A Chicken Lived 18 Months Without a Head – And These Shocking Moments All Happened on This Day in History

Did you know?

A chicken once lived for 18 months without a head. Mike the chicken’s incredible feat was recorded back in the 1940s in the US\. He survived as his jugular vein and most of his brainstem were left mostly intact, ensuring just enough brain function remained for survival. In the majority of cases, a headless chicken dies in a matter of minutes.

On this Day in history, December 12

1552 The low-lying Dutch west coast is hit by a heavy storm, hundreds of people are killed.

1907 Britain grants responsible government to its former colony, Transvaal.

1913 After using various other pseudonyms over the years, Josef Dzhugashvili signs himself as Stalin (‘man of steel’) in a letter to the paper, Social Democrat.

1915 South African forces invade German South-West Africa at Ramansdrift.

1916 German aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke receive the Pour le Merite, Germany’s highest military award, for each having shot down 8 Allied aircraft (this was during the infancy of aerial combat).

1941 ‘Long John’ Baldry, one of the top English bluesmen, admired by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, and a pivotal force behind the careers of many, including Elton John (Someone Saved My Life Tonight) – yet virtually unknown outside Britain, is born.

1945 German forces in Belgium begin to retreat after fierce fighting during Battle of the Bulge – the last major German Western Front offensive campaign of World War II.

1954 Austria’s worst avalanche kills 200 people – 9 hours later a second kills 115.

1967 Dr James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryogenically preserved for future resuscitation. He is still in this state.

1970 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.

1990 A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which the Armenians are beaten, tortured, and expelled.

2006 A stampede during the Hajj in Mina kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.

2010 An earthquake in Haiti kills more than 100 000 people and destroys much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

2021 India’s Supreme Court puts on hold three controversial new farm laws that ignited weeks of protests by farmers in Delhi.

2024 The island nation of Cape Verde is the first sub-Saharan country to be declared malaria-free in 50 years by the WHO.

2025 California Governor Gavin Newsom says the California wildfires will be one of the worst natural disasters in US history.

DAILY NEWS