The following events occurred in December 1912:
December 1, 1912 (Sunday) Mohandas Gandhi began the practice of wearing traditional clothing from India, after meeting with his mentor in the Indian independence movement, Gopal Krishna Gokhale in South Africa. To that point, Gandhi had been a lawyer in Pretoria during his adult life, and had worn traditional Western clothing.Jad Adams, Gandhi: The True Man Behind Modern India (Open Road Media, 2011) Hiram Bingham completed his first Peruvian expedition, during which he had discovered the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, and departed Peru with 100 cases of artifacts and 700 photographs.Helen Delpar, Looking South: The Evolution of Latin Americanist Scholarship in the United States, 1850–1975 (University of Alabama Press, 2007) pp. 64-65"Record of Current Events", The American Monthly Review of Reviews (February 1913), pp. 163-167 Benito Mussolini, as a member of the Italian Socialist Party, assumed the direction of the party's newspaper Avanti!. XXIII Legislatura del Regno d'Italia dal 24 marzo 1909 al 29 settembre 1913, Camera dei deputati, Portale storico (retrieved 28 May 2016) Born: Minoru Yamasaki, American architect, designer of the original World Trade Center; in Seattle, Washington, United States (d. 1986)
December 2, 1912 (Monday) General Uehara Yūsaku resigned as Japan's Minister of War after the rest of the cabinet refused to agree to increasing the army by an additional two divisions. Uyehera's departure preceded the resignation of the entire ministry.The Britannica Year-Book 1913: A Survey of the World's Progress Since the Completion in 1910 of the Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica, 1913) pp. xli - xliii"Japanese Cabinet Crisis". New York Times. December 3, 1912. Archbishop Adolfo Alejandro Nouel was made President of the Republic of Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic). German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg told the Reichstag in a speech that Germany would go to war if Austria-Hungary was attacked by any other nation as a matter of defending Germany's future and security.Hew Strachan, The Outbreak of the First World War (Oxford University Press, 2004) p. 65 Two rail lines opened in South Africa: a line of in length between Schoombee to Hofmeyr in Eastern Cape, and a line of in length between Ottery to Diep River in Cape Town.Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 187, ref. no. 200954-13
December 3, 1912 (Tuesday) At Çatalca, the government of Turkey signed an armistice with Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, but Greece did not participate."Greeks Refuse the Armistice; Others Sign It", New York Times, December 4, 1912 The ceasefire took effect at 7:00 pm local time, temporarily halting the fighting.Edward J. Erickson, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003) p. 137 Part of the ceasefire was to hold a peace conference in London, but the discussions failed and hostilities would resume on February 3, 1913.John A. S. Grenville, The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century: A History and Guide with Texts, Volume 1 (Taylor & Francis, 2001) pp. 49-50 U.S, President William Howard Taft delivered his State of the Union Address to the United States Congress, focusing on expanding army and naval forces, including servicemen to man the proposed naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The impeachment trial of U.S. District Judge Robert W. Archbald began in the United States Senate. Fifteen people were killed in a train wreck near Dresden, Ohio."Eight Die, 7 Hurt, in Rear-End Crash". New York Times. December 4, 1912. Died: Alice Bunker Stockham, 79, American physician, fifth American woman to practice medicine (b. 1833)
December 4, 1912 (Wednesday) The Marquis Saionji Kinmochi resigned as Prime Minister of Japan, and the other cabinet followed suit, after the ministers were unable to find a replacement for War Minister Uehara Yūsaku."Japanese Cabinet Out". New York Times. December 5, 1912. Italy's Chamber of Deputies approved the peace treaty with Turkey 335-24."Italian Treaty Approved". New York Times. December 5, 1912. American boxer Jack Johnson shocked much of America by marrying "outside his race" to white American Lucille Cameron. The two would divorce in 1924.Peggy Pascoe, What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America (Oxford University Press, 2009) p. 165 Cliff Sterrett's cartoon Polly and Her Pals made its debut in the New York Journal. Born: Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, American Marine air force officer, commander of the "Black Sheep Squadron" in World War II; in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States (d. 1988) Died: Archibald Gracie, 53, American writer and Titanic survivor, author of The Truth about the Titanic, died from health damage sustained while awaiting rescue in a lifeboat (b. 1858)
December 5, 1912 (Thursday) The Triple Alliance agreement was renewed in Vienna between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.Hew Strachan, The Outbreak of the First World War (Oxford University Press, 2004) p. 65. "Triple Alliance Renewed". New York Times. December 8, 1912. Persian religious leader ʻAbdu'l-Bahá completed the trip to the United States and Canada that had started with his arrival in New York City on April 11. Having introduced the Baháʼí Faith to North America, he departed from New York City on the steamer Celtic, bound for Liverpool.Janet Khan, Prophet's Daughter: The Life and Legacy of Bahiyyih Khanum, Outstanding Heroine of the Baha'i Faith (Baha'i Publishing Trust, 2005) p. 81. "Abdul Baha Sails Away". New York Times. December 6, 1912. The United States Department of Justice dropped further antitrust proceedings against the American Sugar Refining Company. Former