What Happened on December 11?
December 11 is International Mountain Day — a UN celebration of high places — on the same date Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, Apollo 17 landed on the Moon in 1972, and UNICEF was founded in 1946.
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1816 — Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state
On December 11, 1816, Indiana entered the Union as the nineteenth state. Read the full story →
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1913 — The stolen Mona Lisa is recovered in Florence
On December 11, 1913, police recovered Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in Florence after it was stolen from the Louvre two years earlier. Read the full story →
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1936 — King Edward VIII abdicates the British throne
On December 11, 1936, King Edward VIII gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson — a constitutional crisis that remade the monarchy. Read the full story →
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1941 — Germany and Italy declare war on the United States
On December 11, 1941, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States — days after Pearl Harbor. Read the full story →
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1946 — UNICEF is established to help children after World War II
On December 11, 1946, the United Nations created UNICEF to aid children hurt by war — a mission that continues worldwide. Read the full story →
Famous birthdays
Annie Jump Cannon (1863–1941) · Max Born (1882–1970) · Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) · Rider Strong (1979)
Days & observances
International Mountain Day · National Noodle Ring Day · National App Day · UNICEF Founding Anniversary