Updated December 11, 2011, 1:28 pm
On Dec. 12, 1963, Kenya gained its independence from Britain.
On Dec. 12, 1915, Frank Sinatra, the American singer and actor who elevated popular song into an art, was born. Following his death on May 14, 1998, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1745 John Jay, statesman and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, was born in New York City. 1787 Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. 1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first black congressman. 1897 “The Katzenjammer Kids,” the pioneering comic strip by Rudolph Dirks, debuted in the New York Journal. 1914 The New York Stock Exchange re-opened for the first time since July 30. The market had shut down when World War I broke out. 1915 Singer Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, N.J. 1917 Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town outside Omaha, Neb. 1925 The first motel, the Motel Inn, opened, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. 1947 The United Mine Workers union withdrew from the American Federation of Labor. 1963 Kenya gained its independence from Britain. 1975 Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford. 1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton and submitted the case to the full House. 2003 Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the “Free Willy” movies, died in a Norwegian fjord. 2009 Houston became the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor, with voters handing a solid victory to City Controller Annise Parker. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actress Jennifer Connelly turns 41 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
Actor Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean” movies) turns 62 years old today.
AP Photo/Graham Hughes
1923 Bob Barker, TV game show host (“The Price is Right”), turns 88 1924 Ed Koch, Former New York City mayor, turns 87 1937 Connie Francis, Singer, actress, turns 74 1940 Dionne Warwick, R&B singer, turns 71 1943 Dickey Betts, Rock musician (The Allman Brothers), turns 68 1950 Duane Chase, Actor (Kurt in “The Sound of Music”), turns 61 1952 Cathy Rigby, Actress, Olympic gymnast, turns 59 1957 Sheila E., Singer, musician, turns 54 1962 Tracy Austin, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 49 1975 Mayim Bialik, Actress (“Blossom”), turns 36 Historic Birthdays
Frank Sinatra 12/12/1915 – 5/14/1998 American actor and singer.Go to obituary »
61 Alvaro de Bazan Santa Cruz 12/12/1526 – 2/9/1588
Spanish naval commander83 John Jay 12/12/1745 – 5/17/1829
First chief justice of the United States73 William Lloyd Garrison 12/12/1805 – 5/24/1879
American abolitionist64 Stand Watie 12/12/1806 – 9/9/1871
Cherokee chief67 Gustave Flaubert 12/12/1821 – 5/8/1880
French novelist80 Edvard Munch 12/12/1863 – 1/23/1944
Norweigan painter72 Arthur Garfield Brisbane 12/12/1864 – 12/25/1936
American editor and writer51 Alvin Kraenzlein 12/12/1876 – 1/6/1928
American Olympic athlete; first competitor to win four gold medals in a single Olympics73 Arthur Garfield Hays 12/12/1881 – 12/14/1954
American lawyer and defender of civil liberties79 Edward G. Robinson 12/12/1893 – 1/26/1973
American actor and singer85 Henry Armstrong 12/12/1912 – 10/24/1988
American boxer65 John Osborne 12/12/1929 – 12/24/1994
English playwright
