At A Glance

3 December 2012 at a glance

Day of the week
3 December 2012 was a Monday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Diamonds” by Rihanna.
Top Film of 2012
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2012 was The Avengers.
Bestselling Novel of 2012
“Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2012.
Top-Rated TV Show
“NCIS” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2012–13 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 3 December is Sagittarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 3 December 2012 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for December is Turquoise.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 3 December 2012 was Waning Gibbous.

On this day: 3 December

  • 1999 NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere.
  • 2005 XCOR Aerospace makes the first crewed rocket aircraft delivery of U.S. Mail in Kern County, California.
  • 2014 The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches the space explorer Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round trip mission to an asteroid to collect rock samples.
  • 2022 Massive power outage after Moore County substation attack that leaves 45,000 people without power for five days, leading to an FBI probe.
  • 2024 Martial law is declared in South Korea.

Famous people born on December 3

  • Jenna Dewan, American actress and dancer (born 1980)
  • Amanda Seyfried, American actress (born 1985)
  • Ozzy Osbourne, English singer-songwriter (1948–2025)
  • Brendan Fraser, American actor and producer (born 1968)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 2012 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '2012 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • March 2 – Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is released in theaters.
  • March 20 – John Carter records one of the biggest losses in cinema history, forcing Disney to take a $200 million writedown and chairman Rich Ross to resign.
  • May 4 – The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is released by Marvel Studios as the sixth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the final film in its "Phase One" slate.

Life in the US in 2012

President

Barack Obama

Gas (per gallon)

$3.68

Loaf of Bread

$1.84

Average House

$256,900

Weekly Wage

$757

Or

Browse by Year

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →