11 December 1985

Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool were found guilty of the murder of Sara Sharif, and were sentenced to life imprisonment.

American stockbroker Bernie Madoff was arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $64.8 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest in history.

American stockbroker Bernie Madoff was arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $64.8 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest in history.

The first action in the Mexican drug war began as President Felipe Calderón ordered Mexican soldiers and Federal Police units into the state of Michoacán.

Demonstrations in Cronulla, a suburb of Sydney, against recent violence towards locals turned into a series of race riots.

Apollo 17 (Lunar Roving Vehicle pictured), the last Apollo mission, landed on the Moon.

Pope Pius XI promulgated the encyclical Quas primas, establishing the Feast of Christ the King.

Irish War of Independence: Following an Irish Republican Army ambush of an Auxiliary patrol, British forces burned and looted numerous buildings in Cork.

The original Parliament House in Wellington, New Zealand, was destroyed by fire (pictured).

Second Boer War: In the Battle of Magersfontein, Boers defeated British forces trying to relieve the Siege of Kimberley.

The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial Square, played their first match on the Isle of Dogs.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (structure pictured), one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the only one to award degrees in the 18th century, was chartered.

A crowd of 1,500 people presented the Root and Branch petition to the Long Parliament, calling for abolishing the episcopacy of the Church of England.

The Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil was assassinated by his guards, beginning the Anarchy at Samarra.

The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency.

The results of the 2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum are announced. The results are overwhelmingly one-sided. Over 98% of voters vote for Bougainville's independence.

New York City Subway bombing: A pipe bomb partially detonates in the New York City Subway, in the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal. Four people are injured, including the perpetrator.

Finnish game developer Rovio Entertainment releases the hit mobile game Angry Birds internationally on iOS.

Bernie Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Insurgency in the Maghreb: Two car bombs explode in Algiers, Algeria, one near the Supreme Constitutional Court and the other near the offices of the United Nations.

Felipe Calderón, the president of Mexico, launches a military-led offensive to put down the drug cartel violence in the state of Michoacán. This effort is often regarded as the first event in the Mexican drug war.

The Buncefield Oil Depot catches fire in Hemel Hempstead, England.

Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese in Cronulla, New South Wales; these are followed up by retaliatory ethnic attacks on Cronulla.

China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).