December 6 is the 340th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 25 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about December 6th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about December 6th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Miner’s Day
- Mitten Tree Day
- Put on Your Own Shoes Day
- Saint Nicholas Day
- National Pawnbrokers Day
- National Microwave Oven Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – December 6
1977: South Africa grants independence to Bophuthatswana
The Republic of Bophuthatswana was never internationally recognized. In 1994, after a series of coups, it reintegrated with South Africa.
1967: World’s first pediatric heart transplant
3 days after the first heart transplant in the world occurred in South Africa, Adrian Kantrowitz and his team of surgeons performed United States’ first heart transplant and the world’s first pediatric heart transplant at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.
1922: Establishment of the Irish Free State
The Anglo-Irish Treaty signed between the British and Irish representatives in 1921 paved the way for the establishment of the Dominion of the British Empire. The state lasted until December 1937.
1917: Finnish Declaration of Independence
The declaration ended 109 years of Finland being a Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire. The Northern European country came under the control of the Russian Empire in 1809. After the October Revolution in Russia, which created the Soviet Union, the Finnish Parliament declared independence on this day.
1865: Adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, December 6
1982: Alberto Contador, Spanish cyclist
1967: Judd Apatow, American director, producer, screenwriter
1941: Richard Speck, American murderer
1920: Dave Brubeck, American pianist, composer
1875: Evelyn Underhill, English poet
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, December 6
1990: Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malaysia
1988: Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter
1956: B. R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist, politician
1889: Jefferson Davis, American colonel, politician, President of the Confederate States of America
1882: Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman, politician
