April 12

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April 12 in recent years   2024 (Friday)   2023 (Wednesday)   2022 (Tuesday)   2021 (Monday)   2020 (Sunday)   2019 (Friday)   2018 (Thursday)   2017 (Wednesday)   2016 (Tuesday)   2015 (Sunday)

April 12 is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 263 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire
• 1606 - The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of Great Britain.
• 1633 - The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition begins.
• 1776 - North Carolina's Provincial Congress authorized its delegates to the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence by issuing the Halifax Resolves.
• 1820 - Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organisation to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
• 1861 - American Civil War: The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
• 1864 - American Civil War: Fort Pillow massacre -- Confederate forces under General Nathan Bedford Forrest kill most of the African American soldiers who had surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
• 1877 - The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
• 1917 - World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans. It is also considered a major event in Canadian history for the primary role Canadian forces played in the attack.
• 1927 - April 12 Incident: Chiang Kai-shek orders the CPC members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front (China).
• 1934 - The strongest surface wind gust in the world, 231 mph, was measured by the staff of the Mount Washington Observatory on the summit of Mount Washington
• 1934 - The Auto-Lite Strike, which culminated in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers, began.
• 1935 - First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
• 1937 - Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at the British Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby, England.
• 1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office; vice-president Harry S. Truman is sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States.
• 1955 - The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
• 1961 - Human spaceflight: Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).
• 1963 - The Soviet nuclear powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits. Although both vessels are severely damaged both can make it to port.
• 1968 - Nerve gas accident at Skull Valley, Utah.

Columbia launching during STS-1.

• 1980 - Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of democratic presidential succession in that country.
• 1980 - Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic at St. John's, Newfoundland.
• 1981 - Human spaceflight: The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission.
• 1990 - opening of Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs exhibition, the work of the only living sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• 1992 - Disneyland Resort Paris opens in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France, and is the second international Disney resort property.
• 1994 - Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam.
• 1998 - An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale near the town of Bovec.
• 1999 - American President Bill Clinton was cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in the Paula Jones sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
• 2002 - Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002, a military coup against Hugo Chávez.
• 2007 - The Kremlin vetos an investigation into the death of Yuri Gagarin, who was the first man in space.