seaplane racer Jacques Schneider announced at a banquet for the Monaco Hydroplane Meet that he would award a trophy for the fastest speed of an amphibious airplane that could cover a distance of at least . The inaugural race was held four months later on April 16, 1913. Born: Keisuke Kinoshita, Japanese film director, known for films including Twenty-Four Eyes and Immortal Love, recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun; in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japanese Empire (now Japan) (d. 1998) Kate Simon, Polish-born American writer, known for her autobiographical writings such as Etchings in an Hourglass and travel writing including Renaissance Tapestry; as Kaila Grobsmith, in Warsaw, Congress Kingdom of Poland (now Poland) (d. 1990) Sonny Boy Williamson, American blues musician, known for blues hits including "Don't Start Me Talkin'", "Checkin' Up on My Baby", and "Bring It On Home"; as Aleck or Alex Ford, later known as Alex Miller, in Tutwiler, Mississippi, United States (d. 1965) Died: James Scott Mason, 39, British Governor of the North Borneo protectorate, was killed after falling from a horse (b. 1853)
December 6, 1912 (Friday)
In excavations at Tell al-Amarna in Egypt, the Nefertiti Bust was unearthed, intact, after being buried for around 3,200 years. The team, led by a team led by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, discovered the limestone statue of the head and shoulders of the wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten (who reigned 1353 BC to 1336 BC), while sifting through the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose. Borchardt concluded that the statue had once set upon a wooden shelf, next to a similar bust of Akhenaten, until termite damage caused both objects to topple; and while the pharaoh's statue was shattered, Nefertiti's bust survived because it had happened to land, upside down, on its flat top.Joann Fletcher, The Search for Nefertiti: The True Story of an Amazing Discovery (HarperCollins, 2004) p. 60 Count Terauchi Masatake, the Governor-General of Korea, was asked by the Emperor to form a new government as Prime Minister of Japan."Terauchi Japan's Premier". New York Times. December 7, 1912. Vladimir, the Metropolitan of Moscow, was appointed President of the Russian Orthodox Synod and Metropolitan of Saint Petersburg as well.
December 7, 1912 (Saturday) German-American banker Paul Warburg presented the blueprint, for what would become the Federal Reserve, to U.S. Congress and to U.S. President-elect Woodrow Wilson. The original plan, with twenty reserve banks under control of a central board, would be altered to 12 federal reserve banks after Warburg modified the Federal Reserve Act to accommodate the wishes of Congressman Carter Glass.Ron Chernow, The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family (Random House Digital, 2012) Hassan Riaz Pasha, the Turkish Governor of Scutari, refused to accept his nation's armistice and continued fighting the First Balkan War. Born: Lewis S. Feuer, American philosopher, noted for his switch from Marxism to neoconservatism, author of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: Basic Writings on Politics and Philosophy; in New York City, United States (d. 2002) Died: George Darwin, 67, English astronomer and mathematician, recipient of the Royal Medal and Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, son of Charles Darwin (b. 1845)
December 8, 1912 (Sunday) Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany convened a "War Council" at Potsdam, with his military leaders (General Helmuth von Moltke, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, and Admiral Georg Alexander von Müller) after receiving the news that the United Kingdom would join with France and Russia in the event of a European war. The outcome was to postpone plans for war with the Russian Empire until the near future, but to prepare the German public for an inevitable "racial war, the war of Slavdom against Germandom" in 1914 or 1915.Roderick R. McLean, Royalty and Diplomacy in Europe, 1890-1914 (Cambridge University Press, 2007) p. 66 According to Major General Karl von Wenninger, who was present at the meeting, "Moltke wanted to launch an immediate attack" on France and the United Kingdom because it was the most favorable opportunity for winning, while Tirpitz persuaded a reluctant Kaiser that an attack should wait a year until construction of the U-boat pens at Heligoland and the widening of the Kiel Canal could be completed.John C. G. Röhl, Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900–1941 (Cambridge University Press, 2014) p. 910 Turkish cavalry and artillery withdrew from Tripoli, which had been ceded to Italy. The upper level of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Church opened in The Bronx, New York City.Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p. 390. Born: Jean Garrigue, American poet, noted contributor of Five Young American Poets; as Gertrude Louise Garrigus, in Evansville, Indiana, United States (d. 1972)
December 9, 1912 (Monday) The Greek submarine Delfin made the first torpedo attack in modern warfare, after sighting the Turkish cruiser Medjidieh and five escort ships. Lt. Commander Paparrigopoulos ordered the firing of the underwater missile from a distance of 500 meters, but the torpedo "did not run properly and sank.""Greece: DELFIN class submarines", in Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921 (Volume 2), by Randal Gray and Przemyslaw Budzbon (Naval Institute Press, 1985) p. 387. General Moritz von Auffenberg resigned as the War Minister of Austria, and was succeeded the next day by Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf."Ignore Armistice; Fighting Resumed". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 10, 1912. p. 1.