917 – In Halifax, Nova Scotia, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc explodes after colliding with another vessel, killing nearly 2,000 people and leveling much of the city.
- 1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed, setting up the Irish Free State and effectively ending the Irish War of Independence while cementing the partition of Ireland.
- 1923 – President Calvin Coolidge’s State of the Union address becomes the first presidential message to be broadcast nationally by radio.
- 1969 – The Altamont Free Concert headlined by the Rolling Stones erupts into violence; a concertgoer, Meredith Hunter, is stabbed to death by a Hells Angels member, marking a grim “end” to the 1960s counterculture era.
- 2017 – The United States formally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announces the embassy will move from Tel Aviv, drawing strong international reaction.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1952 – Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and philanthropist focused on journalism integrity and veterans’ causes (73).
- 1953 – Tom Hulce, American actor and producer best known for playing Mozart in Amadeus and voicing Quasimodo in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (72).
- 1950 – Joe Hisaishi, Japanese composer and conductor famed for his scores to Studio Ghibli films like My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away (75).
- 1947 – Geoffrey Hinton, British-Canadian computer scientist often called a “godfather of deep learning” for his pioneering work on neural networks (78).
- 1967 – Judd Apatow, American writer, director, and producer behind comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Trainwreck (58).
- 1994 – Giannis Antetokounmpo, “Greek Freak” NBA superstar for the Milwaukee Bucks and two-time league MVP (31).
- 1995 – A Boogie wit da Hoodie (Artist Julius Dubose), American rapper known for hits like “Drowning” and the album Hoodie SZN (30).
Today’s Deaths:
- 343 – Saint Nicholas of Myra, early Christian bishop whose reputation for secret gift-giving inspired the later legends of Santa Claus (about 73).
- 1889 – Jefferson Davis, former U.S. senator and the only president of the Confederate States of America, dies in New Orleans (81).
- 1949 – Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter), influential American folk-blues singer and 12-string guitarist behind standards like “Goodnight, Irene” and “Midnight Special” (about 61).
- 1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter famed for operatic rock ballads like “Oh, Pretty Woman” and “Crying,” dies of a heart attack (52).
- 1990 – Tunku Abdul Rahman, founding father and first prime minister of Malaysia who led the country to independence from Britain (87).
- 1993 – Don Ameche, Oscar-winning American actor known for The Story of Alexander Graham Bell, Cocoon, and decades of radio and TV work (85).
- 2022 – Jet Black (Brian John Duffy), English drummer and founding member of the punk/new-wave band The Stranglers (84).
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