Births

• 599 BC - Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism (d. 527 BC)
• 812 - Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim Shia Imam (d. 835)
• 1484 - Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (d. 1546)
• 1500 - Joachim Camerarius, German classical scholar (d. 1574)
• 1526 - Muretus, French humanist (d. 1585)
• 1550 - Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English politician (d. 1604)
• 1577 - Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
• 1705 - William Cookworthy, English chemist (d. 1780)
• 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (d. 1796)
• 1722 - Pietro Nardini, Italian composer (d. 1793)
• 1724 - Lyman Hall, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
• 1726 - Charles Burney, English music historian (d. 1814)
• 1748 - Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist (d. 1836)
• 1777 - Henry Clay, American statesman (d. 1852)
• 1794 - Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (d. 1847)
• 1796 - George N. Briggs, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
• 1799 - Henri Druey, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1855)
• 1823 - Alexandr Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist (d. 1886)
• 1839 - Nikolai Przhevalsky, Russian explorer (d. 1888)
• 1848 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1880)
• 1852 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (d. 1939)
• 1856 - William Martin Conway, English art critic and mountaineer (d. 1937)
• 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese naval commander (d. 1918)
• 1869 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
• 1871 - Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (d. 1941)
• 1883 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1959)
• 1884 - Otto Meyerhof, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1951)
• 1887 - Harold Lockwood, American silent film actor (d. 1918)
• 1888 - Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet pianist (d. 1964)
• 1892 - Johnny Dodds, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1940)
• 1893 - Robert Harron, American actor (d. 1920)
• 1894 - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, 13^th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
• 1898 - Lily Pons, American soprano (d. 1976)
• 1901 - Lowell Stockman, American representative (d. 1962)
• 1902 - Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
• 1903 - Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
• 1907 - Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (d. 2003)
• 1907 - Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (d. 1979)
• 1908 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American Air Force pilot (d. 2006)
• 1911 - Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal nationalization Engineer (d. 1976)
• 1912 - Walt Gorney, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1912 - Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Second Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
• 1914 - Armen Alchian, American economist
• 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American writer
• 1916 - Benjamin Libet, American pioneering scientist (d. 2007)
• 1917 - Helen Forrest, American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
• 1923 - Ann Miller, American actress and dancer (d. 2004)
• 1924 - Raymond Barre, French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007)
• 1924 - Peter Safar, Austrian physician (d. 2003)
• 1928 - Hardy Krüger, German actor
• 1928 - Jean-François Paillard, French conductor
• 1930 - Manuel Neri, American sculptor, painter and printmaker
• 1930 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (d. 2006)
• 1932 - Dennis Banks, American activist
• 1932 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2005)
• 1932 - Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
• 1933 - Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano
• 1934 - Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer
• 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English writer
• 1939 - Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league footballer
• 1940 - Herbie Hancock, American pianist and composer
• 1941 - Bobby Moore, English footballer (d. 1993)
• 1942 - Carlos Reutemann, Argentine racing driver and politician
• 1944 - John Kay, German-born musician (Steppenwolf)
• 1945 - Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the WHO (d. 2006)
• 1946 - Ed O'Neill, American actor
• 1947 - Tom Clancy, American author
• 1947 - Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets
• 1947 - David Letterman, American talk show host
• 1948 - Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (d. 2008)
• 1948 - Joschka Fischer, Foreign Minister of Germany
• 1948 - Sandra "Lois" Reeves, American singer (Martha & the Vandellas)
• 1949 - Scott Turow, American writer
• 1950 - Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman and F1 team principal (Renault F1)
• 1950 - David Cassidy, American singer and actor
• 1950 - Kari Palaste, Finnish architect
• 1952 - Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist (d. 2004)
• 1952 - Reuben Gant, American professional football player
• 1953 - Mitch Deaver, sports-outdoor photographer, skule
• 1954 - Pat Travers, Canadian musician
• 1956 - Andy Garcia, Cuban-born actor
• 1956 - Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer
• 1957 - Vince Gill, American musician
• 1958 - Will Sergeant, English musician (Echo & the Bunnymen)
• 1958 - Howard Stableford, English actor, and host
• 1960 - Ron MacLean, Canadian sportscaster
• 1961 - Lisa Gerrard, Australian singer and musician (Dead Can Dance)
• 1962 - Art Alexakis, American musician (Everclear)
• 1962 - Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler
• 1964 - Amy Ray, American musician (Indigo Girls)
• 1965 - Tom O'Brien, American actor-producer
• 1967 - Sarah Cracknell, English singer (Saint Etienne)
• 1967 - Mellow Man Ace, Afro-Cuban rapper
• 1969 - Lucas Radebe, South African footballer
• 1970 - Nick Hexum, American musician (311)
• 1971 - Nicholas Brendon, American actor
• 1971 - Shannen Doherty, American actress
• 1972 - Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player
• 1972 - Dimitrios Kokotis, Greek high jumper
• 1973 - J. Scott Campbell, American comic book artist
• 1973 - Antonio Osuna, Mexican baseball player
• 1973 - Claudia Jordan, American model
• 1974 - Marley Shelton, American actress
• 1974 - Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer
• 1974 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (d. 2006)
• 1975 - Paul Murphy, American writer
• 1976 - Brad Miller, American basketball player
• 1977 - Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1977 - Glenn Rogers, Scottish Cricket Player
• 1977 - Sarah Jane Morris, American actress
• 1978 - Guy Berryman, British musician (Coldplay)
• 1978 - Riley Smith, American actor
• 1979 - Claire Danes, American actress
• 1979 - Elena Grosheva, Olympic gymnast
• 1979 - Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
• 1979 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress and model
• 1979 - Paul Nicholls, English actor
• 1979 - Jordan De Jong, American baseball player
• 1980 - Brian McFadden, Irish Singer
• 1980 - Erik Mongrain, Canadian musician
• 1981 - Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer
• 1981 - Jaspreet Singh, CEO, GlassBox Inc.
• 1981 - Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
• 1982 - Deen, Bosnian singer
• 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)
• 1985 - Jeisa Chiminazzo, Brazilian supermodel
• 1985 - Olga Seryabkina, Russian singer
• 1986 - Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
• 1987 - Brendon Urie, American musician (Panic! at the Disco)
• 1994 - Moises Arias, American actor
• 1994 - Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
• 1994 - Airi Suzuki, Japanese singer (°C-ute)

