On this day

December 9, 1948

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from December 9, 1948

Notable Births

Marleen Gorris

1948Marleen Gorris, Dutch director and screenwriter[†]

Marleen Gorris is a Dutch former writer and director. Gorris is known as an outspoken feminist and supporter of gay and lesbian issues which is reflected in much of her work. Her film, Antonia's Line, won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995 making her first woman to win in this category. She has won 2 Golden Calf awards and received numerous other nominations, including one nomination for BAFTA Awards.

Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption

1948Jonathan Sumption, English historian, author, and judge[†]

Jonathan Philip Chadwick Sumption, Lord Sumption,, is a British author, medieval historian, barrister and former senior judge who sat on the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2018 and on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal between 2019 and 2024.

Historical Events

1948The Genocide Convention is adopted.[†]

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG), or the Genocide Convention, is an international treaty that criminalizes genocide and obligates state parties to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition. It was the first legal instrument to codify genocide as a crime and the first human rights treaty unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948, during the third session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951 and has 153 state parties as of February 2025.