December 12th Through History

Explanation: Marconi had transmitted the letter S in Morse code from Poldhu, in Cornwall, to Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland. This achievement opened the door to intercontinental wireless communications, although some scientists at the time questioned the reliability of the experiment.

Explanation: The Paris Agreement, resulting from COP21, is the first universal and legally binding climate agreement. It sets the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, and if possible to 1.5°C. It was signed by 196 parties.

Explanation: The Mona Lisa had been stolen on August 21, 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian glazier who had worked at the Louvre. He had hidden the painting in his room for two years before being caught trying to sell it to a Florentine antique dealer. The affair had been an international scandal.

Explanation: Jomo Kenyatta, who had been imprisoned by the British for his alleged ties to the Mau Mau movement, became the first Prime Minister and then first President of independent Kenya. He led the country until his death in 1978 and remains a founding figure of the Kenyan nation.

Explanation: Frank Sinatra, born Francis Albert Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey, is considered one of the greatest voices of the XX century. His career spanned more than six decades, across jazz, pop and cinema. He notably won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity in 1954.

Explanation: Gustave Flaubert, born in Rouen, is a central figure of French literary realism. Madame Bovary, published in 1857, led to a trial against him for offending public morals, from which he was acquitted. His style, marked by an obsessive pursuit of the "mot juste" (the perfect word), profoundly influenced world literature.

Explanation: The Bush v. Gore decision of December 12, 2000 stopped the manual recount of votes in Florida, a key state whose outcome determined the result of the election. George W. Bush had beaten Al Gore by only 537 votes in that state. This case sparked a heated debate about the role of the judiciary in the American electoral process.

Explanation: Bernard Madoff had set up a pyramid scheme (known as a Ponzi scheme) estimated at around 65 billion dollars, the largest fraud in financial history. He had deceived thousands of investors, including banks, foundations and celebrities, for several decades. Sentenced to 150 years in prison, he died in detention in 2021.

Explanation: La paulette, du nom du financier Charles Paulet qui en eut l'idée, était une taxe annuelle permettant aux officiers royaux de rendre leur charge héréditaire. Cette mesure, adoptée sous Henri IV, renforça considérablement la vénalité des offices en France et contribua à la formation d'une noblesse de robe distincte de la noblesse d'épée.

Explanation: Robert Surcouf, nicknamed 'the king of privateers', operated mainly in the Indian Ocean under French letters of marque. His most famous capture was that of the Kent, a ship of the British East India Company, in 1800. Unlike pirates, privateers acted legally on behalf of their nation.