December 6: Saint Nicholas's Day (Western Christianity); Independence Day in Finland (1917) Blast cloud from the Halifax Explosion1240 After days of bombardment, Mongol invaders under Batu Khan breached the walls of Kiev and sacked the city.1917 A ship carrying TNT and picric acid in Halifax Harbour, Canada, caught fire after a collision and caused the second-largest accidental explosion in history (pictured).1956 In what became known as the Blood in the Water match at the Melbourne Olympics, the Hungarian water polo team defeated the Soviet Union 40 against the background of the Hungarian Revolution.1988 Self-government was granted to the Australian Capital Territory.2017 Under President Donald Trump, the United States government officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.George H. D. Gossip (b.1841)Mary Margaret O'Reilly (d.1949)Satoru Iwata (b.1959)More anniversaries: December 5December 6December 7ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout