What Happened on December 6

Significant Events

  • 1240 Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev; out of 50,000 people in the city only 2,000 survive
  • 1865 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery
  • 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty signed; Ireland receives dominion status; partition creates Northern Ireland
  • 1998 Hugo Chávez is elected President of Venezuela
  • 2006 NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars
More Historical Events

December 6 in Film & TV

December 6 in Music

  • 1969 300,000 attend Altamont free concert in California, featuring The Rolling Stones. Marred by violence and four deaths.

December 6 in Sport

  • 1992 San Francisco 49ers Jerry Rice catches NFL record 101st touchdown

Did You Know?

1st edition of "Encyclopedia Brittanica" published in Scotland

On December 6, 1768

Famous Birthdays

More Famous Birthdays

Would You Believe?

Thomas Edison records himself reciting "Mary had a little lamb"

On December 6, 1877

Famous Weddings

  • 1491 King Charles VIII of France marries Anna of Bretagne
  • 1930 Pablo Neruda marries Marie A Hagenaar Vogelzang in Batavia
  • 1941 King Leopold of Belgium marries Lilian Baels
  • 1962 Actor Sean Connery (32) weds actress Diane Cilento on Gibraltar
  • 1975 US Senator Bob Dole (52) weds former senator Elizabeth Hanford (39)

Famous Divorces

  • 1938 Actress Bette Davis (30) divorces musician Harmon Nelson (31) due to cruel and inhuman manner after more than 6 years of marriage
  • 1982 US Senator Ted & Joan Kennedy divorce
  • 1988 Actor and comedian Robin Williams (37) divorces Valerie Velardi after 10 years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces

Famous Deaths

More Famous Deaths

December in History