December 11 Birthday
On December 11, 1936, Edward VIII announced his abdication in a radio broadcast: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." He had been king for 325 days. He married Wallis Simpson in France the following year. They lived in exile as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Edward's sympathy for Nazi Germany has been documented — he met Hitler in 1937 and told him he was "not unfriendly" to Germany. People born on December 11 fall under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. The birthstone is Tanzanite and the birth flower is Holly. Historical events on December 11 include 1936: King Edward VIII abdicates the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson, 1941: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, 1994: Russian army enters Chechnya to suppress independence movement. Famous people born on December 11 include Fiorello LaGuardia (1882), Rita Moreno (1931), Jermaine Jackson (1954).