December 11: Republic Day in Burkina Faso ( 1958)

• 1282 - Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last independent Prince of Wales to rule in Wales, was killed in an ambush.

• 1602 - Geneva successfully repelled a late night attack by the combined forces of Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy and King Philip III of Spain (pictured), an event commemorated annually during the Fête de l'Escalade.

• 1931 - The Statute of Westminster gave complete legislative independence to the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

• 1946 - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was established.

• 1981 - About 900 civilians in El Salvador were killed in the El Mozote massacre.

Recent days: December 10 – December 9 – December 8