On This Day for December 12 - U.S. Supreme Court decision on the presidential election, Edvard Munch is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. December 12 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Edvard Munch READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision on the presidential election READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2015: A landmark climate change agreement was reached at a UN conference in Paris as 195 countries agreed to limit greenhouse gas emissions; the accord effectively replaced the Kyoto Protocol. [ What's the difference between global warming and climate change?] 2009: With the victory of Democratic politician Annise Parker, Houston became the then largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor. [ Discover 10 other Democrats who made history.] 1999: American author Joseph Heller—the author of Catch-22 (1961), one of the most significant works of protest literature to appear after World War II—died at age 76. [ Test your knowledge of famous writers.] 1977: The music drama Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, had its world premiere; the film was a huge hit, as was the accompanying disco sound track by the Bee Gees. [ How much do you know about movies?] 1964: Kenya became a republic on the first anniversary of its independence from Britain. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Africa.] 1936: Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek was seized by one of his own generals, Chang Hsüeh-liang, beginning the Xi'an Incident. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1915 Frank Sinatra American singer and actor 1950 Rajnikanth Indian actor 1863 Edvard Munch Norwegian artist 1923 Bob Barker American game show host 1945 Portia Simpson Miller prime minister of Jamaica 1893 Edward G. Robinson American actor SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help