Deaths

• 65 - Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist
• 238 - Gordian I, Roman Emperor (suicide)
• 238 - Gordian II, heir to the Roman Empire (killed in battle)
• 352 - St. Julius I, 35th Pope
• 434 - Archbishop Maximianus of Constantinople
• 1125 - Vladislaus I of Bohemia
• 1443 - Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1550 - Claude, Duke of Guise, French soldier (b. 1496)
• 1555 - Juana of Castile, wife of Philip I of Castile (b. 1479)
• 1687 - Ambrose Dixon, Virginia Colony pioneer
• 1704 - Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and writer (b. 1627)
• 1748 - William Kent, English architect
• 1782 - Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist (b. 1698)
• 1788 - Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-born composer (b. 1719)
• 1795 - Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
• 1814 - Charles Burney, English music historian (b. 1726)
• 1850 - Adoniram Judson, American Baptist missionary (b. 1788)
• 1872 - Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer (b. 1795)
• 1878 - William Marcy Tweed, aka Boss Tweed, American politician (b. 1823)
• 1898 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic archbishop of Quebec (b. 1820)
• 1902 - Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist (b. 1842)
• 1912 - Clara Barton, American nurse and Red Cross advocate (b. 1821)
• 1938 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian bass (b. 1873)
• 1945 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
• 1953 - Mitch Deaver, sports-outdoor photographer
• 1962 - Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Indian politician and engineer (b. 1861)
• 1968 - Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer and Volkswagen director (b. 1899)
• 1971 - Igor Tamm, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
• 1971 - Ed Lafitte, American baseball player (b. 1871)
• 1971 - Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (b. 1931)
• 1975 - Josephine Baker, American dancer (b. 1906)
• 1977 - Phil Wrigley, American manufacturer and baseball executive (b. 1894)
• 1980 - Clark McConachy, New Zealand billiards and snooker player (b. 1895)
• 1980 - William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of Liberia (b. 1913)
• 1981 - Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914)
• 1983 - Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
• 1986 - Valentin Kataev, Russian writer (b. 1897)
• 1987 - Mike Von Erich, American wrestler
• 1988 - Alan Paton, South African novelist (b. 1903)
• 1989 - Gerald Flood, British actor (b. 1927)
• 1989 - Abbie Hoffman, American radical leader (b. 1936)
• 1989 - Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
• 1991 - Dead, Swedish musician (Mayhem) (b. 1969)
• 1999 - Boxcar Willie, American singer (b. 1931)
• 2001 - Harvey Ball, American inventor of the Smiley (b. 1921)
• 2003 - Cecil H. Green, American manufacturer (b. 1900)
• 2006 - Dr. Rajkumar, Kannada language film actor/singer (b. 1929)
• 2006 - Puggy Pearson, American professional poker player (b. 1929)
• 2007 - Kevin Crease, Australian TV anchor (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances

• The Roman holiday of Cerealia begins.
• Yuri's Night, an international celebration of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin; in Russia (and formerly in USSR), the Cosmonautics Day.

The Feast of St. Basil the Confessor in the Greek Orthodox Church. In the Roman Catholic Church:

• Saint Damian
• Saint Erkembode
• Saint Julius I
• Saint Zeno of Verona
• Saint Alferius
• Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
• Saint Constantine
• Saint Sabas
• Saint Victor
• Saint Wigbert

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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