Date·Lore

On This Day · The 345th day of the year

December 11

December 11 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 861 and 2008. Assassination of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil by the Turkish guard, who raise al-Muntasir to the throne, start of the "Anarchy at Samarra".

♐ZodiacSagittarius ◈BirthstoneTurquoise ❀Birth flowerHolly

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on December 11?

December 11 is the 345th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 861 and 2008. Famous people born on December 11 include Hector Berlioz, Naguib Mahfouz and Leon Lai.

The shape of the day

From 861 to 2008, December 11 gathers 1,147 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Sagittarius is the sign for December 11 — read more on the Sagittarius page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on December 11

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Ashes of Creation

2024

  • Game Fairy Tail 2

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 861

    Abbasid Caliphate

    Assassination of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil by the Turkish guard, who raise al-Muntasir to the throne, start of the "Anarchy at Samarra".

  2. 1640

    Root and Branch petition

    The Root and Branch petition, signed by 15,000 Londoners calling for the abolition of the episcopacy, is presented to the Long Parliament.

  3. 1816

    Indiana

    Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.

  4. 1899

    Second Boer War

    Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein the Boers commanded by general Piet Cronjé inflict a defeat on the forces of the British Empire commanded by Lord Methuen trying to relieve the Siege of Kimberley.

  5. 1917

    World War I

    World War I: British General Edmund Allenby enters Jerusalem on foot and declares martial law.

  6. 1920

    Irish War of Independence

    Irish War of Independence: In retaliation for a recent IRA ambush, British forces burn and loot numerous buildings in Cork city. Many civilians report being beaten, shot at, robbed and verbally abused by British forces.

  7. 1941

    World War II

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

  8. 1972

    Apollo 17

    Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and final Apollo mission to land on the Moon.

  9. 1990

    Albania

    Demonstrations by students and workers across Albania begin, which eventually trigger the fall of communism in Albania.

  10. 2008

    Bernie Madoff

    Bernie Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Famous birthday twins

Born on December 11

Hector Berlioz

b. 1803

French composer, conductor, and critic

Naguib Mahfouz

b. 1911

Egyptian author, playwright, and screenwriter, Nobel Prize laureate

Leon Lai

b. 1966

Hong Kong singer and actor

John Kerry

b. 1943

American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 68th United States Secretary of State

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

b. 1918

Russian novelist, historian, and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate

Robert Koch

b. 1843

German microbiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate

Yasiin Bey

b. 1973

American rapper

Manoel de Oliveira

b. 1908

Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

Deaths

  • 1978Vincent du Vigneaud
  • 1918Ivan Cankar
  • 1909Ludwig Mond
  • 1241Ögedei Khan
  • 1198Averroes
  • 969Nikephoros II Phokas

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
  • —Christian feast day: Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian
  • —Christian feast day: December 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Establishment of Kurdish Women's Union (Iraqi Kurdistan)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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