December 11th in History

361 - Julian the Apostate enters Constantinople as sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.

969 - Byzatine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas is assassinated by his wife Theophano and her lover, the later Emperor John I Tzimiskes.

1792 - French Revolution: King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention.

1816 - Indiana becomes the 19th US state.

1920 - Irish War of Independence: In revenge for an IRA ambush, British forces burn and loot numerous buildings in Cork city. Many civilians also reported being beaten, shot at, robbed and verbally abused by British forces.

1931 - The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster 1931, establishing legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Dominion of Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.

1936 - Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII's abdication as King of the United Kingdom, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India becomes effective. Prince Albert the Duke of York becomes King George VI.

1941 - World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans' declaration of war on Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declares war on Germany and Italy.

1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established.

1948 - The United Nations passes General Assembly Resolution 194, which established and defined the role of the United Nations Conciliation Commission as an organization to facilitate peace in the British Mandate for Palestine.

1972 - Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and last Apollo mission to land on the Moon.

1994 - First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya.

1997 - The Kyoto Protocol opens for signature.

2001 - China joins the World Trade Organization.

Famous Birthdays: 

1475 - Pope Leo X

1709 - Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Queen consort of Spain

1830 - King Kamehameha V of Hawaiʻi

1883 - Victor McLaglen, actor

1908 - Hákun Djurhuus, 4th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands

1921 - Liz Smith, actress

1932 - Anne Heywood, actress

1944 - Brenda Lee, singer

1954 - Jermaine Jackson, singer

1969 - Alessandro Melli, footballer

1981 - Javier Saviola, footballer