December 11

December 11: This Day in History

• 1936— King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, making it one of the most dramatic royal events of the 20th century.
• 1941— Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States, four days after Pearl Harbor.
• 1964— Che Guevara addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, delivering a famous speech criticizing U.S. imperialism.
• 1994— Russian forces entered Chechnya, beginning the First Chechen War.
• 1997— The Kyoto Protocol on climate change was adopted at the United Nations conference in Kyoto, Japan.

Famous Birthdays on December 11

• Hailee Steinfeld (1996) — actress and singer
• Teri Garr (1944) — actress
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918) — russian novelist and dissident
• John Kerry (1943) — u.s. senator and secretary of state
• Rider Strong (1979) — actor

What Happens on December 11?

Did You Know? December 11 Fun Facts

• Edward VIII's abdication speech, broadcast on December 11, 1936, is one of the most listened-to radio addresses in British history.
• The Kyoto Protocol was the first international treaty to set binding emission reduction targets for developed nations.