Today is Wednesday, the 12th of December of 2018. It is the 346th day of the year. There are 19 days remaining until the end of the year. 9 days until winter begins
and 692 days until presidential elections on Tuesday November 3, 2020...
(1 year 10 months and 22 days from today)
The sun rises this morning at 7:16 am
and the sunset will be at 4:52 pm.
Today we will have 9 hours and 36 minutes of daylight.
Solar noon will be at 12:04 pm.
The first high tide was at 3:40 am
and the next high tide will be at 1:54 pm.
The first low tide will be at 8:33 am
and the next low tide at 8:47 pm.
The Moon is now 23.6%; a Waxing Crescent
Moon Direction:39.64° NE↑
Moon Altitude:-65.07°
Moon Distance: 251765 mi
Next Full Moon: Saturday December 22, 2018 at 9:48 am
Next New Moon: Saturday January 5, 2019 at 5:28 pm
Next Moonrise:Today11:15 am
Today is…
Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts
National 12-hour Fresh Breath Day
Today is also…
Constitution Day in Russia
Croatian Air Force Day in Croatia
Feast of Masá'il ("Questions"), the first day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í calendar in Bahá'í Faith
Ground Forces Day in Ukraine
Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963.
Kanji Day in Japan
Neutrality Day in Turkmenistan
If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this day with…
1805 – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878)
1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (d. 1880)
1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and illustrator (d. 1944)
1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros (d. 1958)
1893 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, and producer (d. 1998)
1918 – Joe Williams, American singer and pianist (d. 1999)
1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer
1933 – Manu Dibango, Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone
1943 – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999)
1945 – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (d. 1997)
1957 – Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress
1962 - International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin is 56.
1969 - Author Sophie Kinsella is 49.
1970 - Actress Regina Hall is 48.
1972 – Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress
1994 – Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (d. 2017)
…and on this day in history…
627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persian forces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first.
1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first being Hiram Revels.
1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
1963 – Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1964 – Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
In 1977, the dance movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta, premiered in New York.
1991 – The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR.
In 1995, by three votes, the Senate killed a constitutional amendment giving Congress authority to outlaw flag burning and other forms of desecration against Old Glory.
On Dec. 12, 2000, George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court decision for recounts in Florida's contested election.
2015 – Paris Agreement relating to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is adopted.
Last year at this time, in 2017, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the city's first Asian-American mayor, died at the age of 65 after collapsing while grocery shopping.