Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/July 12
This is a list of selected July 12 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
July 12: National Day of Commemoration in Ireland (2009); The Twelfth in Northern Ireland
- 1543 – King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr (pictured), his sixth and last wife, at Hampton Court Palace.
- 1790 – The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed, a law that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government.
- 1862 – The Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, was first authorized by the U.S. Congress.
- 1943 – World War II: Nazi German and Soviet forces engaged each other at the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest tank battles in military history.
- 1979 – The Gilbert Islands gained independence from the United Kingdom and became known as Kiribati.