Summary of the Day ✨ 12 November (12/11)
A mid-air collision at a Dallas airshow claimed six lives while a devastating earthquake along the Iran-Iraq border killed over 400 people and injured thousands. The same day saw major cultural shifts as Britney Spears’ conservatorship ended and the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 gaming console was released to eager consumers.
Historical Events 📜
- 2022: A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collide in mid-air over Dallas Executive Airport during an airshow, killing six.
- 2021: The Los Angeles Superior Court formally ends the 14-year conservatorship to pop singer Britney Spears.
- 2020: The PlayStation 5 is released.
- 2017: The 7.3 Mw Kermanshah earthquake shakes the northern Iran–Iraq border with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). At least 410 people are killed and over 7,000 are injured.
- 2015: Two suicide bombers detonate explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, killing 43 people and injuring over 200 others.
- 2014: The Philae lander, deployed from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe, reaches the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
- 2014: An Armenian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter is shot down by Azerbaijani forces, killing all three people on board.
- 2011: Silvio Berlusconi tenders his resignation as Prime Minister of Italy, effective November 16, due in large part to the Euro area crisis.
- 2011: A blast in Iran’s Shahid Modarres missile base leads to the death of 17 of the Revolutionary Guards members, including Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a key figure in Iran’s missile program.
- 2003: Iraq War: In Nasiriyah, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.
- 2003: Shanghai Transrapid sets a new world speed record of 501 kilometres per hour (311 mph) for commercial railway systems, which remains the fastest for unmodified commercial rail vehicles.
- 2001: In New York City, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 en route to the Dominican Republic, crashes minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 on board and five on the ground.
- 2001: War in Afghanistan: Taliban forces abandon Kabul, ahead of advancing Afghan Northern Alliance troops.
- 1999: The 7.2 Mw Düzce earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 845 people are killed and almost 5,000 are injured.
- 1997: Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Famous Births 👶
- 2007: Leonardo Puglisi, Australian journalist
- 2002: Paolo Banchero, Italian-American basketball player
- 2002: Tino Livramento, English footballer
- 2001: Raffey Cassidy, English actress
- 1999: Choi Yoo-jung, South Korean singer, dancer, rapper, and actress
- 1998: Jules Koundé, French footballer
- 1998: Elias Pettersson, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1997: Dexter Lawrence, American football player
- 1995: Thomas Lemar, French footballer
- 1995: xQc, Canadian online streamer
- 1994: Guillaume Cizeron, French ice dancer
- 1994: Kseniya Alexandrova, Russian model (died 2025)
- 1993: Tomáš Hertl, Czech ice hockey player
- 1992: Dāvis Bertāns, Latvian basketball player
- 1992: Trey Burke, American basketball player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Roy Haynes, American drummer and composer (born 1925)
- 2024: John Horgan, Canadian politician and diplomat, 36th Premier of British Columbia (born 1959)
- 2024: Song Jae-rim, South Korean actor and model (born 1985)
- 2024: Thomas E. Kurtz, American computer scientist and educator (born 1928)
- 2024: Timothy West, English actor (born 1934)
- 2023: Don Walsh, American oceanographer (born 1931)
- 2021: Chung-Yun Hse, wood scientist (born 1935)
- 2018: Stan Lee, American comic book writer, editor, and publisher (born 1922)
- 2016: Lupita Tovar, Mexican-American actress (born 1910)
- 2016: Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Egyptian actor (born 1946)
- 2015: Márton Fülöp, Hungarian footballer (born 1983)
- 2015: Jihadi John, terrorist (born 1988)
- 2014: Ravi Chopra, Indian director and producer (born 1946)
- 2014: Warren Clarke, English actor, director, and producer (born 1947)
- 2014: Marge Roukema, American educator and politician (born 1929)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, also Doctors’ Day and Cultural Renaissance Day. (Republic of China)
- Christian feast day:
Arsatius - Christian feast day:
Astrik (or Anastasius) of Pannonhalma - Christian feast day:
Cumméne Fota - Christian feast day:
Cunibert - Christian feast day:
Emilian of Cogolla - Christian feast day:
Imerius of Immertal - Christian feast day:
Josaphat Kuntsevych (Roman Catholic Church, Greek Catholic Church) - Christian feast day:
Lebuinus (Liafwine) - Christian feast day:
Livinus of Ghent - Christian feast day:
Machar - Christian feast day:
Margarito Flores García - Christian feast day:
Nilus of Sinai - Christian feast day:
Patiens - Christian feast day:
René d’Angers