On this day›12-19

Discover · History

On this day — December 19

A hand-curated thread of what happened on this date, across centuries.

2016

Milestone

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is assassinated while at an art exhibition in Ankara

The assassin, Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, is shot and killed by a Turkish guard.

2016

Milestone

A vehicular attack in Berlin

Germany, kills 12 and injures 56 people at a Christmas market.

2013

Milestone

Spacecraft Gaia is launched by the European Space Agency.

2012

Politics

Park Geun-hye is elected the first female president of South Korea.

2005

Milestone

Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 crashes into the Government Cut channel immediately after takeoff from Miami Seaplane Base, killing 20.

2005

Milestone

A passenger train from Sucha Beskidzka to Żywiec in Poland loses its brakes while on a steep downhill part of the route. It is stopped in a controlled collision in Świnna by a train travelling in opposite direction. 2 drivers and 6 passengers are injured.

2001

Milestone

Argentine economic crisis

December riots: Riots erupt in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1999

Science

Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-103

the third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

1998

Politics

President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives

becoming the second president of the United States to be impeached.

1997

Milestone

SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River

near Palembang in Indonesia, killing 104.

1995

Milestone

The United States Government restores federal recognition to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Native American tribe.

1986

Milestone

Mikhail Gorbachev

leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from exile in Gorky.

1985

Milestone

Aeroflot Flight 101/435 is hijacked to China by its first officer.

1984

Milestone

The Sino-British Joint Declaration

stating that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997, is signed in Beijing by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher.

1983

Sport

The original FIFA World Cup trophy

the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.